Intimidation

The second device of the enemy, much like the first, is intimidation. Peter says that the devil is an intimidator. In 1 Peter 5:8 we read, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

Intimidation means to frighten into submission or compliance. It implies inducing a sense of inferiority into another. In the case with Satan and the believer, intimidation is another form of deception. It is deception because Satan poses as an enemy that has more authority and power than he really has. To the unbelieving, Satan has the mastery, but to the child of God, he has no part in them. He has been humbled and his authority over the believer has been removed. Therefore, all he can do against Christians is intimidate by appearing to have power over them.

Jesus told us not to fear the devil. He said, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28). This does not mean that Satan is not dangerous. Peter’s exhortation is to be alert because Satan is an adversary that can swallow one up. But his harm to us is only when we cower to his intimidation, as well as his deception. He tries to convince us that he is to be feared, and thus he roars as a lion.