satan hinders our labors

Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us. I Thessalonians 2:18

This verse proves the absolute sovereignty of God. satan like all God’s creation is subject to Him, and therefore can do nothing against the will of God.

He works in our lives and he hinders us, but he does so only with the permission of God.
If God had wanted Paul to go, he would have gone.

God is certainly not without power when it comes to satan. Therefore God has a purpose for allowing him to hinder our labors. Sometimes, it is to teach us some lesson that will guide us in our efforts. Sometimes it is for a “course correction”, because we have veered off course along the way.

Sometimes we simply cannot understand this. We think that when we are out, working for the Lord our way should be smooth. After all, we are doing good thing for Jesus, right? Seems He would want that and help us. That shows the fallacy of human thinking.

By his hindrances, God teaches us valuable lessons, and gets us inline with His timing.
Wheb we decide to take a stand and work for God, THAT is when he is able to teach us and guide us. That is why ALWAYS when we take a stand satan notices and goes to work hindering us. That is why Paul made the following statement to the Ephesians:

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

Originally posted by lambslove
But Gerry, how do we know if it is satan hindering our labors, in which case we should perserver, or if it is God saying, "no, not that way", in which case we should alter our course?

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One thing about you, my friend. You are good for asking questions that would "cross a Rabbi's eyes"! lol!

There is an answer to your question and maybe if I wrote a 10 page long reply, we might accidentally find something in there that would satisfy us.
I will tell you, that for me, it is difficult to give a generic response to such a question, because people and situations and circumstance all affect the way we perceive an answer.

Many times I have "prayed through" a situation only to discover I already had the answer. Many times like Alta pointed out, we Christians have a filing cabinet. We pray and when we get the answer, if we don't like it, we file it and keep praying, and filing, till we get the answer we want.

Now here is the best answer I can give you.

I believe God is always in charge and that satan cannot hinder us without permission, because God is vastly superior in strength to satan. Therefore it is ALWAYS God saying, as you put it, "no, not that way". Nevertheless, to me, that does not necessarily mean a negative answer to your prayer. It may be God is telling you to change the way you are praying. Or He may be saying "not at this time. There are so many things He may be saying. That is why we, as mature Christians, must develop our "listening" skills. Sometimes we get so busy praying we are unable to hear His Answer.

I realize this reply is not an answer to your question. But this is what I feel led in my spirit to offer at this time.

Praise God! He gets the Glory and I get the blessing and these encouraging words from an awesome sister. I have only asked God to bless others through me and allow me to bring Glory to Him.

Thanks for your words. It is the only way we have sometimes of knowing we are making a difference.