Our enemy Week 1 – his strategies and tactics
We now turn to look at what the Bible says about the strategies and tactics our enemy uses, described in the Scripture as his ‘schemes’ or ‘wiles’. 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 adversaryâŚthe one who wants to take us out.
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 Satanâs 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 everyday.
We started by reminding ourselves of some of the characteristics of our enemy that we considered in the introductory sessions of thos series on Spiritual Warfare. We looked at “Who is the enemy and what are his strategies?”
- Isa. 14:12-17 â his long term plans
- V.13-14 Attacking Godâs throne and Kingdom;
âI willâ â Godâs reply: âYou wonât!â v.15 - V.16-17 His strategy â fear, disruption, destruction, captivity
- V.13-14 Attacking Godâs throne and Kingdom;
- Ezek. 28:11-18 â his characteristics
- V.15 he is a created being
- V.15-16 characterized by iniquity and sin â injustice and perverseness
- V.17 especially by pride
- John 8:44 a murderer and a liar
Then we reviewed “The Nature of Temptation” from Genesis 3
- â˘Particularly strong when youâre alone v.1
- â˘Relies on you not knowing the Word of God v.2-3
- â˘Draws on what is already inside you v.6 (cf. 1 John 2:16; John 14:30)
- â˘The lust of the flesh
- â˘The lust of the eyes
- â˘The pride of life
- â˘Is infectious â she gave to her husband v.6
- â˘Results in Deception v.1, doubt v.4, shame v.7, fear v.10, enmity v.11, sorrow v.16 Chaos in the cosmos v.18, toil and hard labour v.19, death and separation v.20/23 (And weâve only reached chapter 3 of the Bible!)
And then we considered the names given to our enemy in the Bible and what they suggest about his character and method of operations:
- The Serpent – sly, cunning Gen. 3:1; Rev. 12:9; 20:2
- Satan â opponent, adversary
- Hebrew Job 1:6 ha satan â one who attacks
- Greek 1 Pet. 5:8 antidikos â against justice, as in prosecuting attorney in a court case
- Devil â slanderer 1 Pet. 5:8 diaballos â one who throws through or against
- Lucifer â brightness (Heb. heylel ben shachar) Isa. 14:12
- Liar John 8:44
- Murderer John 8:44
Our discussion can be watched at https://youtu.be/jQC3FW_naCc
A very helpful article on this topic is reproduced below, most of which was covered in our discussion.
Satanâs Ten Strategies Against You
By John Piper (from https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/satans-ten-strategies-against-you)
. . . that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. (2 Corinthians 2:11)
One of the most sobering facts about life is that all humans have a supernatural enemy whose aim is to use pain and pleasure to make us blind, stupid, and miserable â forever. The Bible calls him âthe devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world . . . the accuserâ (Revelation 12:9â10), âthe ruler of this worldâ (John 12:31), and âthe god of this ageâ (2 Corinthians 4:4).
He is our âadversary [who] prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devourâ (1 Peter 5:8). Yet, in the most appalling and unwitting bondage, the whole world willingly âfollows the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedienceâ (Ephesians 2:2). At his most successful, his subjects march obliviously to destruction, and take as many with them as they can.
The âgood warfareâ (1 Timothy 1:18) that I wrote about under the title âAwake and at Warâ includes the daily resistance of this enemy (1 Peter 5:9; James 4:7), the daily refusal to give him an opportunity (Ephesians 4:27), and the daily stand against his schemes (Ephesians 6:11).
Satanâs Leash â and Impending Doom
God is sovereign over Satan. The devil does not have a free hand in this world. He is on a leash, so that he can do no more than God permits. In effect, he must get permission â as in the case of Simon Peter, where Jesus discloses, âSimon, Simon, behold, Satan has asked to have you, that he might sift you like wheatâ (Luke 22:31). And the case of Job: âThe Lord said to Satan, âBehold, Job is in your hand; only spare his lifeâ (Job 2:6).
So evidently God sees the ongoing role of Satan as essential for his purposes in the world, since, if God willed, Satan would be thrown into the lake of fire now, instead of at the end of the age. âThe devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and . . . will be tormented day and night forever and everâ (Revelation 20:10). His complete defeat is coming and sure. But not yet.
