10 strategies of Satan against your life!
“… so that Satan may not gain an advantage over us, for we are not ignorant of his designs”. (2 Corinthians 2:11)
One of the most serious facts about life is that all human beings have a supernatural enemy that aims to use pain and pleasure to make us blind, foolish and miserable – eternally. The Bible identifies him as “the great dragon, that serpent of old, which is called the devil and Satan the deceiver” (Revelation 12:9-10), “the prince of this world” (John 12:31), and “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
He is our “adversary, prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Yet in the most terrifying kind of bondage there is, the whole world follows “the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2). He succeeds in making his subjects march towards destruction, and they take as many people with them as possible.
The “good fight” (1 Timothy 1:18) includes daily resisting this enemy (1 Peter 5:9; James 4:7), daily refusing to give way to him (Ephesians 4:17), and daily opposing their snares (Ephesians 6:11).
Satan's Collar – And Impending Doom
God is sovereign over Satan. The devil has no carte blanche to do whatever he wants in this world. He's on a leash and can't do anything that God doesn't allow. Indeed, he needs to receive authorization – as in the case of Simon Imprisoned that Jesus revealed: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded to have you, that he may sift you as wheat!” (Luke 22:31) And the case of Job: “The LORD said to Satan, Behold, he is in your power; but spare his life.” (Job 2:6)
So, God evidently sees Satan's role as essential to his purposes in the world, for if God willed, Satan would be thrown into the lake of fire now and not just at the end of the age. “The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire… and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). He will certainly be completely defeated, but the time has not yet come.
Involuntary servant of our sanctification
God wants war with hell to be part of our preparations for Heaven. It is what we call “a good fight” (1 Timothy 1:18) and “a good fight” (1 Timothy 6:12). It is not good because we may die (it is a real possibility! - Revelation 2:10), but because these fire fights refine the gold of our faith (1 Peter 1:7), in life and in death.
God is the great General of this war. He gave us the prayer to cry out for help: “Take . . . the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; with all prayer and supplication, praying at all times” (Ephesians 6:17-18).
He sees what happens in enemy territory, knows the exact strategies that will be used against us, and has written them down in a war manual "lest Satan gain an advantage over us." The reason Satan will not gain an advantage over us is that “we are not ignorant of his counsels” (2 Corinthians 2:11).
Summary of Satan's Designs
If you need to remember what those “designs” are, here's a summary. May God make you a mighty warrior! “Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for battle and my fingers for war” (Psalm 144:1).
1. Satan lies and is the father of lies.
“When he speaks a lie, he speaks out of his own accord, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). In Satan's first appearance in the Bible in Genesis 3, the first words on his lips cast suspicion against the truth ("Is this how God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"). After that, his words were a subtle lie (“You shall not surely die”). John says that Satan “never stood on the truth, because there is no truth in him” (John 8:44). We are dealing with the essence of lying and deceit.
2. He blinds the minds of unbelievers.
“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ cannot shine to them” (2 Corinthians 4:4). So he doesn't just speak lies. He hides the truth. It prevents us from seeing the treasure of the gospel. It allows us to see the facts, even the evidence, but not the gem.
3. He hides behind a fantasy of light and justice.
In 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, Paul says that some people identify themselves as apostles without really being. He explains the following: “Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. It is not much, then, that his own ministers become ministers of justice.”
In other words, Satan has servants who profess enough of the truth to enter the church and, within the church, teach what Paul calls “doctrines of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1). Jesus says they will be like wolves in sheep's clothing (Matthew 7:15). Acts 20:30 says that they will not spare the flock, but will drag people down to destruction. Without God's gift of discernment (Philippians 1:9), our love will degenerate into stupidity.
4. Satan works signs and wonders.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:9, the last days are described as follows: "The coming of the wicked one according to the working of Satan shall be with all power, and signs, and lying wonders." This is my strange translation. Some translate it as "false signs and wonders." But this makes the signs and wonders seem unreal. In fact, some argue that Satan is only capable of performing false miracles. I doubt it. But even if that were true, his fake miracles would be good enough to make them seem real to most people.
One reason I doubt that Satan is only capable of performing false miracles is that, in Matthew 24:24, Jesus describes the last days as follows: “False christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, the elect themselves. There is no indication that these “signs and wonders” will be gimmicks.
