“My friends, we were kept from coming to you for a while, but we never stopped thinking about you. We were eager to see you and tried our best to visit you in person. We really wanted to come. I myself tried several times, but Satan always stopped us. After all, when the Lord Jesus appears, who else but you will give us hope and joy and be like a glorious crown for us? You alone are our glory and joy!” (1 Thessalonians 2:17-20 CEV)
Satan is real. And if you aren’t a believer, his #1 strategy for you is to keep you from coming to faith in Christ today. If you’re listening to me right now and you aren’t yet a Christian, don’t be surprised if your mind is being filled with all kinds of weird thoughts and distractions... The devil tries to prevent you from hearing and responding to the gospel [the good news of Jesus Christ].
But once you become a Christian, the devil doesn’t give up on you. He just changes his strategy. From that point on, he tries to STOP you. Paul said he wanted to visit Thessalonica, but the devil stopped him; he hindered him. That’s a strategy he uses with believers as well. The devil wants to stop you. He and his demons want to stop you from reading your Bible; stop you from praying; stop you from attending worship; stop you from giving to God; stop you from witnessing; stop you from serving God; and stop you from growing in your faith. Get the idea? He wants to stop you from doing what God wants you to do.
-- David Dykes in a sermon entitled “Don’t Let Satan Stop You”
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