Page 138 - Discipleship Ministries Student E-Book

Section 18: Opposing Satan’s Plan for Your Life

“And if we answer the call to discipleship, where will it lead us?... Only Jesus Christ,
who bids us follow him, knows the journey’s end. But we do know that it will be a
road of boundless mercy. Discipleship means joy.

― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

18.1 Connect

Did you know that in the USA, that of the Americans who consider themselves to be
Christian, 59% do not believe in the existence of Satan and 58% do not believe that the
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Holy Spirit exists. Shocking? And we are talking about people who claim to be Christians!

The Bible tells us a lot about Satan and his desire to kill and destroy all that is good on the
planet. He is filled with wrath against God. He seeks with all his energy to thwart the plans of Christians
to desire to serve the Lord.

Satan has been extremely successful throughout history, but never more so than today. He is the god of
this world, and controls the culture and through it, the thoughts of people everywhere. Don’t be
surprised if you discover that Satan has a plan for every young person in your youth group. His plan is
simple: don’t serve God with your life. Serve anything or anyone else but God. As a youth pastor, you’d
better clearly understand his ploys and methods, for you will see it oppose you from every angle in your
ministry. Let’s get prepared…

18.2 Objectives

1. The student should be able to explain how Satan came into being and what his primary
activities are in today’s world.

2. The student should be able to describe Satan’s plan for believers.

18.3 Satan and Demons – their plans for everyone

Angels, Satan, and Demons (fallen angels) are all creations of God
(Ps.148:2,5; Col.1:16). They were created before the world was
created and before man was created (Job 38:6, 7). When they
were originally created, they all were holy creatures and
obediently served God (Ezek.28:15; Jude 6). They are personal
beings and have intellect (Matt.28:5; 1 Pet.1:12), emotions (Job
38:7; Luke 2:13; 15:10), and will (Jude 6).

Satan was a created angelic being. He was created as part of the angelic realm (Eph.6:11,12;
Ezek.24:18) and was the highest in rank of them all (Ezek.28:12-14). Originally his angelic name

52 https://www.barna.com/research/most-american-christians-do-not-believe-that-satan-or-the-holy-spirit-exist/

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