Satan doesn’t care what your purpose is as long as you don’t act on it. Once you are determined to pursue your purpose, the hostility and opposition begin. To stop you, he will hurl every trial and temptation, distraction and discouragement at you.

Consider the Apostle Paul.

His preaching of the gospel was gaining momentum as a result of many open doors. To frustrate him, Satan dispatched his messenger, a despised persecutor whom Paul referred to as “a thorn in the flesh”. The more Paul preached the gospel, the more this evil agent of Satan persecuted him. He told the Corinthians as follows:

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’

2 Corinthians 12:7-9 (NKJV)

Paul prayed three times to Jesus to remove this particular "thorn" from his life, and each time the Lord revealed to him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." What Jesus is saying is, “My grace is unfailing even when you are failing, and My grace is always greater than you can imagine, and My grace is at its strongest when you are at your weakest.”

Jesus defined His grace as His power.

This is a profound revelation for all of us. We usually identify grace with God's unmerited favour, but we also need to consider grace as God's enabling power at work in and through us, regardless of our circumstances. When Paul grasped this knowledge, he realised that the same power Jesus had over Satan was the same strength Jesus had placed within him. Paul no longer needed to ask for "more grace" or "more power" since he knows he already has "the all-sufficient grace" in Christ to defeat Satan's attacks. Luke bore witness to this truth when he concluded Acts of the Apostles with these incredible words:

Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him. Acts 28:30-31 (NKJV)