Unwitting Servant of Our Sanctification
God intends that part of our preparation for heaven be a life of warfare with hell. He calls it a âgood warfareâ (1 Timothy 1:18) and a âgood fightâ (1 Timothy 6:12). It is good, not because we might be killed (which we might! â Revelation 2:10), but because these fire-fights refine the gold of our faith (1 Peter 1:7), in life and death.
God is the great General in this warfare. He has given us the walkie-talkie of prayer to call for help: âTake . . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all timesâ (Ephesians 6:17â18).
He sees behind enemy lines, and knows exactly the strategies that will be used against us. He has written them down in a wartime manual âso that we would not be outwitted by Satan.â The reason we will not be outwitted is that âwe are not ignorant of his designsâ (2 Corinthians 2:11).
Primer on Satanâs Strategies
If you need a refresher for what those âdesignsâ are, here is a summary. May God make you a mighty warrior! May he âtrain your hands for war and your fingers for battleâ (Psalm 144:1).
1. Satan lies, and is the father of lies.
âWhen he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of liesâ (John 8:44). The first time Satan appears in the Bible in Genesis 3, the first words on his lips are suspicious of the truth (âDid God say, You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?â). And the second words on his lips were a subtle falsehood (âYou will not dieâ). John says that Satan âhas nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in himâ (John 8:44). We are dealing with the essence of falsehood and deception.
2. He blinds the minds of unbelievers.
âThe god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christâ (2 Corinthians 4:4). So he not only speaks what is false. He hides what is true. He keeps us from seeing the treasure of the gospel. He lets us see facts, even proofs, but not preciousness.
3. He masquerades in costumes of light and righteousness.
In 2 Corinthians 11:13â15, Paul says that some people are posing as apostles who are not. He explains like this: âEven Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is not strange if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness.â
In other words, Satan has servants who profess enough truth to join the church, and from inside teach what Paul calls âdoctrines of demonsâ (1 Timothy 4:1). Jesus says they will be like wolves in sheepâs clothing (Matthew 7:15). Acts 20:30 says they will not spare the flock, but will draw people away to destruction. Without Godâs gift of discernment (Philippians 1:9), our love will be suckered into stupidity.
4. Satan does signs and wonders.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:9, the last days are described like this: âThe coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power, and with signs and wonders of the lie.â Thatâs my awkward translation. Some translate it âwith false signs and wonders.â But this makes the signs and wonders look unreal. In fact, some people do say that Satan can only fake miracles. I doubt it. And even if itâs true, his fake is going to be good enough to look real to almost everybody.
One reason I doubt that Satan can only fake his miracles is that in Matthew 24:24 Jesus describes the last days like this: âFalse Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.â There is no hint that these âsigns and wondersâ will be tricks.
Let your confidence be grounded in something far deeper than any supposed inability of Satan to do signs and wonders. Even real signs and wonders in the service of anti-Christian assertions, prove nothing, even when they are done âin the name of Jesus.â âLord, Lord, did we not do many mighty works in your name?â To which Jesus will reply, âI never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessnessâ (Matthew 7:22â23). The problem was not that the signs and wonders werenât real, but that they were in the service of sin.
5. Satan tempts people to sin.
This is what he did unsuccessfully to Jesus in the wilderness â he wanted him to abandon the path of suffering and obedience (Matthew 4:1â11). This is what he did successfully to Judas in the last hours of Jesusâs life (Luke 22:3â6). And in 2 Corinthians 11:3, Paul warns against this for all the believers: âI am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.â
6. Satan plucks the word of God out of peopleâs hearts and chokes faith.
Jesus told the parable of the four soils in Mark 4:1â9. In it, the seed of the word of God is sown, and some falls on the path and birds quickly take it away. He explains in verse 15, âSatan immediately comes and takes away the word which was sown in them.â Satan snatches the word because he hates faith which the word produces (Romans 10:17).
Paul expresses his concern for the faith of the Thessalonians like this: âI sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vainâ (1 Thessalonians 3:5). Paul knew that Satanâs design is to choke off the faith of people who have heard the word of God.
7. Satan causes some sickness and disease.
Jesus healed a woman once who was bent over and could not straighten herself. When some criticized him for doing that on the Sabbath, he said, âOught not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?â (Luke 13:16). Jesus saw Satan as the one who had caused this disease.
In Acts 10:38, Peter described Jesus as one who âwent about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.â In other words, the devil often oppresses people with illness. This too is one of his designs.
