Satan Hinders God’s People

Satan hinders God’s people.

On his second missionary journey Paul established a church in Thessalonica, a seaport on the Aegean Sea. The local Jews knew Paul was an evangelist for Jesus and some were jealous of him. Some time after his arrival they formed a mob and dragged some of the new church members before the city authorities.

They complained that the church members were welcoming Paul and his fellow missionaries, and that “…they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.” (Acts 17:7)

The authorities released them after they posted a bond, but because of the danger of further reprisals, Paul, and at least one of his fellow missionaries, Silas, left town that night.

After a short time away, possibly a few weeks, Paul wrote his first letter to the church at Thessalonica. He probably wrote it from Corinth, roughly 200 miles south of Thessalonica. He praised the Thessalonians for their effective witness for Christ throughout the region, extending far outside Thessalonica proper. He said he and his fellow missionaries desired to return had been hindered by Satan on more than one occasion:

“because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us. ” (1 Thessalonians 2:18)

Just as Jesus didn’t say how Satan takes the word from the heart of the lost, Paul didn’t say how Satan hindered them. Since the lost are Satan’s captives, one simple way would have been to cause one or more of them to literally hinder Paul’s movements by land and sea. Or, Satan could have created trouble for Paul with the authorities, similar to what happened in Thessalonica. As a being with both immense personal powers and with millions servant demons and lost humans humans at his disposal, his options are practically unlimited.

The important point of the verse isn’t how Satan hindered them but the fact of the hindering. Satan still uses his extensive powers to hinder Christian service because the more effective Christians are in their service, the less effective Satan is in his goal to be like God.

Paul’s statement that “Satan hindered us” could also be well-translated as “Satan thwarted us.”[efn_note]The NET Bible[/efn_note] Either way, a reader might take it in a somewhat benign sense, as not too big a deal. One might imagine Satan moving people to put up a roadblock on the road to Thessalonica, barring Paul’s passage. That would be an inconvenience to Paul but not a major problem.

Though Satan may use such petty devices to hinder people as they try to live out their Christian faith in the world, there’s nothing benign about his motives and methods. He isn’t a petty little demon irked at God and His people. He is an immensely powerful spirit being who hates God and God’s people.

Paul’s famous “armor of God” (Eph. 6:11-17) exhortation to the church of Ephesus is explicit regarding Satan’s ill will for Christians. We’ll study it as our model for the proper Christian response to evil. It begins with the fact, not the possibility, that Satan attacks God’s people:

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11)

In the following six verses Paul tells the Ephesians, and us as well, how to resist Satan’s attacks. He uses the imagery of a Roman soldiers’ armor to symbolize the “armor” God has provided us: truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the word of God.

Paul likens the Roman shield to Christian faith:

In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; (Ephesians 6:16)

The Roman shield was wooden, with a linen and leather covering and an iron rim.¹ In battle, when wet with water, it would extinguish the enemy’s flaming arrows. Flaming arrows, whether real or symbolic of Satanic attack, are an aggressive, not petty, attack.

Likewise, the Apostle Peter warned Christians scattered throughout Asia Minor (modern Turkey) to be on the alert for Satan’s attacks and ready to resist:

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. (1 Peter 5:8–9)

Note first, that Peter says that Satan actively seeks for Christians to attack: he “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Second, he causes “suffering.” And third, his attacks are widespread: “the same kinds of suffering are are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.”

Scripture is clear. In his war against God Satan attacks Christians. He hindered Paul in his attempts to get back to the Thessalonians. Paul exhorted the Ephesians to “put on the whole armor of God,” as protection against Satan’s attacks. Peter warned the Christians in Asia Minor to be on guard against Satan whose attacks would cause them to suffer, just as many of their Christian brethren were suffering. And, Satan continues to hinder and attack God’s people to this day.

An awareness of Satan’s method of hindering God’s people is of practical importance for three reasons. First, it helps us to take Peter’s exhortation to be sober and alert, in the expectation of Satanic attack, to heart. Those Christians who either don’t know or reject the Bible’s teaching regarding Satan are easy targets. Second, the expectation of Satan’s attacks helps us see the need to use the tools God has provided us to resist

Third, it helps us avoid discouragement in the face of difficulties we encounter when we actively commit to live the Christian life and serve our Lord. If we expect difficulties to attend our taking up our cross and following Jesus (Luke 9:23) they won’t seem so strange and unexpected when they come.

This isn’t to imply that all, or even most, of the difficulties and trials we go through as Christians are due to Satan and his human and demonic helpers. Trials come from many sources. We aren’t spared the disease, death, and difficulties that came to this world through Adam and Eve. And, though redeemed, we still have a sin nature and often suffer the consequences of our sins. Finally, God, out of love for us, may visit us with difficulties as a means of corrective discipline, to strengthen or faith, or to give us the privilege of being a witness, in spite of our suffering, for Him to others.

When difficulties arise search your heart for any sin that might be contributing to or causing the problem, and ask God to reveal any sin to you. If there is sin, deal with it. Absent sin, ask God to teach you what he desires you to learn, to use it to His glory (even if it involves suffering), and protect you from Satan.

Satan lies, holds the lost captive, and hinders God’s people. I believe these three general methods, accomplished using various techniques, form the core of Satan’s program to grow his kingdom and undermine God’s kingdom. Before we move on in our study we’ll look at one specific technique we’ve not yet considered: demon possession.