Satan loves to manipulate people. He does it all the time. Temptation and condemnation are Satan’s two favorite methods to do so.First, he tempts us by minimizing sin before we do it. He’ll whisper phrases to us like, “It’s no big deal” and “Everyone is doing it.” Then, when we commit the sin, he turns on the condemnation and tells us, “Well, God will never love you again.”Satan minimizes our sin before we commit it and maximizes it afterwards. Through temptation and condemnation, Satan tries to control us.
But thanks to Jesus, you don’t need to let him. On the cross, Jesus died to destroy Satan’s power to control you.
Paul writes in Colossians 1:13, “God has rescued us from the power of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of his Son, whom he loves” (GW).
There is a cosmic battle going on between good and evil. When Jesus was on the cross, it looked like Satan had won.
But on the cross, Jesus shouts out, “It is finished,” not “I am finished.” Three days later he rose from the grave. Jesus wasn’t finished. Satan was! With Jesus’ work on the cross, he defeated forever Satan’s ability to control us.
If you have accepted God’s offer of salvation and have the Holy Spirit in you, Satan only has power that you yield to him. Through fear, bitterness, and anxiety, you can give power back to Satan. But when you trust God and choose forgiveness and hope, Satan is powerless in your life.
Because Jesus destroyed Satan’s power to control you, you don’t need to fall victim to his manipulation. You can live in freedom—the way God made you to live.
Talk It Over- How does Satan manipulate us through condemnation?
- Do you find yourself falling victim to Satan’s temptation or condemnation more?
- If Satan no longer has the power to control us, why do we often give that power back to him?
The Bible says we all fall short of God’s perfect standard. Yet God still loves us even though we sin and are flawed. In fact, God loves us so much that he sent his Son, Jesus, to cleanse us from our sins and bring us into the family of God.
If you’ve never accepted God’s love and invited Jesus into your heart, I want you to have that opportunity now. Pray this prayer: “Dear God, I don’t understand it all, but I thank you that you love me. Thank you that you are for me and that you didn’t send Jesus to condemn me but to save me. I admit I need Jesus as my Savior, and today I want to ask Jesus into my heart. I want a relationship with Jesus. I want to follow him and do the things he tells me to do.
“I ask you to save me from my past, my regrets, my mistakes, my sins, my habits, my hurts, and my hang-ups. I ask you to save me for your purpose. I want to know why you put me on this planet. And I want to fulfill what you made me to do. I want to learn to love you and trust you and be in your family forever. In your name I pray. Amen.”
If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at Rick@PastorRick.com and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus.
Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.
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