trbccoffeebreak

“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”  2 Corinthians 4:4

“Satan hates you.” I’ve been using this statement quite a lot lately. Especially as I witness my brothers and sisters in Christ—who are glorifying God and pointing people to Jesus—embattled with the ruler of this world. Because, friend, if you are of the Kingdom of Light, rescued and redeemed by the finished work of Jesus (Colossians 1:13-14), the prince of darkness does, in fact, hate you. It’s true because Satan knows his time grows shorter every day. Shorter to accomplish what, exactly? To prevent people from leaving his losing team for the victorious one…and to keep those of us on Team Jesus from being effective ambassadors of Heaven.

So, what am I witnessing that brings those words of fact to my lips? Well, I am part of a church family that is very much entrenched on the battlefield. Our pastor always reminds us that once we are rescued by Jesus, we are part of the rescue team—and our church responds. I’ve never been part of a church community that is so engaged in bringing people (all people) into a relationship with Christ. Whether quietly serving every time the church doors are open, going onto the global mission field, working tirelessly to save babies, supporting first responders, or diving into the foster system to “care for orphans” as the Bible exhorts, these people are on fire. In fact, we just baptized 1,612 people at the beach a few weeks ago. Can you imagine the joyful shouts in heaven?

Ah, but for all that Kingdom-movement and throne-room celebration, there is the seething, vitriolic hissing of Satan and his minions.

The Bible is clear that Satan is after us (Peter 5:8; John 10:10; Ephesians 6:12). And he causes suffering! He can be behind physical suffering (Luke 13:16; 2 Corinthians 12:7), and he is the impetus behind Christian persecution (Revelation 2:10). Satan tempts all of us with fleshly desires, self-idolatry, and pride…all with the goal of us placing anything and anyone (even ourselves) above Jesus as the Lord of our life. He wants to distract us, hurt us, and cause us despair. This great John Piper quote sums it up nicely: “Satan’s aim in causing suffering is to deceive us into believing that God is against us and not for us…Satan aims to undermine our faith in God’s goodness, or God’s power, or God’s wisdom, or God’s kindness. And if Satan can do that, we will be devoured.”

But always remember, beloved, that God is not only Good and Kind and Wise—He is Sovereign! Satan may be the ruler of this world (John 12:31-33; John 14:30), but he’s on God’s leash. And although we are fighting from the place of eternal victory, we still must fight! We must stand firm on the Truth of God’s Word. We must daily put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) and resist our enemy (1 Peter 1:8-9).

Another reminder: If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, and Satan is not bothering you…well, consider why he is unconcerned with your activity. Instead, I’d rather get out of bed each morning, thank the Lord for giving me another day to glorify Him, and—with a nod and a smirk—know that my enemy is thinking, “Oh crap, she’s up.” How about it? Let’s look that nasty, smelly, darkness-loving loser in his hateful face and go shine our light.

“Lord, let me not grow numb to the schemes of the enemy in my life, but stand firm against him in faith, in the knowledge of the Gospel, and with the Truth of God’s Word.”

For His Glory

Julianne Winkler Smith
TRBC Women’s Life