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“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.
And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”
– Genesis 3:1 (KJV)

It is instructive for every believer to note that the text above was the first time a reference was made to the devil in the Bible. He was introduced as the serpent, not a serpent. The identity of this ancient serpent would later be unveiled as Satan, the great dragon, or the devil—the one deceiving the whole world (Revelation 12:9, 20:2). Among the many names by which the devil is known, one of the earliest we encounter is the serpent. We are told right from the start that the serpent was “more subtil” than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. It is interesting that even though the Bible later uses other names or attributes to describe the devil—such as the Thief, the Deceiver, the Tempter, the Father of Lies, the Prince of this World, and the Prince of the Power of the Air—the trait by which he was first introduced was his subtlety.

Unfortunately, our first parents, Adam and Eve, did not quite “get the memo.” Before they
could fully understand what they were up against, the devil had deceived Eve by his cunning (2
Corinthians 11:3). But thank God for the “last Adam,” our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who
could not be deceived by the devil. Instead, He left the enemy dumbfounded and defeated
through His finished work at Calvary over 2,000 years ago (1 Corinthians 2:8, 15:45-47, Romans
5:12-21, Matthew 4:1-11, Colossians 2:15).

Jesus left the enemy dumbfounded and defeated
through His finished work at Calvary over 2,000 years ago

Defining the Enemy’s Cunning
What does it mean when the Bible says the serpent was more “subtil” than any beast of the
field? The Amplified Translation renders the text as:
“Now the serpent was more crafty (subtle, skilled in deceit) than any living creature of the field
which the Lord God had made. And the serpent (Satan) said to the woman, ‘Can it really be that
God has said, You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?’”
“More skilled in deceit than any living creature.” This is the true identity of our adversary. We
are indeed dealing with a very cunning enemy. However, this does not imply that any believer
should be afraid. Every child of God needs to be conscious of his or her authority in Christ.
There is no room for fear because Christ has won the victory, and as a result, we now engage
the enemy from a position of triumph.

There is no room for fear because Christ has won the victory, and as a result, we now engage
the enemy from a position of triumph.

We see an exciting rendering of what Christ has done for us in the Message Translation of
Colossians 2:13-15:
“When you were stuck in your old, sin-dead life, you were incapable of responding to
God. God brought you alive—right along with Christ! Think of it! All sins forgiven, the
slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant canceled and nailed to Christ’s cross. He
stripped all the spiritual tyrants in the universe of their sham authority at the Cross and
marched them naked through the streets.”

Because of this, we engage the devil and all his subtlety from a position of victory. In Mark
16:17-18, Jesus said, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast
out devils… they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt
them.” Again, in Luke 10:19, Jesus said, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and
scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
Hallelujah!

The fact that we are dealing with a defeated adversary does not mean we should be
complacent or careless.

The Need for Vigilance
The fact that we are dealing with a defeated adversary does not mean we should be complacent or careless. Spiritual warfare is real, and the adversary of our souls has never been known to give up easily. Even when the devil tempted our Lord in Luke 4:13, he only retreated for a season. The Bible says that “When the devil had finished every temptation, he [temporarily] left Him until a more opportune time.” It is no surprise, then, that the Apostle Peter warns us in 1 Peter 5:8 to “be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” Similarly, the Apostle Paul counseled against being ignorant of the devil’s schemes or devices in 2 Corinthians 2:11. The Apostle John also admonishes us not to believe every spirit, but to test the spirits to see whether they are of God. These apostles were not spiritual featherweights; they knew what they were talking about, and we would do well to take their counsel seriously.

Spiritual warfare is real, and the adversary of our souls has never been
known to give up easily.

Walking in the Spirit
The Lord Jesus, toward the end of His earthly ministry, said to His disciples (and to us by extension) in Matthew 26:41: “All of you must keep awake (give strict attention, be cautious and active) and watch and pray, that you may not come into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” This instruction is even more relevant today, as the devil and his agents seem to have gone into overdrive with their agenda of deception. This is why walking in the Spirit and relying fully on the leading of the Holy Spirit has become a critical necessity for any believer who desires to walk in victory in these last days.

The devil and his agents seem to have gone into overdrive with their agenda of deception.

The Conclusion of the Matter
Let us take our final instruction from Ephesians 6:10-18:
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

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