When a man is being used by Satan to rob your peace, it probably won’t be as obvious as you might think.
He might be kind, attractive, funny, and even genuinely care about you. But that can be part of the temptation. Satan may be using some good qualities to tempt you to compromise in really damaging ways.
Therefore, while I’m using the language of “Satan sent a man to rob your peace,” I’m also referring to men that may not have literally been sent by Satan, but who are being used by Satan as a temptation for you.
With that said, here are 4 marks of a man being used by Satan to rob your peace.
1. If a Man Is Consuming Your Thoughts, He May Be Robbing Your Peace
Are you checking your phone over and over to see if he has texted? Do you replay conversations in your head, trying to figure out what he meant? Do you make decisions based on what you imagine he will think of you? Are you constantly imagining your future together even though your relationship hasn’t actually reached that point?
It isn’t wrong to think about a man you like. If you’re interested in someone, of course you’re going to think about him. But there is a difference between thinking about someone and being consumed by someone.
Isaiah 26:3, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” Therefore, to rob you of your peace, Satan will tempt you to keep your mind on anything other than God.
When your mind becomes consumed with a man, or with anything besides God, your peace will vanish. Romans 8:6, “For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”
2. If a Man Is Causing You to Compromise on Your Values, Satan Will Be Using Him to Rob Your Peace
When you meet the right man God has for you, you will need to compromise with him. But not in the sinful way. Healthy compromises occur when both the man and woman sacrifice their own personal desires so they can travel together on the same road. Unhealthy compromises, however, occur when someone must sacrifice their conscience to keep going down the same road.
In other words, while we all will need to compromise on personal desires and opinions, we should never compromise on core convictions or matters of conscience. Romans 14:12-13, 23 states:
So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother . . . But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.”
Maybe you’re compromising sexually because you don’t want to lose him. Maybe you’re hiding parts of the relationship from people who love you because you know they wouldn’t approve. Maybe you’ve stopped spending as much time in Scripture because you’re spending all your free time talking to him. Maybe you know God is telling you to walk away, but you’re afraid that obeying God will mean losing this man.
No man is worth compromising your relationship with Christ. If you need to compromise your conscience to keep a man, he is being used by Satan, not God.
3. If a Man Keeps Causing You to Go Through Emotional Highs and Lows, Satan May Be Using Him to Rob Your Peace
I’m not saying that a man is the cause of emotional highs and lows. Rather, I’m saying that your response to this man could be causing your emotional instability.
For example, if a man seems hot one minute and then cold the next, you have to make the choice to no longer let this game continue. If a man is wishy-washy in commitment, you have to decide that he is too immature for a relationship. Or if a man is healthy but you sense you’re not currently ready to be in a relationship, you must choose to end the relationship for his sake and yours.
The point is that while life will always have peaks and valleys, when we’re walking with God, contentment should be the main emotion we experience (Philippians 4:11-13). It’s a bad sign if emotional instability is the main theme of your interactions with a guy.
4. If a Man Continually Leaves You Confused About Where You Stand, Satan May Have Sent Him to Rob Your Peace
- “Does he actually like me?”
- “Are we dating or not?”
- “Why does he act interested but never pursue me?”
- “Why does he disappear and then come back?”
- “Should I wait for him?”
- “What does he really mean?”
If you’re constantly asking yourself questions like this, that’s a strong sign this man was sent to rob your peace.
Satan brings confusion. The Holy Spirit brings clarity. 1 Corinthians 14:33 says, “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.”
This doesn’t mean every confusing circumstance is automatically from Satan. But it does mean that confusion is not something you should casually accept as the foundation of a relationship.
Sometimes you just have to accept that a man was sent to do you harm. Leave him, don’t look back, and look to Christ for the peace you need. Colossians 3:15 says, “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.”
