Introduction
There are some things that Satan is allowed to do to Christians, and I would love to remind you that Satan is our great enemy, and therefore, there are some things that Satan can do to Christians.
He is not playing games with you, and he is looking constantly for whom he may devour.
And that is why we should be on the look so that Satan will not outsmart us with his wiles.
Satan does not necessarily attack those that are doing nothing for the Lord, all his attacks are towards believers who are busy for the Lord.
And he uses different tools to carry out his attacks, sometimes he uses sickness as he did to Job, he uses worldliness like Demas, and many other things to get believers not to be active in the service of the Lord.
Satan can Resist the Work of God being done by Believers.
Zec 3:1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.
Zec 3:2 And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
For many years, Satan has been fighting the work of God, he knows that the promise of God is certain that the gate of Hell will not prevail against the church, but he is always looking for ways to stop the men that God is using in the work.
He cannot stop the work, but he can stop the workers of the work, and once the workers stopped, then he has succeeded in his mission.
Ill- Sanballat and Tobiah
And then if you are careful, and you do not understand the wiles of the devil, you will be carried away by his lies, manipulation, and deception.
Satan can hinder
1Th 2:17 But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire.
1Th 2:18 Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.
This is when he attacked the source in which the work is being carried out.
the word hindered means to cut into-
There are missionaries who have left the mission field because Satan hindered them through family, finances, and personal failures.
When Satan resists, he attacks the man, but when he hinders, he attacked the source of the man.
Satan used these two things against Job, he, first of all, attacked the source, attacking the man, but he was not wise enough to understand that as believers, we are always ready, and preparing ourselves for his attack. And when it comes, it will be a surprise to us.
Satan Can Transform
2Co 11:12 But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.
2Co 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
Transform means to disguise or transfigure.
Gone are the days when people used to lie to us that Satan is wearing a red suit, and a black facemask with a tail and two horns.
Satan is a well-packaged man, he is in the pulpit today, and also leading in the choir, ushering for the church.
Satan is filled with a different identity that makes it so difficult to catch when he strikes. And this is one of the reasons why the Scripture tells us that he transforms himself into an angel of light.
Let’s look at Job:
Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
Job 2:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.
- Satan can Persecute Believers
Revelation 2:10 Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
Sometimes, it baffles me when some Christians are surprised by the oppression that they go through because of their standing for the Lord.
God has already said it, and he does not promise us that this world is going to go smoothly for us. He prepared our minds for what we are going to face especially persecution from Satan.
The early believers faced this persecution, and it was intense and painful. But they were ready for it.
Just like he resists, he hinders, he transforms, and then now, he persecutes. Satan can destroy our flesh through persecution.
Matt 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Satan is an accuser of the Christians
Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
He is relentlessly in his accusation of believers, and he is always looking forward to bringing out a fault and error in you.
One of the reasons why I believe that he accuses believers before God is so that he can get permission to attack such believers because Satan does not attack without God’s permission.
When he finds fault, then he accuses you before God and then attacks you.
And that is why Bible says:
1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1Pe 5:9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
God sets a hedge around believers, and one of the things that cause a hedge is when believers continue to live a life that is not consecrated, committed, and consistent, then he brings out a fault, and then uses those things against them.
Conclusion
Even though Satan can do all these things, one thing is that he cannot take you to Hell, because you are a child of God. If you are saved this morning, then you are safe, and if you are not saved this morning, you still have an opportunity to get saved today.
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