Satan Wins!

Much is made in Christian circles that Satan is a defeated foe.  Some downplay the attacks and deceptions of Satan through the broad application of 1 John 4:4:  "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world."  So why is it then, that so few Christians seem to live a life of victory and power?  Why is our labor futile and fellowships rife with division?  If the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead fills us with that life-giving power, why do so few actually walk in the demonstration of it?  One of the main reasons is simple:  sin.   Though Christ has crushed the power of Satan under His feet, we can grant the devil legal authority through strongholds of sin.  He will gladly take back whatever territory we give him and fortify himself.

Ephesians 6:11-12 reads, "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."  It was necessary for Paul to instruct the Ephesians concerning the spiritual battle they faced continually as children of God.  They likely recoiled against the immorality, idolatry, and pagan practices of the day and laboured to defeat them.  But Paul told the Christians at Ephesus that their battle was of another kind:  they were fighting a spiritual battle of hand-to-hand combat against satanic forces.  The intent of our enemy is to steal, kill, and destroy.  His easiest victories come when we don't realize he has us in a vulnerable position by our secret or unconfessed sin.  A direct assault against God's people is rarely effective because they have been granted victory over sin through Jesus.  But if we offer position by our sins, he will choke us out.  It is when we justify our lack of confession or repentance that Satan wins.

A child of God can be down but is never out.  We have the hope of salvation through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, our LORD and Saviour.  A great lie of Satan is that we must only confess our sin to God and not to the person we have wronged through our sin.  A Christian's conscience will not rest easy until a full confession is made.  William Gurnall, a Puritan writer, had this to say about this tactic of the devil:

The very strength of some temptations lies in the concealing of them, and the very revealing of them to some faithful friend, like the opening and pricking of an imposthume (abscess), gives the soul present ease.  Satan knows this too well; and therefore, as some thieves, when they come to rob an house, either gag them in it, or hold a pistol to their breast, frighting them with death, if they cry or speak; thus Satan, that he may more freely rifle the soul of its peace and comfort, overawes it so, that it dares not disclose his temptation.  O, saith Satan, if thy brethren or friends know such a thing by thee, they will cast thee off; others will hoot at thee.  thus many a poor soul hath been kept long in its pangs by biting them in.  Thou losest, Christian, a double help by keeping the devil's secret - the counsel and prayers of thy fellow-brethren.  And what an invaluable loss is this!" (The Christian in Complete Armour, pg. 100)

How Satan will lie to us!  He will tell us we will lose all credibility, that the concealing of our sin protects others from pain, and points to our changed behaviour as an impetus not to publicly confess.  But what does God's Word say?  James 5:16 reads, "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much."  The offering of Job's friends was not accepted until Job prayed for them.  Likewise, we must confess to the one we have wronged before our guilt shall be absolved before God.  Ephesus was a Christian fellowship that did well, yet God had something against them:  Revelation 2:2-5 reads, "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; ³ and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. ⁴ Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. ⁵ Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place--unless you repent."

The first step of repentance is acknowledgment, agreement with God.  The second step is confession.  Without confession there is no repentance, and without repentance there is no salvation.  If we harbour sin in our hearts, we cannot expect to be filled with the Spirit because we have polluted His temple.  The temple must be purged of all filth by the blood of Christ before we can expect the glory of God to fill the most holy place.  Without the Spirit we have no power, are devoid of all spiritual discernment, become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, the Word becomes unfruitful, and put up no resistance to Satan's schemes.  We have traded the power of God for the satisfaction of our lusts, and willingly place ourselves under bondage again.  Doctors cannot treat a man who refuses to see a doctor, and God will not deliver even a Christian who will not humble himself in confession and repentance.  Satan wins when we hide our sin.

If we will but humble ourselves and confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  Are you tapping out, O Christian?  Do you feel powerless in the jaws of the enemy of your soul?  No man who hides a deadly serpent in his bosom is better for it.  Confess your secret sins in agreement with God.  You can be sure Christ will deliver you and by His grace grant you the victory He purchased with His own blood!