Satan is Sneaky

In a world filled with distractions and temptations, even the most faithful can be blindsided by the subtle workings of Satan. Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, experienced this firsthand.

Peter had a moment of divine revelation from the Holy Spirit, realizing that Jesus, the man he had followed, was indeed God. But right at that moment, the enemy tried to work through Peter. Jesus didn’t hesitate to call it out for what it was—Satan’s influence.

“And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.’” (Mark 8:31-33 NKJV).

Later, in Acts 5, we see another instance of Satan at work, this time in the early church. Ananias and Sapphira sold a piece of property and brought part of the proceeds to the apostles, pretending it was the full amount.

“But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?’” (Acts 5:3 NKJV).

Satan had filled their hearts, leading them to lie—not just to the apostles, but to God Himself. They were deceitful in their generosity, pretending to give all they had received while holding back a portion. In that moment, Ananias and Sapphira became agents of the enemy.

We live in a world where the devil is always at work. Sometimes, his actions are overt and brutal. Other times, they are subtle and seemingly harmless. The devil knows that strong temptations are often the most dangerous, but it’s the subtle ones that can sneak in when we least expect them.

The lesson here is clear: we must remain vigilant and discerning, aware that the enemy can use even our closest moments of spiritual insight to his advantage. Like Peter and the early church, we need to be on guard, always aligning our thoughts and actions with God’s will to resist Satan’s schemes.

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