Joe McKeever
In order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his devices. (2 Corinthians 2:11)
First, Satan is a liar and a murderer (John 8:44). He is a fallen angel who was banished to earth (Revelation 12:9). He is one angry being (Revelation 12:12) since he knows that after his days here are ended, he goes straight into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10).
Keep that in mind.
You don’t want to trust that fellow. He is without the faintest hope of any future, big-time angry at God, and a liar of the first order. That’s a terrible combination. Don’t ever go into partnership with someone like that.
Trust nothing he says. Accept no promises from this liar.
However, he’s smart. Giving the devil his due, Martin Luther said of him, “On earth is not his equal.” You and I are no match for him by ourselves.
Now, since Satan has been around for thousands of years, he has watched the human parade and taken copious notes on our foibles. He knows how to pluck your strings, friend. That’s why we have to be constantly on the alert and trust nothing he says.
He wants you to fail and will do anything to pull that off. Limited the way he is, there is nothing Satan can do against God directly, so he strikes out at those whom the Lord loves: People. Humanity. You. Me. Them. Us.
All of that is leading up to this: The devil knows some things about you which he would just as soon you never find out.
That raises the question whether Satan can keep us from finding out the good things God has for us. Second Corinthians 4:4 informs us that “The god of this world has blinded the eyes of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ….” He manages it with unbelievers, and as we know from experience, he attempts it with the faithful also.
Here are some things Satan knows about you he would rather you never find out …
- Satan knows you are special to God – but he wants to make you think God is always angry at you since you are a sinner and can never measure up to His standards.
Satan has seen what God did to redeem you and me. Surely he stood in awe when the Father sent His Son into the world – born to that humble couple and in a stable, of all places. And then, seeing the sacrifice Jesus paid for us at Calvary must have staggered his imagination. None of that was what this infernal being would have anticipated. So, if he knows anything, Satan knows how the Father treasures those whom He loves.
If Satan is acquainted with the truth of any verse in the Bible, it must be John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
What he wants, however, and works night and day to make happen, is that you would never find out how special you are to God the Father. He wants you to think God is angry every time you have an unworthy thought. Every little sin will send your soul to hell, according to that liar. Not so. “The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.” (I John 1:7)
Think of that …
Satan knows how much God loves you, but he wants you to think you are despised or ignored by God. After all, doesn’t God let people get killed in automobile wrecks, allow cancer to run rampant, or end the life of a baby in spite of all the prayers sent up on its behalf? Doesn’t that prove God hates us? Or at least that He is indifferent? Some people say so. And guess where they got that?
Satan inspired some misguided country songwriter to pen a number years ago called “God’s gonna get you for that.” (A real song) The implication is that God sits on His throne trying to catch people being bad, and whenever you step out of line, He’s writing it down and preparing your judgement.
There is a wonderful text in 2 Chronicles 16:9 which Satan hopes you never find. “The eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”
- Satan knows how fleeting this world’s pleasures are. He has seen it all, and no doubt laughs at how people clamor to pile up wealth and then die and pass it on to others who themselves fight to gain it all and then the next generation repeats the foolish process. Matthew 16:26 fits here.
However, as a former resident of Heaven, the devil knows the joys awaiting those who believe and are faithful. “Joy is the business of heaven,” said C. S. Lewis. Psalm 16:11 fits here.
You can see why the enemy laughs at humans. We are so foolish, living for things, for the moment, and neglecting eternal realities. We prefer to spend our life-earnings on a boat or car or fancy house rather than to invest in people and the work of Christ. The wealth God puts in our hands rusts and decays and deflates, rather than multiplies and grows and bears fruit unto a hundredfold.
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matthew 6:19-20)
When will we wake up? When will we quit playing into his hands?
My short list of things Satan does not want you to know …
- That your faith is the most important tool in your arsenal.
- That your prayers are achieving major results in the world.
- That praying by faith means you won’t see the results of most of your intercessions until you arrive in Heaven.
- That weak praying is still good praying.
- That God is true and Jesus is alive and the Holy Spirit is on the job and he is doomed.
- That the best thing you do every day is to worship. In Luke 10, Jesus says the hour Mary spends on her knees before Him is “a good thing” and it “will not be taken away from her.”
- That your best work for the Lord comes when you feel the weakest. He wants us to run (ruin?) our lives by our feelings. “If I don’t feel it, it must not be genuine.” To the contrary, it would be faith!
We must not let the enemy neutralize us with his lies and slander.
We will choose to obey the Lord and not give in to our fears (Mark 4:40).
We will choose to go forward when our faith feels weak, our efforts unfruitful, and the opportunities small.
We will believe God.
We will be faithful.
We choose whom to believe – our fears or God’s promises. Our enemy or the Lord Jesus Christ. The liar of all liars or One who is The Truth.