But donât make the mistake of saying every sickness is the work of the devil. To be sure, even when a âthorn in the fleshâ is Godâs design for our sanctification, it also may be the âmessenger of Satanâ (2 Corinthians 12:7). But there are other instances in which the disease is solely attributed to Godâs design without reference to Satan: âIt was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in himâ (John 9:3). Jesus feels no need to bring Satan in as the culprit in his own merciful designs.
8. Satan is a murderer.
Jesus said to those who were planning to kill him, âYou are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your fatherâs desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truthâ (John 8:44). John says, âDo not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brotherâ (1 John 3:12). Jesus told the blameless church at Smyrna, âThe devil is about to throw some of you into prison. . . . Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of lifeâ (Revelation 2:10).
To put it in a word, Satan is blood-thirsty. Christ came into the world that we might have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). Satan comes that he might destroy life wherever he can and in the end make it eternally miserable.
9. Satan fights against the plans of missionaries.
Paul tells of how his missionary plans were frustrated in 1 Thessalonians 2:17â18: âWe endeavoured the more eagerly, and with great desire, to see you face to face; because we wanted to come to you . . . but Satan hindered us.â Satan hates evangelism and discipleship, and he will throw every obstacle he can in the way of missionaries and people with a zeal for evangelism.
10. Satan accuses Christians before God.
Revelation 12:10 says, âI heard a loud voice in heaven saying, âNow the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.ââ Satanâs defeat is sure. But his accusations havenât ceased.
It is the same with us as it was with Job. Satan says to God about us, They donât really love you; they love your benefits. âStretch out your hand and touch all that [they have], and [they] will curse you to your faceâ (Job 1:11). Their faith isnât real. Satan accuses us before God, as he did Job. But it is a glorious thing that followers of Jesus have an advocate who âalways lives to make intercession for themâ (Hebrews 7:25).
Satan Will Not Win
Those are some of Satanâs designs. The path to victory in this warfare is to hold fast to Christ who has already dealt the decisive blow.
- 1 John 3:8: âThe Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil.â
- Hebrews 2:14: âChrist took on human nature that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil.â
- Colossians 2:15: âGod disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in him.â In other words, the decisive blow was struck at Calvary.
- Mark 3:27: âNo one can enter a strong manâs house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.â
- Revelation 20:10 says one day the warfare will be over: âThe devil . . . [will be] thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone . . . and will be tormented day and night forever and ever.â (See Matthew 8:29; 25:41)
Resist!
James says, âResist the devil, and he will flee from you!â (James 4:7). How do we do that? Here is how they did it according to Revelation 12:11: âThey have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.â They embraced the triumph of Christ by his blood. They spoke that truth in faith. They did not fear death. And they triumphed.
The New Testament highlights prayer as the pervasive accompaniment of every battle. âTake . . . the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplicationâ (Ephesians 6:17â18).
As the close of this age draws near, and Satan rages, Jesus calls us to wartime prayer: âWatch at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Manâ (Luke 21:36). Similarly, Peter makes an urgent call to end-time prayer: âThe end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayersâ (1 Peter 4:7).
Even Jesus fought against the devil on our behalf with the weapon of prayer. He said to Peter in Luke 22:31â32, âSatan has asked to have you that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.â So Jesus illustrates for us the opposition of a specific satanic threat with prayer.
And, of course, Jesus instructed us to make prayer a daily weapon for protection in general: âLead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evilâ (Matthew 6:13). That is, deliver us from the successful temptation of the evil one. Do you confront the designs of the devil with the focused and determined power of prayer?
No Neutral Zone
The question is not whether you want to be in this war. Everyone is in it. Either we are defeated by the devil and thus following, like cattle to the slaughter, âthe prince of the power of the airâ (Ephesians 2:2), or we are resisting â âresist him, firm in your faith!â (1 Peter 5:9).
There is no neutral zone. You either triumph âby the blood of the Lamb and the word of your testimony,â or you will be enslaved by Satan. Therefore, âShare in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesusâ (2 Timothy 2:3), and âwage the good warfareâ (1 Timothy 1:18). Pray without ceasing!
The Lord Jesus is no less a warrior today than in the days of old. So I urge you again: Come to him as willing soldiers of the Prince of Peace and learn to say, âHe trains my hands for warâ (Psalm 144:1).
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