Why does Satan want to destroy Christians? Why does he want to destroy churches? Why does he want to destroy pastors? Why does he want to destroy ministries? Why does he want to destroy families? Satan hates the One he knows he cannot defeat. He hates God. He hates Jesus Christ. Knowing he cannot win his battle against the Lord, he is waging a constant war to leave as much devastation in his wake as possible.
When Satan attacked Job, it was not necessarily because he wanted to hurt Job. He wanted to prove that Job was not truly faithful to the One he really hated who was God. Satan is defeated. Make no mistake about it. He cannot win. He already has been doomed to defeat. In spite of his inevitable defeat, it is possible that we can lose even though we are on the winning side.
When I was preaching this series in my church and subsequently preparing it for publication, my heart’s desire was to warn every Christian in our churches of what Satan will try to do to defeat him.
Satan’s imminent defeat does not guarantee personal victory for the Christian. For example:
- Satan cannot win, but a Christian can lose his reputation.
- Satan cannot win, but a Christian can lose his innocence and purity.
- Satan cannot win, but a Christian can lose his testimony.
- Satan cannot win, but a Christian can lose the purpose God has for him.
- Satan cannot win, but a Christian can lose his position in God’s service.
- Satan cannot win, but a Christian can lose his ministry.
- Satan cannot win, but a pastor can lose his church.
- Satan cannot win, but a couple can lose their marriage.
- Satan cannot win, but parents can lose their children.
- Satan cannot win, but a person can lose his health.
- Satan cannot win, but we can lose our hopes and dreams.
- Satan cannot win, but we can lose our peace.
Sadly, we do not take Satan seriously. We do not make ourselves ready for his attacks. We do not arm ourselves to avoid being overtaken. We are not vigilant enough to prevent being devoured.
For many years, Dr. Bill Burr, a dear Gospel singer, thrilled our hearts as he sang the wonderful song, “I’m on the Winning Side.” As a college student, I remember Dr. Curtis Hutson, near death with a body ravaged by cancer, singing in a raspy voice:
Well, I’m on the winning side, yes I’m on the winning side, Out in sin no more will I abide;
I’ve enlisted in the fight for the cause of truth and right, Praise the Lord, I’m on the winning side!
How thrilling it is when we hear those words! Yet, tragically, many who stood and waved their Bibles rejoicing in the truth of that song have been defeated by the enemy. Church members who once waved their King James Bible have no Bible to wave now. Lives of Christians who were once thrilled by those words have faced personal defeat simply because they assumed that being on the winning side meant that they could not lose, but lose they did.
If we are mindful of the tools of Satan and how to battle them, we can win; but if we are careless, we can lose even while being on the winning side. The fact is, Satan cannot win; but we can lose.
Pastor Neal, through his preaching and his counseling, displays the compassionate heart of a pastor, follows the true leading of the Holy Spirit, and expresses a fervent desire to see lost souls come to know Christ. It is his ultimate desire to see the greater Jacksonville area reached for the cause of Christ and for revival to come to Northeast Florida.
