The cause of the battle and the sufferings in this world is not human beings, but it is instead a battle between God and Satan. The devil is the enemy, and God is the Lord of all grace who perfects, establishes, strengthens and settles us for a victorious life. St. Augustine said: “We should not hate our brothers, but their enmities (1).” St. John Chrysostom, the suffering Archbishop said: “Till when are we going to oppose one another? Till when are we going to fight one another, so that the devil may laugh at us? (2)
The devil is a very strong enemy, like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He is our enemy because of his enmity to God, and we are God’s image. He is our enemy because of his pride. He annoys us because he is jealous that we took his position from which he fell. In spite of all that, he does not have dominion over us unless we surrender to his will. He can deceive people, but he cannot oblige anyone. He seeks to devour everyone, but he cannot approach anyone, unless one allows him. St. Shenouda the archimandrite (3) wrote an article about the incapability of the devil to dominate the children of God. St. John Chrysostom wrote three articles to refute those who say that the devil has dominion over us, by saying (4):
a. The devils could not enter the pigs except with permission from the Lord Jesus. [Matt 8:28-38]
b. The devils could not tempt Job without God’s permission.
c. Our negligence allows the devil to deceive us, while our alertness and vigilance make us conquerors.
d. We cannot blame the devil because there are some who stumble from the shear beauty of creation [Rom 1:21-25]; others stumble from the members of their own body, which were created to glorify God; others stumble from the cross which is the power of God for salvation [1Cor 1:28-32]; others stumble from the Lord Jesus Himself, the Conqueror and Giver of life [John 9:39], and still others stumble from the apostles preaching the truth [2Cor 2:16]. St. Peter asks us to attack the devil by faith. Let us believe that the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory, would not invite us without offering us the capability to reach our goal. His invitation is accompanied by His divine support to endure suffering and the attacks the devil. St. Cyril of Jerusalem, said (5): “Is there anything more scary than the devil? Nevertheless, we cannot find a shield against him except the faith, for it is an invisible shield aimed at an invisible enemy who shoots fiery darts at those who are negligent." He is an invisible enemy, yet we have, in faith, a strong shield. As St. Paul said, “Above all taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one” [Eph 6:16].
Footnote(1) Sermons on certain chapters from the New Testament.
(2) Spiritual values of Neyrouz Feast, p.45.
(3) Deacon Joseph Habib translated it and printed it in the year 1968.
(4) Pamphlet about “Does the devil have dominion over you?” 1967 edition.
(5) Catchetical Lect. 5 :4.