Know Thy Enemy - Week 2: Friday

Matthew 4:5-7

Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”

Commentary

H.H. Pope Shenouda III
The Devil is an accuser: He accuses saints, claiming that he did not have the opportunity to fight them or that the opportunity which he did have was not sufficient!

The Devil has numerous talents: God did not withdraw from him the talents granted to him while he was an angel. His knowledge is very wide, in every field. He even knows the verses of the Bible very well and uses them in fighting people such as theologians. In the temptation on the mount, he used the Holy Bible in his own way (Matt. 4:6). He is even the author of all heresies and heterodoxies. He put them in the minds of heretics and offered them wrong concepts for the verses of the Bible. True are the words of St. Athanasius the apostolic, "Our enemy is not the Arians but the devil."

The devil knows poetry, and many poets speak of the devil of poetry which inspires them with ideas. The devil also knows music, art, carving, drawing and songs. He can inspire those who are concerned with amusement with whatever they need in their arts to entice people, overthrow them or lead them astray from their spiritual course.

Questions

• Have you listened to songs which contain inappropriate lyrics that heighten your senses?

• Do you watch television shows or movies containing inappropriate language or scenes? If so, how does it affect your mood and your spiritual life?

• Do you feel that the devil skillfully uses sinful attractions like songs, electronic games, and social media to lead you off your spiritual course? If so, what is the solution?