We have a real Enemy. 1st Thessalonians 2:18 Paul attempted twice to go to Thessalonica, but Satan prevented him—"broke up the road in front of him." It is one thing when the Holy Spirit hinders us. We may not understand why we are hindered at the time, but we can trust the Omniscient One. When Satan, the adversary, hinders, we know it is in opposition to what we can do or want to give for the benefit of our spiritual children. Satan is a real adversary. He is determined to block the spread of the Gospel and those involved in spiritual work. We will face opposition and spiritual attacks because we are in Satan’s domain, as strangers and foreigners passing through.
Satan has always been determined to oppose everything that God does—those who love God, serve Him, and seek to do the Lord's will. He opposes any human being from becoming a child of God and entering the kingdom of God by putting their faith in Him. He will try to prevent both believers and unbelievers from having a close, personal relationship with God. The devil knows that God “made man in His own image” to love Him, enjoy eternal life together, and share in the joys of holiness, righteousness, and goodness within His family. A holy God living eternally with holy people and experiencing the blessings of holiness in every part of their being goes directly against everything the devil desires.
With deceit, lies, craftiness, and physical persecution, he has been attacking those who trust in God by any means he can find. Adam was an innocent man but was vulnerable to deception, and Satan exploited that. Abraham “believed God,” but, at times, was troubled by doubts and resorted to half-truths. Job was blameless, an upright man in all his ways, who feared God and hated evil, and Satan challenged him as an ultimate test. His challenges today follow much the same pattern as they did from the time of his rebellion.
Man is naturally a rebel because pride is a fundamental part of our sinful nature, and the devil understands the power of pride because he is full of it. Doubting God in tough times and lacking the “full assurance of faith” are human traits he exploits. Goodness without integrity, self-serving righteousness, faith without works, words without truth, plans without commitment, and religion without Christ are common ways the enemy, Satan, uses to hinder souls from being saved and Christians from living consistently for the Lord.
Preaching without prayer first; words without grace, opinions without wisdom, work without goals, preaching without a message, demands without weight, and plans without purpose are all tools used by Satan to hinder the spiritual resolve of the Lord’s people and to keep lost souls from experiencing the liberty of God’s great salvation.