Striving Against Satan

by Joel R. Beeke

If you are a true believer, Satan hates you because you bear the image of Christ and because you were snatched from his power. You deserted Satan and he wants you back. While we should not overestimate Satan's power, to our peril we underestimate an enemy who is living, intelligent, resourceful and cunning. Every Christian is in a battle, which is fierce, spiritual and necessary. It is a battle between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to know the enemy his personality, his strategies, his weaknesses, his defeat on Calvary and his final judgement. In a day when society has, in many ways, placed itself under Satan's rule, when certain branches of the church are preoccupied with deliverance ministries, while others deny the devils existence, Dr Beekes book is a sober, practical perspective on this vital subject. He states, we must know our enemy ... we must know how to withstand him and what spiritual weapons to take up against him. We must defeat

Genres: Christian, Christian Living, Theology

126 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2006

About the author

Dr. Joel R. Beeke serves as President and Professor of Systematic Theology, Church History, and Homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. He has been in the ministry since 1978 and has served as a pastor of his current church, Heritage Reformed Congregation, since 1986. He is also editor of the Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth, editorial director of Reformation Heritage Books, president of Inheritance Publishers, and vice-president of the Dutch Reformed Translation Society. He has written, co-authored, or edited fifty books and contributed over fifteen hundred articles to Reformed books, journals, periodicals, and encyclopedias. His Ph.D. (1988) from Westminster Theological Seminary is in Reformation and Post-Reformation Theology. He is frequently called upon to lecture at Reformed seminaries and to speak at conferences around the world. He and his wife, Mary, have three children: Calvin, Esther, and Lydia.

Reviews

[Brandi Breezee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deep rich quick read on fighting against one of the Christian’s enemies. Beeke doesn’t underplay or overplay Satan’s role, but uses Scripture to illustrate Satan’s devices and the Christian’s remedies.

[Timothy Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome. Full of practical spiritual truths and completely biblical, the author shares the wisdom of the puritans regarding spiritual warfare and victory over sin and the devil.

[Michael Boling · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Christian walk is a battle. We know this because the Apostle Paul stated as much in Ephesians 6:12, clearly declaring “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Part of any battle plan necessarily includes understanding the plans and approach of the enemy. Scripture clearly depicts Satan as our enemy, one who is “a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” as noted in I Peter 5:8. Unfortunately, many believers are somewhat oblivious to these aforementioned realities. In an effort to provide believers with a sound biblical methodology by which to actively engage in the fray, Dr. Joel Beeke has written a helpful little book with the appropriate title of Striving Against Satan: Knowing the Enemy, His Weaknesses, His Strategy, His Defeat.

Beeke divides this excellent battle strategy into four parts that follow the subtitle of the book, namely knowing the enemy, knowing Satan’s weaknesses, knowing Satan’s strategies, and finally, knowing Satan’s defeat. He rightly begins this book with the declaration “The battle against Satan and the devils is fierce. Life and death are at stake, involving forces of light and darkness.” This is truly a battle that cannot be avoided. Certainly some will attempt to sit on the proverbial sidelines, leaving the fighting of this cosmic war to the pastoral staff or some other person in the body of Christ because after all, we are too busy with work, the kid’s homework, the latest sitcom, or that must win football game to even begin to feign interest in things of a more eternal importance. As Beeke aptly comments, “Like it or not, we are at war. We cannot please pacifism or medical deferment, nor can we avoid the bullets and the bombs. To be in the midst of war, and not realize it, is most dangerous. If we ignore the enemy, we set ourselves up for defeat. Paul commands us to put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

So this of course begs the question as to how we should be engaged in battle. Beeke begins by elaborating on who our enemy is as represented in Scripture. The enemy has been challenging humanity and the authority of God since the beginning of time. We see way back in Genesis 3 the serpent questioning the word of God by asking Eve, “Did God really say….?” One important element which Beeke rightly stresses is that while Satan continually strives to thwart the plans of God and constantly seeks to manipulate and tempt people to do evil, nothing that takes place is outside the framework of God’s sovereign control. This means that while Satan has been and continues to remain an active enemy, moving about trying to destroy, his ultimate end and what takes place at every moment lies within the sovereign plans of God. That is something we can take great comfort in as we fight this battle, something that Beeke repeatedly reminds the reader of and rightfully so.

Beeke provides an excellent overview of how to both defend ourselves against the enemy and also how to press forward in battle, essentially the element of taking it to the enemy with the weapons of warfare God has provided His people. This section of Beeke’s book is arguably the most important and one I found to be truly helpful. As one who has written a research paper in Seminary on the full armor of God as outlined in Ephesians 6, I truly wish I had this book at my disposal when putting that research paper together. The insights provided by Beeke, in particular the historical connections made between the armor as worn by the Roman soldiers in the time of the Apostle Paul and how those specific pieces of armor relate to spiritual battle truly bring the entire picture into clear focus. The reader will clearly see how each element of the armor of God is to be used, what its intended purpose is, as well as the need for every single piece to be constantly donned. The exclusion of any piece of armor leaves us vulnerable to the fiery darts of the enemy, so the well trained solider of God must learn to actively understand and utilize this armor.

If I was to classify this book, I would relate it to the guidebook I receive in boot camp when I joined the Navy. Beeke’s Striving Against Satan provides the reader with the necessary knowledge to go forth and do battle in the name of our conquering King. It provides the reader with background on the enemy, the means by which to engage the enemy, a thorough outline of the enemy’s weaknesses, as well as the knowledge that the enemy has been defeated. In a day and age when Satan has pressed the proverbial medal to the metal, upping the battle to a fever pitch, believers can ill afford to sit quietly on the sidelines, hoping somebody else will be the one fighting the battle. All believers are called by God to be actively and constantly engaged in this fight against spiritual darkness and Beeke’s book is a valuable resource whereby believers can understand the enemy, know the parameters of the battle, and to be encouraged to fight for the hour is late. I highly recommend this book for all believers, whether new to the faith or seasoned veterans of the battle.

[Jody Terpstra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Convicting; easy to read in a single sitting.

[Jennah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It talked about the personality and history of satan, knowing satan's weaknesses, knowing satan's strategies: his devices and their remedies, and knowing satan's defeat in our personal lives, churches, and nations. I definitly recommend for everybody to read it!