“And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.” (John 10:4,5)
If there is one thing that Satan hates it is a man’s relationship to God. When Peter left his nets to follow Jesus, the roaring lion followed him seeking to destroy the bond that was being forged. Jesus knew it and told Peter: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat” (Luke 22:31).
Peter called the devil our adversary. (1 Peter 5:8) He is a subtle foe who will say and do anything he can to turn us back from following on to know the Lord. He will have us find fault with ourselves, with God, with other Christians, and with the truth itself. He will discourage us because the way is long and at times lonely. He will tell us that we aren’t getting out of it as much as we’ve put into it. He will remind us of the savory meals we used to enjoy in “Egypt.” A thousand fiery darts will seek to penetrate our thinking leaving behind a disgruntled attitude. He will tell us that we cannot keep up the pace needed to finish the race, and we don’t have what it takes. He will tell us that the world and the flesh are too great for us to hold out against. He will whisper again and again: “It’s no use. You’re not going to make it. Throw in the towel now.”
But Jesus is the not only the Author of our faith, He is the Finisher. He who began a good work in our life is able to complete it. We are not to look at ourselves, we are to look to Him. Our faith is not in ourselves, it is in Him. He is our Savior and He is our great, High Priest who lives to make intercession for us. He prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail, and He prays for us. The just shall live by faith. But if we turn back, we bring Satan, not God, pleasure.
Lift up the shield of faith by which you will quench every fiery dart of the wicked one. Don’t give heed to the whisperer who wants to separate chief friends. He is a liar and nothing he says should be believed. God speaks, but so does the devil, and oftentimes the devil has a bigger mouth than God. Tune him out. Talk back to him and tell him to shut up. The Lord’s sheep, who will not be plucked out of His hand, not only listen to the voice of their Shepherd, but they don’t listen to the voice of strangers.