There are people today, even in the church, who doubt Satan exists. They see the devil as some kind of medieval superstition that is equivalent to monsters or the bogeyman. But the fact that Jesus believed and taught that there is a devil should be all the information we need to know that the devil is real. Now, I have no doubt the devil loves it when people deny his existence. His greatest strategy is to pull the cloak of darkness over his activity because if you do not recognize him, you cannot do battle with him! Ephesians 6:12 NIV says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”
The apostle Paul tells us that Satan has a kingdom and rulers in that kingdom. Now, the kingdom of Satan is all around us. It is the world’s system that is against Christ. Jesus called the devil the prince of this world. So, while Jesus is the rightful heir to the throne of the world, he has given Satan dominion over the world in its fallen state until he comes back to defeat the devil and rule forever. In every war, there are battles. In every battle, there are attacks. As Christians, we experience these attacks in varying degrees. Some attacks seem like skirmishes, some seem like never ending battles, and some battles seem like all-out war. Regardless of how much we may want to ignore this component in our Christian lives, the battles do exist, and the warfare will continue. The more we learn the truths concerning spiritual warfare, the more prepared we can be to fight and to be victorious. In furthering our knowledge of spiritual warfare, this lesson addresses the strategies of Satan. Behind every war and every battle and every attack lies a strategist, the mastermind of the ultimate plan of attack. In our case, this strategist is Satan. He is our enemy, our adversary-the one who wants to take us out. Webster defines a strategy as “a careful plan or method: a clever stratagem.” Strategies in general can be applied to every area of our lives. Strategies invoke plans, goals, and achieving ultimate purposes. A stratagem goes a step further in definition and means “an artifice or trick in war for deceiving and outwitting the enemy, a cleverly contrived trick or scheme for gaining an end.” Satan is the head of deception, tricks, and schemes, and he will do anything he can to win the battle. Satan waged war against the Lord the moment he was cast out of heaven. We entered that war the moment Adam and Eve surrendered to his temptation to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. Genesis 3:1 says, “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.” The Bible is clear in its description of Satan from Genesis to Revelation, and we have no excuse for our ignorance of his strategies. We must shine the light of truth into the darkness of Satan’s lies and deceptions. The Word of God is our light of truth, and we are the soldiers who must know it and live it out every day. When I played basketball in high school, I played guard. I loved it because I got to manage the ball and shoot long-range jump shots. But when I analyze the word “guard," I realize that its primary meaning relates to defense, which I loved to play too. My job was to guard our end of the court and to be the first line of defense against the attacking offense of the other teams we played. My main job was to guard and defend. As Christians, we all play guard. We are all standing as the first line of defense against Satan and his raiding band of spirit warriors. We must fight them off. In Proverbs 4:23-26 NIV, Solomon has some words of advice for us, the guard… Guard your heart: Once Satan captures the seat of your affections, whether through the wrong kind of music or an unhealthy relationship, he will block every good shot you fire up. Make sure that the things you love are the things that please God. Guard your tongue: What kind of conversations are you known for? Would Jesus be comfortable joining in, or would He call an offensive foul? Guard your eyes: We are a visually oriented society. Along the route to our goal, we can get sidetracked if we do not keep looking ahead and preventing our eyes from what might bring us harm. Guard your path: If we do the first three, this strategy is easier. We will realize that the detours from God’s plan are all dead ends. Now, defense is good, but to win a game, you must score a point or two. If you look at Luke 4:1-13 NIV, Jesus used the Word of God to defeat Satan. If you want to win, we must do what Jesus did: use the Word of God in everything we do and think. I want you to think about the Word of God this way: • Love God's Word • Know God's Word • Memorize God's Word • Meditate on God's Word • Believe God's Word • Use God's Word • Do God's Word When God gives us clear instructions through His Word or His Spirit within us, our response shows how much we trust Him. If we genuinely believe in Him and His promises, precise and complete obedience will follow. His victory in any area of struggle is available only to those who act upon His directions. Make Every Day Count!
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