“But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored more eagerly to see your face with great desire. Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us.” – 1 Thessalonians 2:17-18
Spiritual warfare is real, but before we talk about the battle, we must make sure we’re fighting with the right weapons. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians with deep affection, longing to see them again, but he confessed something startling: “We wanted to come to you… but Satan hindered us” (1 Thessalonians 2:17–18, NKJV). Even Paul—bold, faithful, Spirit‑filled Paul—faced resistance. That should humble us. It should make us pause and ask: if the enemy could hinder Paul, how might he be hindering us? And one of the most subtle ways he does it is by getting us to build our spiritual lives on assumptions instead of Scripture. Just as traditions crept into church history over centuries, unbiblical ideas often creep into our thinking without us realizing it.
We’ve all heard phrases that sound spiritual but aren’t scriptural. “God helps those who help themselves”—but Romans 5:6 says Christ died for us “when we were still without strength.” “When God closes a door, He opens a window”—yet Proverbs 3:5–6 calls us to trust God even when we see no window at all. “God won’t give you more than you can handle”—but Paul said he was “burdened beyond measure… that we should not trust in ourselves but in God” (2 Corinthians 1:8–9, NKJV). These sayings feel comforting, but they can quietly distort our view of God. They’re like carrying a suitcase filled with assumptions—heavy, unnecessary, and not from the Word. And assumptions can be costly.
The same danger exists spiritually. If we build our understanding of God, suffering, or spiritual warfare on clichés instead of Scripture, we will be unprepared for the real battle. Satan loves confusion. He loves half‑truths. He loves when believers cling to cultural Christianity instead of biblical truth. That’s why Paul’s words matter so much: even he was hindered, but he recognized it, named it, and kept trusting God. The battle is real, the enemy is active, and assumptions are one of his quietest weapons. But God has given us His Word—clear, strong, and trustworthy.
Lay down every assumption that isn’t rooted in Scripture. Test every phrase, every belief, every “Christian saying” by the Word of God. Let truth—not tradition—shape your thinking. And remember: victory in spiritual warfare begins not with clever sayings, but with a heart anchored in God’s truth. The battle is big—but our God is bigger.
“Truth is the clean water; men’s inventions are the muddy stream.” — Samuel Rutherford
surrendered devotions 