Satan Wants Your Soul
It’s true. Satan wants your soul. That’s a sobering thought. Does it scare you? It should. It’s terrifying.
Satan knows his end will come and when it does, he wants to take as many people with him as possible.
We are all made in the image of God (Gen. 1:26) and Satan hates us. He wants to destroy us, because if he can’t destroy God, he’ll destroy what is made in his image. And he packages destruction in appealing and deceiving ways.
He makes what is dark look fun and enticing (Halloween, celebrating darkness, spiritism, new age, horoscopes). He lures us with promises of love (lust, sex, toxic relationships, belonging). He promises success (money, fame, importance). He whispers that we can be somebody because he knows we all want to be seen, to be known, to be loved.
Satan wants our kids. If nothing else sobers us, that should make us sit up and take notice. He wants to lure our sons and daughters away from the cross.
When our children were little, we were hyper-aware of their surroundings and of people who might mean them harm. We likely all had a nightmare or two about our children going missing…it’s every parent’s worst nightmare. Yet, all around us lurked the darkness of Satan, his demons, the evil that would pull them away from God. We didn’t always see it and we co-existed with it in ways that lulled us into letting our guard down and potentially allowing our children to become desensitized to the danger.
This world is Satan’s kingdom and he promises it to us in exchange for our soul. He dangles pleasure, wealth, and power in front of us and when we grasp it, he shackles us to darkness, depression, and despair. Satan promises “all that” but it’s like a spider’s web, we become entangled and are at the mercy of his manipulation, his addictions, his darkness that envelopes us. He lures us into a spiritual world of darkness that is terrifying and promises eternal damnation. But he makes it look appealing and innocuous. That’s his deception.
How many times have we looked at someone who has earned fame and fortune, but it’s clear they are miserable, addicted, they have no joy, no hope, and we say, "They sold their soul”. No one is immune to his ploy. No one can resist on their own. Those who say, “I would never…” often find themselves in places they never imagined because they relied on their own strength and pursued their own pleasures. They fell into the trap.
Look around you. The darkness is becoming more and more visible because the days are growing short. Jesus’ return is near. What is good is being condemned as bad and what is bad is being celebrated as good and worthy. Our world is upside down. Murdering unborn babies is celebrated as the choice of body autonomy. Image bearers who are weeks into gestation are being labeled as clumps of cells- dehumanizing the personhood makes them easier to destroy. Satan celebrates that we buy the lie. Now we’re seeing that some countries are choosing to medically end a life because a person is disabled or terminal and it’s marketed as merciful. Israel is being decried as the enemy (Biblical prophecy is playing out). Antisemitism is rising at an alarming rate. Politics is the new path to redeeming all that is wrong. Prayers to Satan are being offered in public places because everyone’s faith should be celebrated?! And persecution of believers is at an all time high. Our world is Satan’s playground and we’re surrounded by it. We need to stop dancing around the truth of the matter.
Meanwhile, the love of believers is growing cold. Jesus said,
“You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:6-14
When will we wake up? When will we see that we don’t wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers, and the rulers of this dark world? “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12
How do we combat this? We need to be in the Word daily. We need to be on our knees praying for our sons and daughters- their spiritual life depends on it. We need to be praying for a hedge of protection, and a shield of faith around our lives and those of our family. And we need to be sharing the gospel because time is short. We need devotion, not just devotions. Time in the Word is vital, but that should set the tone for our life, not just be a moment in the morning that we check off of our to-do list. Our devotion to Christ needs to be evident to all.
And we pray. Yet, sometimes we fail to recognize that prayer is THE most powerful thing we can do to protect our families. We pray a lot, right? Yet, do we understand that we are stepping into a spiritual realm when we pray? We are aligning our heart with the Sovereign God, the Creator of all, the One to whom every knee will bow and every tongue confess His Lordship. We are stepping out of the temporal and into the eternal. It’s not science fiction, it is reality in a dimension that only is accessible through prayer. And it is ours to experience, ours to wield in the power of Jesus Christ.
We need to begin praying with more intention. We need to pray Scripture over our lives and the lives of our family. We need to recognize the spiritual battle that is raging and instead of burying our heads and pretending all is well, address the spiritual forces at work in the name and through the blood of Jesus. The power that raised Jesus from the dead is the power that works in us (Eph. 1:18-21). The enemy can kill the body, but he cannot steal the soul. Our lives are hidden with Christ, in God (Col. 3:3) and no one can snatch us away from our eternity with Him.
Pray with boldness. Pray with purpose. Pray in the power of the Holy Spirit against those forces that would seek to destroy. Pray without ceasing.
“Heavenly Father, I come to you in Jesus’ name and ask that You would put a hedge of protection around (name) today. Guard their heart and mind in Christ Jesus. I pray that, if tempted, they would seek You for strength to resist. I ask that You would push back the forces of evil and the influence of darkness so that (name) would be spiritually safe. Lord, don’t allow their love for You to grow cold. Fill them, anew, with Your Holy Spirit so that their thoughts and desires reflect a heart and life that are committed to You. Bind Satan. Do not allow him to gain a foothold in their life. Avert their eyes from things that would lure them into sin. Surround them with other believers who would speak into their life things of the Lord. Impress Your word on their heart and mind so that they would be able to call it to mind. Strengthen their faith. Keep them faithful. Lord, this world is descending into a darkness that is palpable. The end times that Scripture describes seem to be nearer than ever and we see wars, plagues, earthquakes, and destruction. Help us not to lose heart. We know these things will happen. Yet You’ve chosen us to live at this specific time. You have work for us to do. Don’t allow fear or despair to rule in our hearts and minds, but the Word of God, living and active, that will empower us to speak truth and live boldly. Lord, we cannot do this without You. I pray that You would give us strength for as long as You give us breath and life so that all we say and do points others to Jesus. I pray this in Jesus’ name, amen.”
Are you unsure of your eternal destiny? Do you know Jesus? I’m not talking about knowing about Jesus…but do you have a relationship with Him? Have you trusted Him as your Lord and Savior? If not, today is the day, friend. We are all sinners, even those who are ‘good’ can never be good enough to earn their way into the presence of a Holy God. We are tainted. We are imperfect. We cannot save ourselves. No amount of money, good deeds, happy thoughts, or benevolent giving can cover our sin.
Here’s the thing. Eternity has two options, either eternity with Jesus or eternity with Satan. One is hope-filled, full of joy and light, enjoying the Presence of the Living God and living in the full purpose of why we were created. The other option is eternal darkness, devoid of connection to anyone or anything, debilitating pain, deep sorrow, and eternal suffering and punishment. Satan rejoices when someone chooses to deny God.
Why would you not choose Jesus? He loves you so much! He died to pay for your sin- the cost that none of us could afford to pay. He gave His life so we could know true, eternal life with Him. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved. There is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved. If you prayed to receive Christ as your Lord and Savior, please let me know! I want to pray for you and encourage you!
Today is the day, friend! What will you choose?
Are you praying for a prodigal, for one whose love has grown cold? 40 Days of Prayer for the Prodigal, is a powerful book for anyone deeply in prayer for the heart of their loved one. It addresses the battle for the heart, mind, and soul of the prodigal through praying Scripture boldly and consistently with faith that God will bring repentance and restoration. Transformation can begin in the life of the prodigal and in the reader’s own heart as well through the power of prayer!
