DAY 328 – YES, SATAN HATES YOU -------------------------------------- Satan has a deadly hatred towards all good and faithful servants of the LORD and they may be sure that he will meet them on their way to heaven in some way or the other. All believers will be faced with venomous and deadly attacks from the devil. Others, their first days as believers have been truly terrible to them because of Satanic attacks they have had to endure, but afterwards, when the devil has left them, angels have ministered to them and they have years of peace and joy. Remember that in our LORD Jesus’ case, as soon as he was baptized he was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Similarly, there are those whose fiercest trials from Satan come at the beginning of their public ministry. Others meet their greatest attacks in the middle of their service, maybe when they think they are secure against the conflicts of the enemy and fancy that their experience in ministry and their knowledge will preserve them against his many schemes and trifles. There are other imminent faithful servants of the LORD who were attacked so ferocious at the end of their life that they had to die, sword in hand, and enter heaven – with the marks of their stern conflicts fresh on them. With most believers, at some time or another, we are yet to know the full weight and extreme value of this prayer, “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” There is little to be received from Satan, even if we conquer him. The devil usually leaves some mark of his skill, expertise and mastery upon the LORD’s servants, which they carry into their graves. It would be better to run over the hedge and leap over high mountains and to go a thousand kilometers away from him in order to get to heaven than to have a conflict Satan. The fight with the devil is a terrible ordeal, which a brave believer will never think of evading or dodging. In fact, he rejoices that he has an enemy worthy of his strength. Friends, rest assured that Satan hates every good man and woman, and at some time, he is pretty sure to show that hatred in a very cruel and deadly attack upon them. Also, because of this hatred, Satan earnestly desires to put believers into a sieve that he may sift them as wheat – not because he wants to get the chaff away from them, but that he may destabilize, frustrate and agitate them. You see the corn in the sieve, how it goes up and down? Not a single grain of it is allowed to have a moment of rest – it is all in commotion and confusion – and the man who is sifting it makes sure to sift one away and the next, another away, and then all sorts of ways. That is exactly what Satan does with those he hates, when he gets the opportunity. He sifts them in all different ways and put their whole life into confusion, agitation and turmoil. When he gets hold of us, it is a shaking and sifting! He takes care that anything like rest or breathing space we are denied of them. Satan desires to sift the saints in his sieve, and at times God grants his desire. God sometimes gives Satan permission to sift like milies/wheat those who are without any doubt his people – and then Satan, indeed, tosses them left and right, up and down, to and fro. Job is a very good example of this. Also The LORD’s revelation concerning Peter is another clear illustration. God grants the devil permission to try his people in this way because he knows how he will overrule it (turn it around) for his own glory. There are certain levels which we will never reach except by very severe temptations, trials and conflicts. “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.” – Luke 22:31
Posted on: Mon, 24 Nov 2014 08:30:22 +0000
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