(Dr. F. Dean Hackett) Through many years as a missionary in Asia, I have had lots of opportunity to feel the keen edge of Satan’s tool of discouragement. I discovered that he keeps this particular tool in readiness at all times, and he’s always sharpening it for use on the unsuspecting. And that’s what alarms me. None of us should ever be taken by surprise. Just study the description of Satan in the Bible—he is a deceiver of the brethren, a liar, he masquerades as a harmless sheep, but he is actually a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and furthermore, he is described a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. That is enough to put us on high alert!

My problem has been, and I suspect yours may be, the fact that we are lulled to sleep for various reasons and we drop our guard. Satan is well-aware of our weaknesses, and he always takes advantage of those weak spots. Sometimes he afflicts us with sickness as in Job’s case, to get our eyes off Jesus. There are times when he brings financial reverses or causes a lack of sufficient funds as in Job’s case when he lost all his possessions and his children. His purpose was to bring despair into Job’s heart so that he would curse God and turn his back on Him. READ MORE


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