It's true. Satan hates God. Therefore, it stands to reason that if I love God, and have asked Him to come into my life, then Satan hates me as well. This is a sobering thought. There is part of me that knows that I must trust God and believe He will guide me safely home to heaven one day and yet there is also the undeniable truth of God's Word that says:
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8
This is the reality I must live in everyday of my life here on earth. But can I do both? Can I trust God while at the same time stay self-controlled and alert? Absolutely! Just look at Nehemiah. Although the gracious hand of God was upon him (see Nehemiah 2:8), when he left the citadel of Susa to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, the opposition from the enemy was immediate and very real (2:10). There was mocking and ridicule (2:19), the enemy became angry and incensed (4:1), and they plotted together to fight and stir up trouble for Nehemiah (4:7-8). We must be aware that the enemy is persistent (6:4), he uses fear because he knows this weakens us (6:9), and he tries to intimidate us (6:13). But Nehemiah shows us how to respond. First, he sees the enemy for who he is (6:11-13) and then he prays and asks God to strengthen his hands (6:9) and to take care of his enemies (6:14). Then he gets back to work trusting God! And what happens?
"So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God." Nehemiah 6:15-16
Hallelujah! What a Savior!
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