I hear you Sheepman. satan is a real enemy not just an "idea". he is going about seeking whom he may devour. But he can't just devour anyone he wants. he has to 'seek out' and find someone to devour. We have to make sure we are not "devourable" And knowing Christ and His finished work in our lives will make us undevourable.
We have a real enemy who hates us more than anything aside from God who he hates all the more. We are made in God's image so the enemy is out to get us especially. But you see, we have a Good Shepherd who protects our life and our mind. But many believers don't understand that above their education about the flesh, the world and the devil. First we need a revelation of Christ each day. Then He will teach us how to always be victors over the enemies that come each day. Jesus is our only defense.
He has given us power and love and a sound mind. We do not have to be defeated in our minds by depression or anxiety and defeat. We don't have to be defeated by sickness and death. Those are things the enemy uses against us humans. But Christ has given us the victory in those areas.
But many believers don't even know that., and are attacked in those areas daily. We have power and love and a sound mind. But many of us have not been told this and are walking in defeat daily. So I understand what you are saying.
Good news in the Bible and the teaching and preaching of who we are and what we have IN Christ Jesus is major to the defeat of the enemy in our life. Yes, satan is a real person and his demons are all around doing his will but we have Christ and His provisions. An ever present help in time of need. (!) He is our Good Shepherd who protects the life of the sheep. He is our only protection.
I especially love reading Psalm 23 and Psalm 91
Psalm 91
He who [SUP][
a][/SUP]dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will remain secure
and rest in the shadow of the Almighty [whose power no enemy can withstand].
[SUP]2 [/SUP]
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust [with great confidence, and on whom I rely]!”
[SUP]3 [/SUP]
For He will save you from the trap of the fowler,
And from the deadly pestilence.
[SUP]4 [/SUP]
He will cover you
and completely protect you with His pinions,
And under His wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and a wall.
[SUP]5 [/SUP]
You will not be afraid of the terror of night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
[SUP]6 [/SUP]
Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction (sudden death) that lays waste at noon.
[SUP]7 [/SUP]
A thousand may fall at your side
And ten thousand at your right hand,
But danger will not come near you.
[SUP]8 [/SUP]
You will only [be a spectator as you] look on with your eyes
And witness the [divine] repayment of the wicked [as you watch safely from the shelter of the Most High].
[SUP]9 [/SUP]
Because you have made the Lord, [who is] my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
[SUP]10 [/SUP]
No evil will befall you,
Nor will any plague come near your tent.
[SUP]11 [/SUP]
For He will command His angels in regard to you,
To protect
and defend
and guard you in all your ways [of obedience and service].
[SUP]12 [/SUP]
They will lift you up in their hands,
So that you do not [even] strike your foot against a stone.
[SUP]13 [/SUP]
You will tread upon the lion and cobra;
The young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.
[SUP]14 [/SUP]
“Because he set his love on Me, therefore I will save him;
I will set him [securely] on high, because he knows My name [he confidently trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never abandon him, no, never].
[SUP]15 [/SUP]
“He will call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
[SUP]16 [/SUP]
“With a long life I will satisfy him
And I will let him see My salvation.”
Psalm 23
The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me],
I shall not want.
[SUP]2 [/SUP]
He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still
and quiet waters.
[SUP]3 [/SUP]
He refreshes
and restores my soul (life);
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
for His name’s sake.
[SUP]4 [/SUP]
Even though I walk through the [sunless] [SUP][
a][/SUP]valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort
and console me.
[SUP]5 [/SUP]
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You have anointed
and refreshed my head with [SUP][
b][/SUP]oil;
My cup overflows.
[SUP]6 [/SUP]
Surely goodness and mercy
and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall dwell forever [throughout all my days] in the house
and in the presence of the Lord.