I Thessalonians 2:18
“For we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, more than once—and yet Satan hindered us.”
This is a curious scripture. I admit to falling prey to one of the Devil’s favorite tricks, to believe he doesn’t exist or isn’t interfering in our lives. C.S. Lewis addresses this in his book, The Screwtape Letters. The book is from the demons perspective. Their purpose is to keep people as far away from God as possible. The mentioned tactic is common.
Jesus speaks of the devil in a parable in John 10:10. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness.” Thieves steal, murderers kill and demented people destroy. Those are the aims of the Devil and his host of demons.
Who would want to go any where near the Devil or his ways? No one. That’s why he uses trickery. Adam and Eve’s deception is a great example. In Genesis ch 3, he asks a simple question which makes Eve appear to be the expert. He flatters with pride.
Next, the Devil challenges God’s Word, “You shall surely not die.” He brought confusion. They didn’t die physically, but spiritually. When we’re disoriented, it’s easy to be deceived. We need to be patient at these times. We can get confused and draw wrong conclusions. Don’t abandon the faith. Pray and seek answers patiently. Don’t let doubts disturb one’s faith. Eve should have left at that point. God will help us. However, it’s rarely instantaneous.
The next trick was to let Eve think that God was keeping things from her for His selfish reasons. Billy Joel’s song, “Only The Good Die Young” contains many such misconceptions. The title is the first one. The next one is that christians are too uptight and don’t enjoy themselves. The lyrics are “They built you a temple and locked you away” and “I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.” Unfortunately, that artist has believed all sorts of deception.
What’s not immediately understood are the consequences of those choices. David voices this in Psalm 73. He says in verse three, “For I was envious of the arrogant as I saw the prosperity of the wicked” and in verse eight, “they mock and wickedly speak of oppression; They speak from on high.” He is caught up in the deception as well as the perpetrators. Verse 18 and 19 speak of their future, “Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors!”
Lord, help us to be aware of Satan’s influences and avoid them.