But, brothers, when we were torn away from you for a short time (in person, not in thought), out of our intense longing we made every effort to see you. For we wanted to come to you -- certainly I, Paul, did, again and again -- but Satan stopped us. (1 Thessalonians 2:17-18)

Paul speaks of something (someone?) that we do not speak of too often. He wanted to see his brothers and sisters in Thessalonica, but Satan hindered him from doing so. When was the last time you thought of Satan working in your life? Maybe the question we ought to ask is “Do you believe in Satan?”

I’m not talking about the one with the pitchfork and horns. Satan does not look like the Ghost of Christmas future in the Christmas Carol. He does not have a cloak and bony fingers. Nor is he red with fangs.

There are some things that we must remember when we think about Satan. He is the one who opposes God (Romans 16:20); he wants to stop the message of God (2 Corinthians 2:11); and he continues to torment God’s followers (2 Corinthians 12:7). But that same enemy was defeated at the Cross (Colossians 2:14) and will be destroyed in the last days (Revelation 20:10).

And then there are things that we should avoid when we talk about Satan.

(1) We must avoid ignoring his activity. It is possible for anyone, anywhere to become his instrument of sin and he will use it. By not taking him seriously you run the risk of falling into his trap. The Christian who confronts him with confidence not only knows that Christ has defeated him, but that they can defeat him too.

(2) We must also avoid giving him too much attention. As I look around at different books, magazines, and websites, there is a greater threat when we study the demonic too much. Accompanied with that study will be fear and paranoia. And when we put too much emphasis on him, we find a way to excuse our mistakes by saying: “Satan made me do it.”

When dealing with this topic, Paul never went into any detail about the prince of darkness, because scripture was not about him; it was about God. And that is who we should spend the majority of our time studying. Know that he is there, but don’t give him any more attention than you need to. Instead give it to the Man who beat him at the cross.