Spiritual Warfare – the enemy’s strategy and tactics part 2
Reminder from last week of the way the Bible describes our enemy and his schemes
| Name | Characteristic | Strategy | Our Armour |
| The Serpent | sly, cunning Gen. 3:1; Rev. 12:9; 20:2 | Temptation | Shield of faith/Prayer |
| Satan | opponent, adversary | Fear | Shield of faith/Prayer |
| Hebrew Job 1:6 ha satan – one who attacks | Division – from the Lord and from one another | Prayer and watching | |
| Greek 1 Pet. 5:8 antidikos – against justice | Persecution and suffering | Breastplate of righteousness | |
| Devil | slanderer 1 Pet. 5:8 diaballos – one who throws through or against | Accusation | Shield of faith, Breastplate of righteousness, Helmet of salvation |
| Lucifer | brightness (Heb. heylel ben shachar) Isa. 14:12 | Deception | Belt of truth, Sword of the Spirit |
| Liar | John 8:44 | Lies | Belt of truth |
| Murderer | John 8:44 | Brings death | Feet/Gospel (brings life) |
“Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) But what does it mean to ‘resist the devil’? Does it mean we just say in an authoritative voice “I resist you, devil!”? Even if we add “in the Name of Jesus”? Discsuss
I think the incident with the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19 would suggest that he would just laugh at us if that’s all we do.
Keys:
- 1 Pet. 5:6-9 Submit to God; be sober and vigilant; steadfast in the faith; understanding what’s going on
- Rev. 12:11 the blood of the Lamb; the word (logos) of their testimony (marturia) – see v.17 “keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus”; and loved not their lives unto the death
- Matt. 6:13 “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil (one) – focused and determined prayer (Piper)
All of which suggests a lifestyle of discipleship, following the Shepherd as closely as we can, being alert and praying constantly, being ready to speak about Jesus. Things like temptation and fear can be like loud noises blocking out the voice of the Shepherd. Temptation could be likened to actual sounds and words, while fear could be like white noise or interference.
Lets look at each of the enemy’s names and what they suggest about his strategies, along with some aspects of his tactics and some suggestions as to how the armour protects us.
The Serpent sly, cunning Gen. 3:1; Rev. 12:9; 20:2
- Temptation comes in three areas – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life
- And in three arenas – the world the flesh and the devil (looked at this in the introductory sessions)
Strategy: Temptation. Our response: Shield of faith (Eph. 6:16 – see also Gen. 15:1; Psa. 3:3; 5:12; 18:35; 28:7; etc.!) Online comment :
HeHealsOurWoundsI love the fact it states Satan is confined to darts… we can take heart, because God is tremendously mightier!!
| Tactics | Our defence |
| Greed | 2 Cor. 8:9 9:13 |
| Pointing out how you have been hurt by others | Eph. 4:23; Col. 3:13 |
| Pride/own achievements | Phil. 2:1-5 & 6-11; Rom. 3:27-28; 1 Cor. 1:18-25, 30-31. |
| Prejudice | Rom. 1:16; 2 Cor. 5:14-16; Eph. 2:11ff; Rev. 5.9 |
| Conforming to the world | Rom. 12:1-2; Gal. 6:14; 1 John 2:15 |
| Sexual temptation/lust | 1 Cor. 6:18-20. |
| Addictions | “The expulsive power of a new affection” 2 Cor. 5:15; Rom. 6:1-14; |
Satan opponent Job 1:6
Strategy: Fear. Our response: Shield of faith (as above, plus 2 Tim. 1:7) and prayer
| Tactics | Our defence |
| Fear of failure | Phil 1:6; 4:13; Heb. 12:1-2; 2 Cor. 4:16 |
| I live in constant fear | Luke 12:32; Rev. 2:9-11. |
| I live in fear that God will abandon me | Rom. 8:35-38. |
| I struggle with anxiety and worry about everything | Matt. 6:25-34; Phil. 4:6-7; 1 Peter 5:6-7. |
| When you find yourself shamed into silence when confronted by non-Christians | 2 Tim. 1:8-12. |
