The beginning and cause of evil is the wicked perverse will of the devil and of people, not God's foreknowledge...

God's foreknowledge foresees and foreknows what is evil, yet not in the sense that it is God's gracious will that evil should happen.  Everything that the perverse, wicked will of the devil and of people wants and desires to try and do, God sees and knows before it happens.  His foreknowledge sees its order also in wicked acts or works, since a time and measure is fixed by God for the evil that God does not will.  He limits how far it should go, how long it should last, and when and how He will hinder and punish it.  God the Lord rules over all of this so that it must flow to the glory of the divine name and to the salvation of His elect, and for that reason the godless must be astonished.

The beginning and cause of evil is not God's foreknowledge.  (For God does not create and do evil, neither does He help or promote it.)  The cause of this evil is the wicked, perverse will of the devil and of people, as it is written in Hosea 13:9, " He destroys you, O Israel, for you are against Me, against your helper."  Also, "For You are not a God who delights in wickedness" (Psalm 5:4).
~BOC, FSD, XI, 6-7

The power of God is in His Word...

Now, for this reason alone you ought to gladly read, speak, think, and use these things, even if you have no other profit and fruit from them than driving away the devil and evil thoughts by doing so.  For he cannot hear or endure God's Word.  God's Word is not like some other silly babbling, like the story about Dietrich of Berne, for example.  But as St. Paul says in Romans 1:16, it is "the power of God."  Yes, indeed, it is the power of God that give the devil burning pain and strengthens, comforts, and helps us beyond measure.
~BOC, LC, LP, 11

The Lord's Supper is the food of souls...

On this account it is indeed called a food of souls, which nourishes and strengthens the new man.  For by Baptism we are first born anew.  But, as we have said before, there still remains the old vicious nature of flesh and blood in mankind.  There are so many hindrances and temptations of the devil and of the world that we often become weary and faint, and sometimes we also stumble.

Therefore, the Sacrament is given as a daily pasture and sustenance, that faith may refresh and strengthen itself so that it will not fall back in such a battle, but become ever stronger and stronger. The new life must be guided so that it continually increases and progresses.  But it must suffer much opposition.  For the devil is such a furious enemy.  When he sees that we oppose him and attack the old man, and that he cannot topple us over by force, he prowls and moves about on all sides.  He tries every trick and does not stop until he finally wears us out, so that we either renounce our faith or throw up our hands and put up our feet, becoming indifferent or impatient.  Now to this purpose the comfort of the Sacrament is given when the heart feels that the burden is becoming too heavy, so that it may gain here new power and refreshment.
~BOC, LC, V, 24-27

The devil's will and purpose and all our enemies shall and must fail...

We have this comfort and confidence: the devil's will and purpose and all our enemies shall and must fail and come to nothing, no matter how proud, secure, and powerful they know themselves to be.  For if their will were not broken and hindered, God's kingdom could not remain on earth nor His name be hallowed.
~BOC, LC, III, 70

The devil chafes and rages as a fierce enemy against us with all his power and might...

No one can believe how the devil opposes and resists these prayers.  He cannot allow anyone to teach or to believe rightly.  It hurts him beyond measure to have his lies and abominations exposed, which have been honored under the most fancy, sham uses of the divine name.  It hurts him when he himself is disgraced, is driven out of the heart, and has to let a breach be made in his kingdom.  Therefore, he chafes and rages as a fierce enemy with all his power and might.  He marshals all his subjects and, in addition, enlists the world and our own flesh as his allies.  For our flesh is in itself lazy and inclined to evil, even though we have accepted and believe God's Word.  The world, however, is perverse and wicked.  So he provokes the world against us, fans and stirs the fire, so that he may hinder and drive us back, cause us to fall, and again bring us under his power.  Such is all his will, and mind, and thought.  He strives for this day and night and never rests a moment.  He uses all arts, wiles, ways, and means that he can invent.

~BOC, LC, III, 62-64

We are simply to believe and cling to the Word...

In the Creed we confess, "I believe...in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who...was crucified, died and was buried.  He descended into hell."  In this Confession, Christ's burial and descent to hell are distinguished as different articles.  We simply believe that the entire person (God and man) descended into hell after the burial, conquered the devil, destroyed hell's power, and took from the devil all his might.  We should not, however, trouble ourselves with high and difficult thoughts about how this happened.  With our reason and our five senses this article can be understood as little as the preceding one about how Christ is place at the right hand of God's almighty power and majesty.  We are simply to believe it and cling to the Word. So we hold to the substance and consolation that neither hell nor the devil can take captive or injure us and all who believe in Christ.
~FSD, IX, 1-3

The Living Word awakens within us understanding, pleasure, and devoutness...

