Many people wrongly think that good and evil are equal opposites, and that God and the devil are equally matched opponents.  In the Passover meal, the Last Supper, as Jesus approached His great battle with evil on the cross, John tells us that Satan had already tempted Judas to betray Jesus.  In John 13:27 we read that Satan entered into Judas.  However, unlike Peter, for whom Jesus prayed that Satan would not molest him (Luke 22:31-32), Jesus encouraged Judas to complete his dark work of betrayal (John 13:27-29).  Jesus was firmly in control.
 
Even Satan was under Christ’s control.  The Father’s authority was given to the Son.  Jesus knew who He was, where He had come from and where He would return.  He knew that the cross was ahead of Him, but that was as far as Satan could see or plan.  His evil hope of eliminating the Son of God was the limit of his wicked horizon.  Because he does not know the future or the power of God, he could never have imagined the resurrection.  But Jesus knew the end of the story and was willing to despise the shame because of the glory ahead (Hebrews 12:2).
 
Whilst good and evil are moral opposites, they are not equal.  Satan (that name means ‘adversary’) is God’s enemy, but the power struggle is not evenly matched.  God has all power and His purpose can never be stopped (Job 42:2). He is even able to use the worst of evil as a stepping stone, to show His powerful love to the world. Although the devil’s wickedness is so dark, we must not be frightened because the power of God is far greater.

Satan wants us to believe his great lie: that the situation is hopeless and there is no future … and even God can do nothing to prevent total disaster.  But that is a lie, because God always achieves His purposes; and all who believe in Him will come through the disaster in such a way that they are blessed and He is glorified (Isaiah 43:1-2). So, take fresh courage as you trust in the Lord today.