| When you live in fear that other people have the power to destroy or undermine who you are | Heb. 13:5-6; Rom. 8:31-34. |
Satan adversary 1 Pet. 5:8
Strategy: Persecution and suffering. Our response: Breastplate of righteousness
| Tactics | Our defence |
| Persecution/violence | Acts 5:41-42; 1 Pet. 4:12; James 1:2-4; 2 Thess. 1:5,6 |
| Suffering | 1 Pet. 2:18-25; 3:17-18 |
| Physical & emotional sickness | Luke 13:16; James 5:14-16 |
| Mental and physical oppression | Acts 10:38; 2 Cor. 12:7-9 |
Devil slanderer Rev. 12:10
Strategy Accusation. Our response Shield of faith, Breastplate of righteousness, Helmet of salvation
| Tactics | Our defence |
| Feel defined and controlled by my past | 2 Cor. 5:17. |
| I can’t break free of my sins and bad habits | Rom. 6:6,14. |
| I feel guilty and filled with shame all the time for my sins | Eph. 1:7. |
| Satan accuses you of being a constant failure | 1 Cor. 1:30-31; Phil 1:6; 4:13 |
| Tells you that you are an embarrassment to the church | Eph. 3:10. |
| Constantly asking: Who am I? | 1 Peter 2:9-10. |
| Feel like you don’t belong anywhere | Eph. 4:1-16; 1 Cor. 12:13. |
| Don’t feel useful | 1 Cor. 15:58; 12:7-27. |
| Feel condemned by God for your multiple, repeated failures | Rom. 8:1. |
| Feel you have no good works | Eph. 2:8-10 |
Lucifer brightness Isa. 14:12; 2 Cor. 12:14
Strategy: Deception. Our response: Belt of truth, Sword of the Spirit
| Tactics | Our defence |
| Blinding the minds of unbelievers | Preach Christ Jesus as Lord 2 Cor. 4:5-6 |
| Deceiving the world – atheism, agnosticism, humanism, evolution; started in the Garden, Gen. 3 | 2 Tim. 4:2-5; 1 Pet. 3:15 |
| Infiltrate the tares amongst the wheat – wrong Theology | 2 Tim. 4:2-5; 1 Tim. 3:15 |
| Plucking the Word out of people’s hearts | Grounded in the truth Eph. 4:11-14 |
| Signs and wonders of the Lie (false signs, not because they aren’t miracles but they are done for the wrong ends) | Matt. 24:4-7, 24; 2 Thess. 2:9-10 |
Liar John 8:44
Strategy:Lies. Our response: Belt of truth
| Tactics | Our defence |
| False teachers and teachings – heresies such as denial of Christ; erroneous teaching such as salvation by works, Replacement Theology and A-Millennialism | Matt. 24:4-7, 24; 2 Tim. 2:24-26 |
| I’m afraid to pray and fear that God will mock my petitions | Heb. 4:14-16. |
| Despair | 2 Tim. 1:7 |
| I’m a spiritual orphan and belong to no one | Gal. 4:4-7 |
| I’m not having any impact in life or on others | 2 Cor. 12:9-10. |
| When you don’t have a sense of any personal value | Matt. 10:29-31; 1 John 3:1-3. |
| When you feel defeated by sin and hopeless ever to change | Rom. 7:24-25. |
| When you feel despair and hopelessness | 2 Tim. 1:7; Rom. 5:1-10 |
| When you struggle to find meaning in life | Eph. 1:4-14; Rom. 11:33-36. |
Murderer John 8:44
Strategy: Brings death. Our response: Feet/Gospel (brings life)
| Tactics | Our defence |
| Keeps people from the truth so that they will perish | John 8:31-32, 51 |
| Causes the world to hate those who follow Christ | John 17:14-17; 16:33 |
| Their feet are swift to shed blood | Isa. 52:7 |
| Brings division and hatred into the church | John 3:11-16; Eph. 4:3 |
The great dragon, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world Rev. 12:9
Strategy: Anything else he can think of! Our response: The whole armour of God
| Dissatisfaction | Grumbling | 1 Thess. 5:18; Eph. 5:20; Phil. 4:6 |
| Dissatisfaction | Poverty | Phil 4:19; 1 Tim. 6:17 |
| Distractions | Fixing your thoughts on what’s going on around you and in the world | Heb. 12:1-2; Phil. 4:8 |
| CRABS | Critical spirit/gossip | Phil. 2:1-5 |
| CRABS | Resentment and Unforgiveness | Eph. 4:32; Matt. 6:14-15; 18:21-35 |
| CRABS | Anger | 2 Tim. 1:7; Prov. 14:29 |
| CRABS | Bitterness towards others for any reason | Eph. 4:31 |
| CRABS | Self-pity | Phil. 2:1-5 & 6-11 |