Our difficulty in choosing God over self is complicated all the more by the presence of a powerful adversary. When God banished Satan from heaven, He sent him here. Have you ever asked yourself why God, who “knows our frame” and is “mindful that we are but dust,”(Psalm 103:14) would place us in a world controlled by Satan and his minions? Outside of God’s intervention, such a world leaves domination by Satan as the only reasonable prospect.

We don’t have a chance without God! Even with the power of God’s Spirit residing within, our ongoing struggle with self-will is greatly affected by the challenges Satan presents. So it’s critical that we understand Satan’s role in bringing about the domination of sin over people’s lives.

The enemy presents sin as good and pleasurable—concealing the bondage, fear and unhappiness it always brings. By its very nature, sin stirs up hope in the human heart. It’s a lot like the hope inspired by the promises Hitler made, which ultimately led to the loss of some fifty million lives in World War II. The Nazis offered the German people prosperity and future peace in return for allegiance to Hitler and his cause. But all along their hidden agenda was complete domination, not only of the world but of their lives as well. The destruction their collaboration ultimately caused is a graphic reminder of the consequences sin always brings in the end.

Excerpted from: Free from the Power of Sin: The Keys to Growing in God in Spite of Yourself