THE DEVIL NEVER FORGIVES THOSE WHO ESCAPE BONDAGE

By A. W. Tozer
 

 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine
 heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?. . . Acts 5:3

       As we move farther on in the Christian life we may
expect to encounter increased hostility from the enemy
of our souls. Although this is seldom presented to
Christians as a fact of life, it is a very solid fact indeed
as every experienced Christian knows; and one we shall
learn how to handle or stumble over to our own undoing.

       If Satan opposes the new convert he opposes still
more bitterly the Christian who is pressing on toward a
higher life in Christ. The Spirit-filled life is not, as many
suppose, a life of peace and quiet pleasure. It is likely to
be something quite the opposite.

       Satan hates the true Christian for several reasons.
One is that God loves him, and whatever is loved by
God is sure to be hated by the devil. Another is that the
Christian, being a child of God, bears a family
resemblance to the Father and to the household of faith.

      A third reason is that a true Christian is a former slave
who has escaped from the galley, and Satan cannot
forgive him for this affront.  A fourth reason is that a
praying Christian is a constant threat to the stability of
Satan's government. The Christian is a holy rebel loose
in the world with access to the throne of God.

      Satan never knows from what direction his danger
will come. Who knows when another Elijah will arise,
or another Daniel? or a Luther, a Finney or a Booth?

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Yours in Christ,
Paul N. F.