Is Satan a red faced creature with two horns?

Mat 4:9  And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

Many will say they would never bow down to Satan or worship him. But they do! When they become worldly or materialistic and become less spiritual; they are in fact, worshipping the god of mammon (Matthew 6:24).

In the mind of most people, Satan is a red faced creature with two horns. They are wrong! Satan will not be doing a good business in luring people away from God if he comes in that scaring form. People will be scared and run away from him; he will be out of business. The Bible tells us about him. As a matter of fact, the apostle Paul tells us that Satan and his ministers usually transform themselves into angels of light and ministers of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).

If Satan were to appear as an angel of darkness and horror, we will be weary of him and avoid him at all cost. We would even come up with a device to exterminate him. But the devil comes to us as an angel of light and his ministers as ministers or righteousness.

It is the reason that our worst temptations come to us like a sumptuous buffet. They look so good and delicious. What did the tempter show Christ? He showed Him the world. History tells us of men who wanted to rule the world. Napoleon, Julius Caesar, Alexander, Hitler, and Hirohito (emperor of Japan who started the second world war in Asia); all of them wanted to rule the world.

Economically, many want to rule the world. Microsoft’s Bill Gates controls the world’s computers with his Windows and Office. Apple and Samsung are head to head with the i-Phones and android phones respectively.

How do you get the ants out from their nest? You place some honey. It won’t take long for the ants to sense it and soon they will gather round the honey. Temptation is as sweet as honey, maybe, sweeter.  The devil knows what men and women want. He places those things in front of their eyes. They will come out and get them.

Satan's main tactic is to entice people, not scare them to death; that’s why he is called the tempter (Matthew 4:3). That was certainly his modus operandi in the Garden of Eden when he manipulated Eve into breaking God's only prohibition. He appealed to her senses and convinced her that partaking of the forbidden fruit was the logical thing to do: “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” (Genesis 3:6). 

Why do we succumb to temptations? It is because they look so good, pleasant, right, or even religious. But why are we so gullible as to fall into temptations? It is because of lust. Lust is a burning desire that is in us: “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:14-15).

You can’t tempt a child who does not like to eat vegetables with more vegetables. He is repulsed by the sight of vegetables. You have to try something else. You have to try something he likes. Today, kids like their smart phones. “Son, if you eat this vegetable, I will buy for you the new i-Phone that is coming out next week.” I guarantee you that he will eat it.

“We are tempted by our own desires that drag us off and trap us” (James 1:14, CEV). Materialism has shown to be the greatest threat to spiritually. Materialism is devil worship. Satan offered it to Christ. Christ warned: “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22).

The tempter has said it and will continue to say: “All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me” (Matthew 4:9).

A worldly and materialistic Christian is serving the god of mammon. Such a one has already bowed down to the devil and worships him. How about us? Are we worshipping God or mammon of unrighteousness?

Jimmy Lau
Psa 119:97  Oh how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.