Satan can’t take it away but…..

One thing that is wonderful about Grace is that God will get the person he wants regardless of what they do. He will do everything to have you as part of His family. Being someone who believes and lives according to the way of a Christian the best we can is part of the salvation we have and something that is not taken away by God.

One thing we have to understand is that Satan, no matter how much he wishes he could, does not have any power in him to take away salvation from us. If it is God’s will for us to have it then there is nothing that he can do to prevent His will for us.

So why does he work so hard on us? Why does he focus his attention on us? Why does he want to do this even knowing that a future in Christ is secured?

Luke 22:31 Jesus Christ told Simon (Peter) that Satan asked Him if he could sift Peter like wheat. Trying his faith at the highest level.

Satan first of all hates God, hates his plan and hates us for being part of it. While he cannot take away what God has for us he can make our lives miserable.

Through that process he can cause a lot of things to enter into our lives that we would not otherwise want. This can include sins and emotional distress. Causing anxiety and fear. Causing us to be sad and miserable. This would not stop God’s love for us regardless. Sometimes God uses his attacks to do what Satan was asking to do to Peter, to sift us, test us and see what the place God gave us means to us and how we truly feel about it.

God used Satan for this purpose because He himself wants to see where our hearts are. To refine us to be what He wants us to be. In the story of Job in the bible, the Lord used Satan’s attack to expose his self righteousness.

Understand though that Satan can make us miserable, we can be discouraged, we can be defeated, we can in some cases give up. This still does not lessen God’s plan for us as he had it in mind when we were conceived, why would he change it now?

We can know we are loved and in his plan and still be miserable. God allows for it so someday we can know what we came out of. Just be aware that while there is nothing wrong with being down, do not let it be something that lets you believe lies about God and his purpose for you. His opinion of us is greater than even our own opinion. We should only listen to Him and not at all Satan and his lies. Keep in mind also that being down in the faith discourages others from the faith, especially those that are new to it if it gets to be too visible without hope. Our suffering this way has purpose and meaning, suffering under sin does not. We suffer for our choices under sin.

Romans 8 describes in detail His love and purpose for us in verse 38 he sums it all up:

38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, nor our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 39 No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Your Brother in Christ,

Steve Koenig