Why does Jesus not prevent Satan from tempting all faithful Christians? This is the question that many believers ask. Why do some faithful believers fall into sin when Jesus is there watching? Why can’t Jesus prevent the devil from tempting the servants of God who bring many souls into the Kingdom of God?
Do you realize that after warning his disciples in Luke 22: 31-32, Jesus did not prevent Satan from tempting Simon Peter? Simon was tempted and denied the name of Jesus not only once but three times!
The answer to all these questions is simple. It is God our Father who grants or denies Satan permission to tempt believers. When God the Father allows Satan to tempt a believer, Jesus Christ cannot refuse.
Jesus said that:
“I and my Father are one” John 10:30 KJV
When God the Father allows a temptation to take place, Jesus also allowed it as well.
Jesus added that:
“Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand”. Matthew 12:25 KJV
Wherever he went, Jesus exalted the Father. He spoke of his father’s house or affairs (Luke 2:49), his father’s glory (Matthew 16:27), his father’s revelations (Matthew 20:23) and his father’s kingdom ( Matthew 26:29). God the Father and Jesus Christ act in unison. However, in everything, Jesus proclaimed that the Father was always greater (John 14:28). This is the reason why Jesus always instructed us to direct our prayers not to him but to our Heavenly Father.
Jesus never contradicted the Father. When the Father says. “YES”, Jesus cannot do contradictory action to stop Satan by saying “NO”. When the Father allowed Satan to tempt Simon Peter, Jesus could not take contradictory action to stop Satan. Jesus could have used his powers to prevent Satan, but the best he did was to pray. This continues today. When Jesus taught his disciples about prayer, he asked them to direct their prayers to our Heavenly Father because he is the source of all authority in heavens and on earth. Currently, Jesus Himself sits at the right hand of our Father continually interceding for us.
Why does our Father tolerate Satan?
Our God is a God of plans; everything that happened in the past, everything that happens now, and everything that will happen in the future is according to God’s plans, made before the creation of the earth. Did you know that God knew you and had plans for you before you were created in your mother’s womb? If you are not sure, read Jeremiah 1: 5.
Before I formed you in your mother’s womb, I knew you, and before you came out of her womb, I dedicated you…
If you have any doubts, read Psalm 139: 15-16
“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts,[a] God! How vast is the sum of them!”
Likewise, God has plans for the devil. But I fear that this plan is not good. This plan will be accomplished when the time set by God comes to the End Time. To learn about this plan, open the book of Revelation 20:10 NIV:
“And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”
Our Father is in no hurry to carry out his plans. He is a God of time, each event in our life having its own time. If God was in a hurry, then He would have already sent Jesus away to take us out of this wicked world! God pays so much attention to his calendar that even when you laugh, you do it according to God’s plans He made before you were born (Eccl. 3: 1-8). The power of God is above all other power in the heavens and on the earth. There is no way Satan is difficult for our God. The time will soon come for the complete destruction of Satan.
The main reason why God leaves Satan to present himself in his heavenly presence, listens to his accusations and even allows him to tempt the faithful children of God is that he wants Satan to prove for himself that the children of God love the Father from the bottom heart. When Satan succeeds in tempting you, our Father remains sad (Genesis 6: 6). But if you overcome sin, there is joy in heaven, as there is for a sinner who repents and turns to Christ (Luke 15: 7).