You could be under attack by the enemy.
Satan doesn’t show up looking gruesome, announcing his plans with his name embroidered on his backpack. Rather he comes disguised in many forms. He can even disguise himself as a peacemaker. (2 Corinthians 11:14)
Don’t be fooled. He’s an opportunist. And once you slip into his grip, he will not let go until you are completely destroyed. But fear not, Jesus has overcome the god of this world.
So let’s talk today about 6 sneaky ways that Satan schemes against you, so you can be better prepared to avoid his traps.
Imbalanced theology
There are two schools of thought when it comes to Satan. Either he’s ignored completely, or we see him in everything. Neither is biblical. To ignore Satan simply because we want to remain positive or because we’re afraid of him doesn’t make him go away. But neither is it appropriate to spend our days fighting him and believing he’s behind everything . Yes, we need to recognize his reality but more importantly we need to recognize our resources in Christ.
Deception.
If you’ve been alive long enough, you have likely been deceived by someone in your lifetime. And while there is no shortage of con artists and sociopaths in our society, the bible warns us about the greatest deceiver of all – satan.
But the hard part about being deceived is you don’t know it. That’s why they call it deception. But there are indicators that deception has snuck its way into your life. If you are struggling with lust of any kind, pride for ANYTHING, (your looks, your accomplishments, your family…anything) you have fallen into deception. If you are Lying, struggling with bitterness and have a lack of faith, you have fallen into deception. But fear not, the solution is simple my friend. Turn to God with your whole heart and he will remove the blinders from your eyes.
Deviation
How many lies start off by being only slightly off from the truth–a minor overemphasis? You could have a ship sailing across the ocean and if it’s direction is off by one degree, you wouldn’t notice it right away, but hours later you would be completely off course. I believe one of the biggest devices of Satan is in theology.
One of Satan’s preferred devices is to twist scripture and use it inappropriately. Jump on over to Matthew 4:1-11 and you’ll see that the three times that Satan tempted Jesus he used scripture each time.
Unforgiveness
One of the most powerful tools Satan has is using your weapon against you. Unforgiveness is like a cancer that eats away at you until there is no resemblance to the person God originally intended. But don’t be fooled, Satan didn’t put this bitterness on you. He’s only using what was already there. He’s using what YOU think is a weapon of protection to destroy you.
Prejudice
We are in a time where there is outrage against racial inequality, and rightfully so. However racial inequality is only one form of prejudice. Not all forms of prejudice come in overt forms.
There are subtle prejudices everywhere. Prejudice over where you live, where you went to school, what your parents did for a living—even what church you attend. It even happens INSIDE the church.
It’s all around us. Paul reminds us in Romans 12:3 (NLT): “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.”
Strengths
One of the biggest mistakes we can make is to think that Satan only looks to use our weaknesses against us. We actually have a higher likelihood of falling into Satan’s traps in our strengths.
2 Corinthians 12:9 says God’s strength is best in our weakness. Yes God’s power shines through your strengths, but remember it was God who gave you the strengths. Also remember that His power is best in our weakness.
One of Satan’s devices is to take something you are comfortable in and use it to trip you up. Judas’ strength was his financial acumen and he sold Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver. Peter’s strength was his courage yet he turned on Jesus in his denial. Martha’s strength was her servant’s heart but it kept her from sitting at the feet of Jesus. My zeal and work ethic trapped me for a long time into thinking that any success I had was by my doing.
My friend, I pray you would not be ignorant of Satan’s devices. His plan for you is utter destruction. But you have no reason to fear. Jesus has overcome this world—not just the problems in it, but the world itself.
Satan is a defeated foe, but that doesn’t mean he won’t stop trying to wreak havoc in your life. Your job is to stay alert to his devices but stay even closer to the throne of God. He will fight your battles.
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