5 Truths About Satan Every Christian Should Know
I was angry at God that day. Bent out of shape, really. For the fourth time in just 18 months, we moved again. These weren’t joyful relocations filled with fresh starts and excitement. They were heavy with broken dreams, deep disappointment, bone-deep weariness, and short tempers all around.
Standing in the kitchen of yet another rental home, unpacking the same pots and pans for what felt like the hundredth time, my heart sank. The trials piled up—tribulations, long-suffering, heartache. My flesh gave way.
How much longer, Lord?
How much more will You ask my children, my husband, and me to endure?
Will You uproot us from this place, too?
Those questions flooded my mind, and with them came tiny seeds of anger and entitlement sprouting in my heart.
I kept questioning God. But the Lord, in His kindness, led me straight into the book of Job. As I studied, I wrestled hard with what God allowed Satan to do to Job—and, by extension, what He allows in my life and yours.
Picture the heavenly scene: God on His throne, the angels coming to present themselves to Him, and Satan among them (Job 1:6). The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”
We know what that roaming looks like: “Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
It’s only a matter of time before Satan’s gaze lands on one of us. Then comes the gut-punch moment. God says to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” (Job 1:8).
Pause there. Insert your name.
“Have you considered My servant [your name]?
”Whatever trial you’re facing right now—not the consequences of sin, but the refining fires—God is sovereignly allowing it. He has already sifted it through His hands.
Satan scoffs: Of course Job fears You—You’ve hedged him in, blessed his hands, made him rich and secure. “But stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse You to Your face” (Job 1:11).
God’s reply? “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only do not lay a hand on his person” (Job 1:12). Later, He even permits affliction to Job’s body—but always with limits (Job 2:6).
Here’s the profound truth: God knew Job’s heart better than Satan ever could. He knew Job could endure. And He knows the same about you and me. The trials He permits are never beyond what He has equipped us to bear through His strength.
5 Truths About Satan Every Christian Should Know
-
Satan is accountable to God (Job 1:6). He reports in to the Great I Am.
-
Satan is finite—a created being, not omnipotent, not omnipresent. He can only be in one place at a time, though his demons are active (Job 1:7).
- Satan can tempt, but he cannot read our minds or predict our future (Job 1:9–11).
- Satan can do nothing without God’s permission (Job 1:6–12). This is one of the most comforting truths in Scripture!
- God actively restrains Satan (Job 1:12; 2:6). Evil never has free rein.
We overcome not because we’re strong, but because God is sovereign—and “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
Job endured unimaginable loss, yet he never received a full “why” from God. Instead, God asked Job questions that revealed His majesty (Job 38–41). Job’s humble response? “Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth.” (Job 40:4).
Friend, your pain has purpose, too. As believers, we’re set apart for God’s holy work. Perhaps part of that calling is to walk through trials with steadfast faith, as Job did.
“Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful” (James 5:11).
In the end, God restored Job—double what he lost—and blessed him more richly than before (Job 42:10–17).
The same sovereign, compassionate God holds your story. He sees every uprooting, every tear, and even every unpacked box. And He is working it all for your good and His glory (Romans 8:28).
So when the questions come—and they will—remember: God is still on the throne. Trust what He is allowing in your life. In the words of my Pastor, Aaron Ophaug, “Everything that God does is motivated by love.”
Live a poured-out life for Christ,
Jolene Engle
