Those who do not believe in God, first did not believe in the devil. Before they will ever believe in God, they will first come to realize that there is, in fact, a devil. Ronald Reagan used to quote the following: “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” (anon) In our premortal life, Satan was a brilliant ‘Son of the morning’ (Isaiah 14:12), but his ambitions put him in opposition to the Father of us all. When the world was created, we were spirit children of the Father still living in His presence. Before any of us were granted permission to come to earth and be clothed in mortality, the Father presented a plan to us. We were told that mortality and the experiences that we would have on earth were essential for our continued and eternal progression. We were also told that the earth would present certain challenges to us, challenges that may cause us to be in opposition to the Father’s will. At the same time, those challenges would help us grow and become more like the Father and to put off the ‘Natural man.’ (1 Corinthians 2:14) They would teach us the difference between good and evil, to have compassion for the weak and to learn the strength of love. We were excited and even joyful at the prospects of experiencing earth. We were asked to vote on the Father’s plan ( Job 38:7) knowing that there was a risk that, based on our choices, we may not be eligible to return to his presence. Part of the plan included a sacrifice by one who would satisfy universal justice and make it possible, by way of mercy for each of us to repent and be forgiven of our wrong decisions. He would satisfy justice by living a perfect life and by demonstrating his love for all, even those who had erred. The Father’s plan was called the Plan of Salvation.
Lucifer was opposed to the plan, and he put forth what he thought was a better plan, a plan that would assure that we would all return to the Father when our mortal experience was over. His plan called for taking away our agency so we could not choose contrary behavior; our lives would be perfect and we would all qualify to return. Because he was the author of the plan, he wanted the honor and the glory as well. (Moses1:1-2) His plan was rejected by the majority of us, but a third part of the hosts of Heaven bought into the plan, and so there was a war in Heaven and Lucifer and his followers were cast out. (Revelation 12:7) The Father’s plan called for opposition in all things, forcing us to make choices.
Opposition is the ‘university of life;’ it is that mental challenge that causes us to grow by studying the effects and the affects of our daily behavioral choices. Some of our choices cause great joy and happiness. Our choices cause us to grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. A concept that Satan neglected to comprehend, as he could only focus on the negative aspects of mortality and his need to aggrandize himself. The Father knew Satan’s heart, and His plan included a way to provide for the opposition. Satan and his followers, unknown to them, but known to the Father, became that opposition. They are the forces trying to destroy the Father’s plan by causing us to fail our mortal experience. Their tools, of course, are primarily the power of persuasion and our attraction to worldly enticements. They do not have physical bodies, so they can only work through those that do. That is not a small observation, as history will attest to the power and evil rendered the world by those whom he influenced (Hitler, Stalin, Mao and many others).
Satan is the master enticer, but many of us need very little encour- agement to act contrary to God’s will. After all, we are first ‘natural men,’ and the natural man is an enemy to God. (Mosiah 3:19) We can get in enough trouble without any help from Satan. If there isn’t regular and loving intervention to help us turn back and away from sin, we can keep digging our hole deeper and deeper. Sin is very much like other debilitating habits, such as alcohol and drugs. We will only have the strength to turn ourselves around after we no longer have the strength to keep digging.
Once we, as natural men, start down the wrong road, Satan will be quick to take us carefully by the hand and lead us down to hell. He will try to keep us going in that direction. However, Satan is not the only one who has the power to persuade. Good men and women of all walks of life also have that power, and we must pray for that strength in behalf of ourselves and our loved ones.