I Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” Satan works hard to destroy people’s lives – especially those who live for Christ – and he’ll use any means he can to accomplish it. Most often he destroys from the inside out, kind of like an implosion that brings down an entire building marked for demolition.
If you’re a believer who’s living for the Lord, Satan has already marked you for demolition. He has no qualms with you being a Christian. He doesn’t even care if you go to church, as long as you’re not taking your faith seriously. But if you are…
- Growing Spiritually
- Living for Christ
- Walking with the Lord
- Telling others about Jesus
- Praying and reading your Bible
- Being an effective witness at work, home, and in the community…
…then Satan has marked you for demolition, and he’ll do anything to discourage you, discredit you, and destroy your faith in God. II Corinthians 2:11 says, “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”
What are his devices?
Discouragement: Satan’s a liar, and he lies to God’s people by planting thoughts in their minds that God doesn’t care, that God doesn’t hear, that God can’t or won’t ease the pain, that God’s at fault for the evil in the world, that God won’t do anything, that we are on our own…
Doubt: Satan is a liar and Jesus is the Truth, so why do so many Christians disregard the Bible, question God’s promises, doubt His love and faithfulness, and believe their church attendance and service to Christ is inconsequential to their relationship with God.
Disobedience: Sin in any form separates us from God and hinders our spiritual growth, and that delights Satan because God can’t use an unclean vessel. Therefore, Satan will hit God’s children at their weakest point, whether it’s alcohol and pornography or bitterness and gossip. His ultimate goal is to keep us from serving Christ.
God calls each and every believer into His service. You should be doing something for Christ! If you are not, then you are sitting on the side-lines as a spectator, and you are living a life of disobedience to God. Hence, you are in sin and that pleases Satan because then you are not a threat to his mission, which is to take as many people to Hell with him as possible.
But if you are a believer serving Christ, and some days you feel like you’re marked for demolition, know that your faith and power come from God.
I Corinthians 2:5 says, “That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”