What Does Satan Want?!

"We and the world, my children, will always be at war. Retreat is impossible. Arm yourselves."

─Leif Enger 

Sometimes we think that no one wants more good things for us (and our kids) than we do, but our heavenly Father is able to provide for us better than we ever could. He has greater plans in store for us than we could ever dream of. He can give us more exquisite gifts than we could ever hope to gain for ourselves. Through prayer, our heavenly Father intends to do a work in our lives that is “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).

The Lord reminds us in the book of Proverbs, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (4:23). As Christian women, we’re passionate about guiding others and guarding their hearts (as well as our own) as we watch them grow. We want to provide the best for our husbands and loved ones, knowing Jesus came so that we “may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

Unfortunately, we face fierce opposition in our quest to obtain abundant life. We have an enemy called Satan, whom Jesus describes as “the thief who comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). Satan is the deceiver, our adversary, who seeks to oppose and destroy God’s people. He wants to keep us and our loved ones from receiving God’s best for them. He also wants to sidetrack us from becoming more faithful, adaptable, committed and effective in interceding for others. 

Satan’s sneakiest ploys are twofold. He wants:

1) to convince us that he doesn’t exist; and

2) to convince us that we are not at war.

In his book Waking the Dead, John Eldredge writes, “By all means, God intends life for you. But right now that life is opposed. It doesn’t just roll in on a tray. There is a thief. He comes to steal and kill and destroy. In other words, yes, the offer is life, but you’re going to have to fight for it because there’s an enemy in your life with a different agenda. There is something set against us. We are at war.”

Yes, engaging in spiritual warfare against Satan, the enemy of our souls, can be scary. But we have this confidence: through Christ’s finished work on the cross, we have already won the victory. God’s power has always been and will always be greater than Satan’s. The devil knows that his time on earth is limited; the game is up. Eventually, he will be cast into the lake of fire for eternity (Rev. 20:10). So when we bring our praises as well as our needs before the Father in prayer, we know that we have “checkmated” Satan. We can have supreme confidence in the Lord, knowing that we’re on the winning side of the battle.

Satan wants the victory... don't let him get it!