On the other hand, the Word is so effective that whenever it is seriously contemplated, heard, and used, it is bound never to be without fruit.  It always awakens new understanding, pleasure, and devoutness and produces a pure heart and pure thoughts.  For these words are not lazy or dead, but are creative, living words.  And even though no other interest or necessity moves us, this truth ought to urge everyone to the Word, because thereby the devil is put to flight and driven away.
~BOC, LC, I, 101-102

The true honor of God's name...

For that is the true honor of His name, to look to it and call upon it for all consolation.  Then--as we have learned in the First Commandment--the heart by faith gives God the honor due Him first.  Afterward, the lips give Him honor by confession.  This is also a blessed and useful habit and very effective against the devil.  He is ever around us and lies in wait to bring us into sin and shame, disaster and trouble. But he hates to heard God's name and cannot remain long where it is spoken and called upon from the heart.
~BOC, LC, I, 70-71

With God's grace, misery can heighten longing for the Lord's Supper and its gifts...

With God's grace, you may feel your misery more and become hungrier for the Sacrament [the Lord's Supper], especially since the devil doubles his force against you. He lies in wait for you without resting so that he can seize and destroy you, soul and body. You are not safe from him for one hour. How soon he can have you brought suddenly into misery and distress when you least expect it!
~BOC, LC, V, 84

The master of more than a hundred thousand arts...

And what need is there for more words?  If I were to list all the profit and fruit God's Word produces, where would I get enough paper and time?  The devil is called the master of a thousand arts.  But shall we call God's Word, which drives away and brings to nothing this master of a thousand arts with all his arts and power?  The Word must indeed be the master of more than a hundred thousand arts.  And shall we easily despise such power, profit, strength, and fruit--we, especially, who claim to be pastors and preachers?  If so, not only should we have nothing given us to us, but we should also be driven out, baited with dogs, and pelted with dung.  We not only need all this every day just as we need our daily bread, but we must also daily use it against the daily and unending attacks and lurking of the devil, the master of a thousand arts.
~BOC, LC, LP, 12-13

Our shelter and protection rest in prayer...

We need to know this: all our shelter and protection rest in prayer alone. For we are far too weak to deal with the devil and all his power and followers who set themselves against us. They might easily crush us under their feet. Therefore, we must consider and take up those weapons with which Christians must be armed in order to stand against the devil.
~BOC, LC, III, 30

The power of the Living Word...

It helps to be occupied with God's Word, to speak it, and meditate on it, just as the first Psalm declares people blessed who meditate on God's Law day and night.  Certainly you will not release a stronger incense or other repellent against the devil than to be engaged by God's commandments and words, and speak, sing, or think them. For this is indeed the true "holy water" and "holy sign" from which the devil runs and by which he may be driven away.
~BOC, LC, LP, 10

The Living Word is powerful--living, creative, and the bane of the devil's work against us...

 Let me tell you this, even though you know God's Word perfectly and are already a master in all things: you are daily in the devil's kingdom. He ceases neither day nor night to sneak up on you and to kindle in your heart unbelief and wicked thoughts against these three commandments and all the commandments. Therefore, you must always have God's Word in your heart, upon your lips, and in your ears. But where the heart is idle and the Word does not make a sound, the devil breaks in and has done the damage before we are aware.  On the other hand the Word is so effective that whenever it is seriously contemplated, heard, and used, it is bound to never be without fruit. It always awakens new understanding, pleasure, and devoutness and produces a pure heart and pure thoughts.  For these words are not lazy or dead, but are creative, living words.  And even though no other interest or necessity move us, this truth ought to urge everyone to the Word, because thereby the devil is put to flight and driven away.
~BOC, LC, I, 100-102

Where God's Word is crosses will also be...

If we would be Christians, therefore, we must surely expect and count on having the devil with all his angels and the world as our enemies.  They will bring every possible misfortune and grief upon us. For where God's Word is preached, accepted, or believed and produces fruit, there the holy cross cannot be missing.  And let no one think that he shall have peace. He must risk whatever he has upon earth--possessions, honor, house and estate, wife and children, body and life.  Now, this hurts our flesh and the old Adam.  The test is to be steadfast and to suffer with patience in whatever way we are assaulted, and to let go whatever is taken from us.
~BOC, LC, III, 65-66

God cannot lie or deceive...

David, on the other hand, was a despised man, hunted down and chased, so that he did not feel his life was secure anywhere.  Yet, he had to survive, in spite of Saul, and become king.  For these words of the promise had to abide and come true, since God cannot lie or deceive.  Just let not the devil and the world deceive you with their show, which indeed remains for a time, but finally is nothing.
~BOC, LC, I, 46