As stated in the November newsletter, this month’s content will focus on demonic opposition and how this is an inevitable reality in any ministry that the Holy Spirit is working through. I would like to start with a short discussion about demons, Satan, and their collaborative and collective purpose in relation to ministries and the lives of Christians in general. Satan wasn’t always Satan, but rather he was God’s most beautiful angelic creation who was then known as Lucifer which means ‘light bearer’ or ‘morning star’. Lucifer became proud and desired to ascend to a position higher then God. His heavenly rebellion gained followers (a third of the angels), and in his attempt to climb higher then God he, and all of his followers, were thrown from heaven to the earth before man was created (see Isaiah 14:12-14, and Ezekiel 28:13-17a). This expulsion from heaven and God’s presence was permanent and irreversible. God then made man in His image (Genesis 1:26), perfect and immortal, but man, like Satan, fell to pride and resultantly disobeyed God which resulted in death and sin being incorporated into man’s natural existence on earth. Thus, sin was now forever incorporated into the human fabric creating what we now refer to as our ‘fallen nature’.