Recognizing the Devil’s Purpose and Plan
Sometimes people say, “But I am saved; therefore, I must be secure.” That is true as long as you continue in Christ. Upon many of the Lord’s people a storm from the pit has been allowed to break. Why? No tree is proved to be deeply rooted unless it encounters the gale. No ship is shown to be seaworthy that has never been through turbulent waters. Peter’s faith was tested in the devil’s sieve, and yours may be, too.
Here it is well to remember the devil’s primary objective. As God’s implacable enemy, he is doing whatever he can to hinder God’s work in your life. He is “seeking to devour,” and his ultimate goal is to recapture your eternal soul, which was torn from his grasp when Christ “delivered [you] from the power of darkness, and… translated [you] into the kingdom of his dear Son.” (Colossians 1:13)
Though Satan has no love for you, his greatest desire is have you join him in the “everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels,” (Matthew 25:41) thus mocking the God who made you for fellowship with Himself. How great must have been the devil’s delight when both Eve and then Adam succumbed to temptation, separating them from God, and plunging the entire race into bondage. Sin brought spiritual death to them that very day, and it will do the same to you (Genesis 2:17; James 1:15).
Satan knows he cannot harm the soul that abides in Christ, so he will endeavor to weaken your devotion to God. One of his most effective avenues is by suggesting we should doubt God’s love or ability. Since a living faith in God and His promises is the lifeline that binds us to Him, do not think it strange when you are tempted to cast away your confidence. “Hath God said?” (Genesis 3:1) was the venom that slew our first parents, and it is just as deadly today. “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.” (Hebrews 3:12)
If Satan cannot recapture your soul, he will still try to sabotage your freedom and limit your faith. Many are the struggling ones who have accepted a life of less-than-complete consecration and abandonment to God, all because the devil succeeded in clouding their vision of victory.
Satan may certainly be able to outwit you at every turn, but he is no match for the Almighty. God has a plan and a path for you that will prevent failure as long as you are willing to take it. He is “able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,” (Jude 1:24) but that keeping is through temptations, and not from them. Each one is measured to what God knows we can bear; indeed, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippans 4:13)
When God in His great wisdom removes some of the hedge about you, you may find your ear filled with the most insidious lies imaginable, for Satan fathered the craft. Darkness for light and light for darkness are both blended by his guile. The one that sedates the sinner with a false security is the same one that assaults the saved.
At such a time it is not an uncommon thing to be told by the devil that you are lost; and you may have become so confused that you half believe it. You try to recover yourself, but your thoughts have become like chaff in the wind. Everything seems to have gone. You may not even remember the Scriptures—at least those you want to. If you do, they seem to mock you (Jeremiah 20:7-8). Hell appears to be moved from beneath against you, but it is then that you are ready to discover whether salvation is by works or by grace.