Luke 22:3 Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.
I was watching the Master’s golf tournament and was excited about the possibility of Jordan Spieth winning his second green jacket in two years, having the lead wire to wire, two years in a row, Then he hit two shots into Ray’s Creek and took a seven on the 13th par 3. Disgusted I turned the television off.
In many ways we do this very same thing when we look to the behavior of other people when they do not live up to our hope for them. We ignore what it does in us. What right did I have to be disgusted? I had placed my hopes in a man. Men fail.
Many of us look to Judas as the one who betrayed Jesus and we blame him and when he committed suicide, some of us feel like he got off easy. We overlooked Luke 22:3 and failed to blame the real enemy Satan. I have heard some say that Satan wouldn’t have been allow into Judas if Judas was loyal to Jesus. Really? Is that true?
Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
At the time of Luke 22:3 the Holy Spirit had not been given. If He had not yet been given, then Judas could not have been sealed, protected from Satan. Our protection from Satan, from being possessed, is in that when we believe the Holy Spirit enters in and seals us and protects us. It is not our hearts and minds that protect us, but rather God Himself.
We give ourselves too much credit to believe we are capable of fending off Satan on our own. We tell ourselves we can fight Satan off by quoting scripture appropriately. Who is the Word? Jesus! Who brings those scriptures into remembrance for use in battle? The Holy Spirit.
My outlook is bleak without He who saves.