My brother, my sister, does it always seem to you that the devil is ahead of what you want to do to ensure you do not succeed? Well, if you have this feeling, there can be only three explanations: either you are spiritually asleep, or you are giving Satan the right to bully you or God will glory Himself in your life in His time as was the case with Job. There are people who sometimes think that they should not speak out their plans for the devil could hear them and thwart their plans. What about your actions? Do you think Satan cannot interpret them? My friend, never forget that Satan was an angel of God and his little demons lived among us once so they also know how to read in us as we can read in someone we know well. You see, the Bible says that the devil spends his time “prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devourr” (1 Peter 5: 8). In other words, he is moving around the earth looking for a soul to destroy. Now, if he finds you asleep spiritually, what do you think he will do in your life? As much mess as possible of course and obviously he will destroy all that is unprotected by the blood of Jesus or exposed to him because of your own sin.
What then gives us the impression that he is always ahead of us? The answer is simple. Satan knows he can no longer have favour before God. Besides, Jesus defeated him on the cross to reconcile us with God. Satan knows all that. He is also aware that the time of his end is near, so his bad, dark and evil inclination can only push him to try and make us miss the blessings of God. Therefore, when he does not manage to destroy, kill our plans or steal from us himself, he accuses us before God. That’s the second reason why he prowls around us, pushing us to sin when we resist him, tempting us with what he knows we like or lust for. The Bible says Satan is “the accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10). The word “accuse” is defined as to charge with, or declare to have committed a crime, to find at fault; to blame… Why who he work so hard to blame us before God? to go ahead of us and stop us from receiving the good things God has planned to give us! Why? Because he knows that God cannot deny His own Word, and everything we do against the Word of God and that declares us guilty can cause delays or sometimes stop the Lord’s blessings for us.
My friend, Satan can seem to be going ahead of you, but he is not. It is only an impression. Jesus IS ahead of you, firmly and permanently standing ahead of you and all you undertake, to assist you, protect you and defend you. So, do not neglect confessing your sins to God to cut Satan short of words when he wants to accuse you. Do not ignore repenting from ongoing sins to shame the devil and break the power and the right you have given him to steal or destroy whatever you do. Jesus Christ is the weapon of mass destruction you have at your disposal to stop the Satan thinking he can make you dance to the tune of hell. Today, turn away from anything that Satan can use against you before God, whether it is the way you talk or the things you do, align them with the word of God and “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34), merciful and mighty and fully rejoice in His grace. Stay blessed in Jesus’ name.