We have an enemy. His name is Satan and his one goal is to destroy you, discourage you, hurt you and keep you from experiencing the freedom we have in Jesus. He has been at this since he convinced Adam and Eve to disobey God in the garden. 

In John 10:10 we read, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may  have life and have it to the full.” That is the vast difference between the objectives of the evil one and Jesus. Satan is called the Father of lies and a lion waiting to devour. He hates you with an intractable hatred.

You might ask, why does Satan hate us as he does? The answer is simple. He hates God and wants to destroy God but he cannot. You and I are made in God’s image and so Satan tries to destroy God and His work by destroying men and women made in His image. He is seeking to destroy God in effigy by destroying us. 

In fact, Satan had once been an angelic being who along with those who are now called demons had conspired to usurp the place of God at which time, he and his minions were cast out of heaven. When God created the earth and mankind, Satan saw his opportunity to strike back and how effectively he did.

That is the bad news. The good news is that Satan’s fate is sealed. Think about this. On the night of the crucifixion of Christ, Satan was convinced that he had one. The Son of God was crucified and killed. His enemy was gone, done, finished. Satan was victorious. But he didn’t count on the resurrection, when Jesus conquered death and sin and evil. On Easter morning, Satan’s fate was sealed. He had lost.

In Romans 16:20 Paul says “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” I love how he describes that. Satan is a person of evil, conflict and chaos. But our God is a God of peace and the God of peace will soon crush Satan under our feet. This will happen when Jesus returns and Paul says that is soon.

You and I can also crush Satan’s influence by resisting it. Every time we say no to evil and unrighteousness we defy him, embrace Jesus and in a small way remind Satan that he is done. That small defeat for him is simply a reminder of his future and final defeat. Today, don’t allow Satan to steal your joy, move you from your followership of Jesus but instead embrace the One who came to give you life and life to the full. 

Father: I thank you that Satan does not win. I thank you that Jesus wins and I pray that even today, in my life I would resist evil and embrace Jesus. Thank you that Satan will soon be crushed forever and thank you that I no longer need to live under his sway. Amen.