“Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God. For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me.” – Philippians 1:27-30 KJV

In oppressing God’s children Satan not only seeks to get them to believe that God doesn’t love them, but also tries to fill their minds with thoughts of doubt about the power that God has to deliver them from their enemies. His argumentation may go something like this: ‘If God really loves you then why is He letting all of this bad stuff happen to you? And if God is more powerful than your enemies then why doesn’t He stop them from hurting you?’ Do you see how this could play out in the minds of people who aren’t grounded in the truth, causing them to falter in their faith while they’re going through severe trials? Even seasoned Christians have been affected by this kind of thing at times. And many have lost confidence in God as a result of it.

But don’t be deceived! Oppression doesn’t evidence that God is weak or that He lacks love for us; rather, it’s proof that the devil is defeated. You see, the devil does harm to those who are godly because they pose a threat to his way of life. And because he feels threatened in this way that means he’s fearful of something. But what is he fearful of? Well, God, of course. And his fear of God is proof that he can’t be greater than God. And because no one is greater than God we can be sure to know that what God has told us about Satan will surely come to pass. And if you are familiar with the Bible then you should know that it tells us that Satan’s time is short (Revelation 12:12). In other words, he won’t be able to harass us forever. At some point his malicious plot to destroy faith in God’s people will be shut down; and we won’t have to see the ugliness of his character anymore (Malachi 4:1)!

Oh; and by the way, let’s not forget the fact that Jesus made Satan’s defeat known when He had said “It is finished!” (John 19:30). And when God finally does cast Satan into the lake of fire, to destroy him, it won’t be because God feels threatened by him that He does this; for by then Satan would have had plenty of time to try to prove his point, but failed just like he did with Job. Rather, it will be because his time has run out. Thus, all will see that love has triumphed over evil. And Satan will never be able to hurt God’s children again. But until that happens we can be sure to know that Satan will try to do all that he can to shipwreck our faith. So, we shouldn’t be surprised when we go through fiery trials; it’s to be expected (1Peter 4:12-13; 2Timothy 3:12).

Listen, just because you might be between a rock and a hard place that doesn’t mean you can’t rejoice in Christ. Jesus said “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12 KJV). Indeed, you have good reason to rejoice! For Jesus has overcome the world, and you are blessed beyond measure because of that. Moreover He has prepared a place for you in heaven. Hence He will come again to receive you unto Himself; that is, if you endure to the end (John 14: 1-3, 16:33; Matthew 24:13).

So no matter what happens, always look for opportunities to express gratitude to God for all of the wonderful things that He has done for you through Jesus Christ. Don’t let bad circumstances get in the way of keeping you from enjoying life, but live your life to the fullest in Jesus Christ, lifting up His name in thought and deed wherever you go. As long as you continue to do that Satan will not succeed in making your life miserable, nor will he ever be able to disconnect your faith from God.

Finally, in all that you do be sure to live in such a way as to prove that you are in agreement with the gospel. “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16 KJV). Thus, you will bring much honor to God and encouragement to His people as you let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ!