Five Ways to Tell if Satan Has Won a Temporary Victory

Satan sometimes wins a battle—but that doesn’t mean the war is lost. These are the signs you're under attack, not just facing a trial.

This is not about me.

It’s not about our decision to shut down the GOtandem app or the daily digital discipleship platform we labored on for years. It's about the spiritual war we're all in—and how to tell when Satan has scored a temporary victory.

Let me explain.

Last Sunday at 4:53 p.m., I got the message from Mark, our CTO, telling me that our Ukrainian development team had shut down the GOtandem app and all our church apps. “Just FYI… the platform is still running for a few more days,” he said. A few days later on Thursday, I got the final text: “The platform is now gone too.”

And just like that, it was over.

We received a beautiful note of gratitude from one of our rural church partners:

"We hate to lose it… but please pass along our sincere gratitude. The mobile app was a luxury we never quite utilized to its full potential. But the web platform got us through the Covid era. We could not have paid for website hosting then… Through BttB's free platform, I was able to demonstrate to our church the value of having a church website beyond just Facebook."

That’s when it hit me.

How do we process something like this? How do we know when God is refining us—or when Satan is actively destroying what’s good and fruitful?

A reader named Jim wrote this to me recently:

“I have a t-shirt that says, ‘Hold on while I overthink this…’ because it describes me perfectly. It’s not wrong taking time to think, plan, pray, or ask of God—as long as it doesn’t paralyze us from stepping out at least one small step in the direction we believe we’re being led.”

Jim, I hear you. I’m not paralyzed. I’m moving forward. But I’m also listening. And what I’ve come to understand is that, yes, sometimes Satan does win a battle.

Here’s how you can tell when he has:

1. Good Things Get Destroyed for No Righteous Reason

When something that glorifies God is dismantled not by sin, but by overwhelming pressure, especially financial or circumstantial, it’s often not God's discipline. It's a spiritual attack. That’s what happened with GOtandem. We weren’t shut down because of failure or disobedience. We were attacked at our most vulnerable moment.

2. The Fruit is Despair, Not Growth

Hebrews 12:11 reminds us that God's discipline, though painful, results in a "harvest of righteousness and peace." But Satan's attacks produce bitterness, spiritual dryness, and despair. If what you're going through makes you want to quit rather than cling to Jesus, you’re likely under assault.

3. The Attack Comes During Breakthrough Seasons

Just as we were launching transformative new tools to help people grow spiritually, we were blindsided. That’s not a coincidence. It’s strategic warfare. Satan hits hardest when the Kingdom gains momentum.

4. You Feel Pulled into Isolation

When trials lead you to withdraw from community, prayer, and God’s Word instead of driving you deeper into them, the enemy is at work. He isolates. He divides. He devours.

5. Your Testimony is Silenced

When a ministry closes, a godly voice goes quiet, or a believer stops sharing their faith, that’s a major win for the enemy. A silent gospel is a defeated gospel.

God's Trials vs. Satan's Attacks

It can be hard to know which you’re facing. But here’s the key:

• God's trials build character. James 1:2-4 tells us trials produce perseverance, maturity, and wholeness.

• Satan’s attacks aim to destroy character. He wants to unravel your faith and turn you away from God.

• God’s timing brings glory. Think of Joseph in prison, or David in the wilderness. Their trials positioned them for impact.

• Satan’s timing brings devastation. He strikes when your weakness will cause the greatest damage.

• God always provides grace for the battle. Paul testified to this in 2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

• Satan wants you to feel abandoned. Prayer feels useless. Scripture feels dry. You feel alone.

What I’ve Learned from GOtandem’s Demise

In light of all this, I have no doubt: Satan won a round.

GOtandem was transforming lives. It was bearing fruit. One woman named Karen shared with us that it was “the only thing keeping her grounded in God’s Word.” The app didn’t fail. The enemy attacked. And yes, I mourn that.

But a lost battle is not a lost war.

The cross looked like Satan’s greatest victory. But it became his ultimate defeat.

So here’s where I stand today: learning, listening, regrouping—and recommitting.

If you’re in the middle of your own loss, ask yourself: Is this drawing me closer to Jesus or pulling me away? Am I isolated or supported? Is my faith louder or quieter?

If you see signs of enemy victory, don’t despair.

Get back up. Reach out to someone. Re-engage with Scripture. Speak up. We will not be silenced. And the story is far from over.

With you in the fight,

-Arnie