by Pamela Ashton

Created on: June 10, 2009

The greatest gift God has given to man, short of life itself, is free will. The dictionary defines free will as free and independent choice; the ability to make voluntary decisions. (Webster's Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language, Gramercy Books, 1996, p. 765.) This ability to choose requires that there be things to choose from. We choose daily between things that are good or bad, right or wrong, or between things that may both be good or both be bad, just in varying degrees. It is necessary for man to make these choices. Without them, there would be no growth, and no reason for life.

Enter Satan. Known by many names - the prince of this world (John 12:31), the roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8), simply the enemy (Matthew 13:38, 39) - he is Lucifer, who once stood in the presence of God as a son of the morning, and was cast out from Heaven. (Isaiah 14:12-15). C.S. Lewis states, Of all created beings the wickedest is one who originally stood in the immediate presence of God. (Reflections on the Psalms, C.S. Lewis, p.32).

One may wonder since Satan is so much the antithesis of good, why does an all powerful God allow his existence to continue. Hyrum L. Andrus in his book, God, Man and the Universe, (Bookcraft, 1968, p.284) tells us that . . . God in His eternal plan, utilizes the energies of Satan. . . even though [Satan's] efforts are directed toward destruction. He further explains that Satan is permitted to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, if they choose not to follow God. In scripture the people were given to know they must choose between God and Baal (1 Kings 18:21), Baal meaning lord, possessor. Deuteronomy 30:15-20 states we are given agency to choose between life and good, death and evil.

In the dictionary definition of devil, we read that the devil is a subordinate spirit at enmity of God, with power to afflict man both physically and spiritually. (Webster's, p. 543). God has given man the ability to choose what course he will follow; Satan, in his rebellion against God, would force man to do whatever Satan wants him to. Which leads us to the question, Do we all have Satan inside us?

When Lucifer fell from the presence of God, and became Satan, he lost the right and privilege of ever having a body. A being of spirit, he has the power to enter into other bodies, which he seeks to do. Recorded in scripture are ample examples of this. Matthew 9:32 and Mark 1: 23,24 are just two examples. Perhaps we would also do

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