6 Things Satan Wants More Than
Anything Else Victoria Riollano
Whether we like it or not, every Christian must come to
terms with the fact that there is a real enemy. Known by many names, including
Satan, Lucifer, Beelzebub, and the devil, he makes it clear from his first
encounter with mankind in Genesis 3 that he has nothing but malicious intent
for God’s creation. So much so that Jesus says this regarding his
character, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and has
nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies,
he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)
In other words, there is no truth, no good, no love, and
no hope that can come from the devil. When we allow the words of the enemy to
have power in our lives, we come into agreement with things that directly
oppose God’s Word. His desire is to “kill, steal, and destroy” anything that
brings God glory, including bringing destruction to mankind themselves.
Here are seven things Satan wants more than anything
else:
1. To Make You Doubt God's Word
Satan shows his
greatest trick during the first encounter with mankind in Genesis 3.
“Now the serpent was more
crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to
the woman, ‘Did God actually say, "You[a] shall not eat of any tree in the
garden”?’ The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in
the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in
the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ” “You
will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that
when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,
knowing good and evil.”
Yes! Satan has
been convincing people to doubt God’s Word since the beginning of time. To this
day, the enemy has convinced people to doubt the inerrancy of
the Bible and even the promises that are listed in His Word. Many have become
skeptics and spend more time trying to prove God wrong than accepting God’s
love for them. By doubting even one word of what God has spoken, we start to
second guess all other things that have been said and that will be said. Just
like faith can move
mountains, one seed of doubt can spread like an infection across entire families,
causing many to stumble, just like we see in the Garden of Eden. Above all
else, we must remember that God does not lie.
“God is not human, that he
should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak
and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19)
2. To live in fear
Fear is another
tactic of the enemy. As one who used to struggle with extreme fear and panic
attacks at the slightest scare, I can attest that fear kept my eyes on things
that were immediate and not on God. If our lives have become riddled with fear,
we will find that we are consumed with the “what ifs.” Life becomes focused on
what we can and cannot control versus putting complete faith in God. Fear will keep
us from taking a step of faith into a new career, praying for a friend who may
reject us, and even being able to rest. God does not give us fear. Instead, His
Word brings peace, wisdom, love, and a sound mind.
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love
casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not
been perfected in love.” (1 John 14:18)
3. To Silence You from Sharing the Gospel
A Christian who
hoards the gospel to themselves is an ineffective Christian. One of our primary
roles as a follower of Christ is to make more followers of Christ. In
fact, Matthew
28:19, would deem it to be our greatest mission. Yet, one trick of the
enemy is to silence Christians. We see this in modern social media as many
Christians feel nervous to share God’s Word for fear of being virtually
attacked or not wanting to be associated with the “church.”
Although we
cannot give the enemy 100% credit for this (truthfully, those who share the
gospel in a way that is malicious, and hateful have played a role), we can see
how many Christians prefer to worship quietly to not cause anyone to be
offended. Yet, followers of Christ should take every moment they can to spread
the gospel. When we shrink back from doing so, the enemy wins! If we aren’t
being an influencer for Christ, the enemy will certainly find opportunities to
influence those around us. Let us no longer be ashamed to share the gospel, by
any means necessary.
“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about
Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew
first and also the Gentile.” (Romans 1:16)
4. To Cause You to Live in Shame
Reminding you of
your past sins, indiscretions or current insecurities is another scheme of the enemy.
In fact, if the enemy can convince you that your past has disqualified you from
receiving God’s love or grace, you will never come to accept the Word of God
fully. In this manner, you will remain defeated and frustrated, only accepting
some of God’s Word. Shame keeps our eyes focused on ourselves, reminding us
over and over of what we did wrong or how we don’t measure up.
Truthfully, the
enemy has no issue reminding you of these things and making you feel like you
aren’t worthy to worship God, do things that He has called you to do, or to
receive His promises. Even more so, this shame will keep you from praying to
God and even sharing the gospel with others. If the enemy can keep you in
self-pity, you will never walk in God’s peace. Remember, we are not a sum of
our past behaviors. Instead, when we make a choice to turn away from sinful
desires and walk towards God’s love, He will show us how to live a life that is
rewarding and where we can be free from condemnation.
"If
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9)
“There is therefore now no condemnation
to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the
Spirit.” (Romans 8:1)
5. For You to Worship an Idol
An idol can be
anything that we place before the Lord. In the Old Testament, this was clear to
see as they worshipped literal objects. Although most Christians don’t have a
golden calf or statue of Jesus that they praise, there are still many idols
that have taken their place in our hearts.
From worshipping
our favorite celebrity, to spending hours on social media, to living a life
that is extremely focused on self, we can make anything an idol. This trick of
the enemy is much cleverer as it may not be realized right away. In fact, we
can spend years worshipping things that seem good on the outside but suddenly
become an obsession to where “it” becomes our primary focus in life. Thus, what
started as a positive thing such as going to the gym daily, going on vacations,
making money, or finding a spouse, can become our primary source of hope and
happiness.
Before long, we
can start to look to those things more than we look to God. This can be
dangerous, as when these things fade, we are left with a sense of hopelessness.
Although God wants us to have good things, we can never worship them more than
the one who gives them to us. We must be willing to lay down whatever the Lord
leads us to, if it is standing in the way of a life that is submitted to the
Lord.
"You shall have no other gods before me.
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything
that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the
water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the
Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the
children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but
showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my
commandments." (Exodus
20:3-6)
6. For You to Be Deceived
It has never been
more important for Christians to stand on the Word of God. In today’s culture,
we see so many accommodating the Word to fit their lifestyle instead of
accommodating their lifestyle to match the Word. This form of trickery is
Satan’s attempt to make Christians pick and choose which aspects of the Bible make them feel good.
Instead of
seeking a life that follows the Spirit, we look to our own flesh and concept of
morality to find truth. In many ways, we become like Eve wanting to only accept
portions of God’s Word but preferring our will over His. The truth is, if the
enemy can keep Christians lukewarm and hypocritical in their faith, he can cause many to not
want to follow the Lord.
We must remember
that Satan will do anything to cause confusion, including using Christians with
so many different beliefs that it appears to be dozens of different religions
mixed into one. We must know that anything we believe that contradicts the Word
of God is simply another ploy of the enemy. Let us not give the enemy any more
power over our minds and action and walk fully in God’s Word.
“For the time is coming when people will not
endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for
themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from
listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (2
Timothy 4:3-4)
Victoria
Riollano is an author, blogger, and speaker. As a mother of six,
military spouse, Psychology professor and minister’s wife, Victoria has learned
the art of balancing family and accomplishing God’s ultimate purpose for her
life. Recently, Victoria released her book, The Victory Walk: A 21 Day Devotional
on Living A Victorious Life. Her ultimate
desire is to empower women to live a life of victory, hope, and love. She
believes that with Christ we can live a life that is ALWAYS winning. You can
learn more about her ministry at victoryspeaks.org.
