From a very young age, I was already aware that we live in a world inhabited not only by humans but also by spiritual beings. For me, there was never any doubt about it. God exists, and Satan exists. Nothing can make me doubt that. I also know that Heaven is real, and so is Hell.

I understood God’s love for us and His infinite goodness very early on. But I also quickly grasped that Satan is cruel, merciless, and does everything he can to see us suffer, cry, and fail. He rejoices in our pain. He is without compassion. He will do everything in his power to see you end up in Hell! Your physical and spiritual death is his main concern—his ultimate goal.

Life is not a smooth, peaceful ride. Trials, sorrow, disappointments, difficulties, and challenges are part of life. Some events happen seemingly for no reason. Sometimes, they result from our poor choices. But sometimes, they are created and planted in our lives by Satan to destroy us and rush us to death before our time. The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8 (LSG21):

“Be sober, be vigilant. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”

This enemy of mankind wanted to take God’s place, but he failed. That is the root of his hatred for God and everything God created.

“You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit on the mount of the assembly, in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the pit.” – Isaiah 14:13–15

Yes, Hell exists! But God created it exclusively for Satan and his demons. However, through our choices, we can find ourselves there too.

“Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!” – Matthew 25:41

It is a place of suffering, fear, anguish, screaming, horror, massacre, violence, and torture. And who will suffer there? You will—if you do not choose the right path now.

“…the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” – Matthew 13:42

When we see horrific news stories in the media, we can be sure Satan is behind them. He uses people to do the dirty work, then uses them to blame God. That’s why we often hear things like: “If God existed, there wouldn’t be wars, atrocities, murders, rapes, or violence…”

However, I must point out that Satan is not always behind everything that goes wrong in this world. Human responsibility cannot be ignored. People also freely choose their actions. We cannot blame everything on Satan. Some atrocities result directly from the decisions of the individuals who commit them. In other cases, it’s Satan who wants to remain unnoticed.

“Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying: Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been thrown down.” – Revelation 12:10

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” – John 10:10
“Do not give the devil a foothold.” – Ephesians 4:27

The devil wants us to shift all responsibility onto God, and if that doesn’t work, he uses guilt. He tries to make us believe that we are worthless and should be ashamed of our failures. In any case, he will never accuse himself or draw attention to his actions. He works in secret. He is deceitful, wicked, and dishonest.

Sometimes, he will try to intimidate you—but don’t fear him. Don’t think Satan is idle or that he lets some of your actions slide. That’s a lie. The thief is Satan. He wants to steal our joy, our peace, our sleep, our children, our marriage, our health, our finances, our success—EVERYTHING.

He comes to steal—but not only that. He wants to kill and destroy.

When I was little, he didn’t hesitate to steal my joy, my sleep, and my peace of mind. Whether young or old, all human beings are vulnerable to his schemes.

Back then, I used to cry and be afraid. But now that Jesus is on my side, everything is different. God came to give us life—life in abundance. He gave us the breath of life so we could enjoy life and be happy.

Years have gone by, and I’ve had more spiritual experiences. All of them have only confirmed Satan’s intentions toward humanity. That is what I want to share with you in the next section…

This text is an excerpt from the book “HEADING TO HELL?” written by Lydie BRIFFAUT.

We invite you to read the next article: “REPENTANCE.”