This past week there was an interview with Lee Boyd Malvo, the young man who murdered people in the D.C. area ten years ago. Part of what he said is that he was controlled by the man who was also convicted of these crimes. The reason he felt controlled was because this man knew how to get him to do things. He could not break away from him. For his efforts he will spend the rest of his life in prison. Satan desires to control us. In the book of 1 Peter 5:8 we read, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (NASB) The devil wants to control each one of us, though we may not be able to see him we see the results of his work. He has destroyed marriages and homes, he has caused division in churches, he has made sin look attractive to people. There are many ways he works, but once he gets his foot in the door, beware, he will not turn you loose until you are destroyed. In the next verse Peter tells us, “But resist him, be firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.” 5:9 (NASB) Peter says we should resist him. How do we do that? By staying close to the Master. By staying in the word of God. Jesus used scripture to ward off Satan when he was being tempted. By praying to the Father in heaven for help in times of weakness. He is always ready with a listening ear to hear our prayers and act on our behalf. But he also adds that we need to be firm in our faith. Satan wants to destroy our faith. He wants us to doubt God and his word as being true. Sadly, as we look around today, we see that he has convinced a number of people that this is true. When we begin to put more time, effort and trust in the things that we can see, our faith is weakened. We must stay faithful to God who loves us and desires the best for us always. In some ways this young man who killed so many people said he was controlled by someone else. Even if this is true he still has to pay the consequences. We will also have to pay the consequences if we let Satan have the controlling place in our lives. Who is controlling you today?