May your confidence be grounded in something far deeper than any supposed inability of Satan to perform signs and wonders. Signs and wonders performed in the service of anti-Christian statements are not capable of proving anything, even when performed "in the name of Jesus." “Lord, Lord! Have we not performed many miracles in your name?” And Jesus will answer: “I never knew you. Depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22-23). The problem was not that the signs and wonders weren't real, but that they were in the service of sin.
5. Satan tempts people to sin.
That's what he did with Jesus in the wilderness, but it didn't succeed – he wanted Jesus to abandon the path of suffering and obedience (Matthew 4:1-11). That's what he did with Judas and he was successful in the last hours of Jesus' life (Luke 22:3-6). And in 2 Corinthians 11:3, Paul warned all believers of this possibility: “But I am afraid, lest, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds also may be corrupted from the simplicity and purity due to Christ".
6. Satan takes the Word of God out of people's hearts and suffocates faith.
Jesus told the parable of the four soils in Mark 4:1-9. In this parable, the Word of God is sown and some fell by the wayside and the birds came and devoured it. He explains in verse 15, "Then Satan comes and takes away the word sown in them." Satan steals the Word because he hates the faith that the Word produces (Romans 10:17).
Paul expressed his concern for the faith of the Thessalonians in the following way: “That is why, when I could no longer wait, I sent to inquire about the state of your faith, fearing that the tempter would test you, and that our labor would become useless.” (1 Thessalonians 3:5). Paul knew that Satan's goal was to stifle the faith of people who had heard the Word of God.
7. Satan causes some sickness and disease.
Once, Jesus healed a woman who was bent over and couldn't straighten up. When some criticized Jesus for healing on the Sabbath, he replied: “Why should this daughter of Abraham not be freed from this bondage on the Sabbath day, whom Satan had bound for eighteen years?” (Luke 13:16) Jesus saw Satan as the one who had caused this illness.
In Acts 10:38, Peter described Jesus as the one who “went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.” In other words, the devil often oppresses people with infirmities. This is also one of his designs.
But let him not make the mistake of claiming that all disease is the work of the devil. Of course, even when God prepares a “thorn in the flesh” to sanctify us, it is possible that he is also “the messenger of Satan” (2 Corinthians 12:7). But there are other situations in which the disease is entirely attributed to God without any reference to Satan: “Jesus answered, Neither he sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be made manifest in him.” (John 9:3) Jesus had no need to mention Satan as a participant in his merciful purposes.
8. Satan is a murderer.
Jesus said to those who planned to kill him, “You are of the devil, who is your father, and you want to fulfill his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he never stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks out of his own accord, because he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). John says, “not according to Cain, who was of the Evil One and murdered his sister; and why did he murder him? Because his works were evil, and his brother's works were righteous” (1 John 3:12). Jesus said to the blameless church in Smyrna, “Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison… Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).
In short, Satan is bloodthirsty. Christ came into the world that we might have life more abundantly (John 10:10). Satan comes to destroy as many lives as he can and to make them eternally miserable.
9. Satan fights the missionaries' plans.
Paul explains how his missionary plans were thwarted: “Now we, brethren, orphaned from your presence for a short time, but not from the heart, with all the more earnestness endeavored, with great desire, to come and see you in person… , Satan has barred our way” (1 Thessalonians 2:17-18). Satan hates evangelism and discipleship, and he strives to put as many obstacles as possible in the way of missionaries and those who have a zeal for evangelism.
10. Satan accuses Christians before God.
Revelation 12:10 says, “Then I heard a loud voice from heaven proclaiming, Now is come salvation, and power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren, who accuses them day and night before our God.” Satan's defeat is certain. But his accusations did not stop.
The same thing happens to us as it happened to Job. Satan speaks to God against us, They don't really love you; they love your benefits. “But stretch out your hand, and touch all that he has, and see if he does not blaspheme you to your face” (Job 1:11). Their faith is not real. Satan accuses us before God as he did Job. But it is a glorious thing that the followers of Jesus have an advocate who “always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:25).
Satan Will Not Win
These are some of Satan's designs. The way to victory in this war is to persevere in Christ, who has already dealt the decisive blow to Satan.
o “He who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8)
o "Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood in common, he also likewise partook of these, so that through his death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil." (Hebrews 2:14)
o “…and having spoiled principalities and powers, he publicly exposed them to contempt, triumphing over them in the cross.” (Colossians 2:15) In other words, the decisive blow came at Calvary.
o “No one can enter a strong man's house to steal his goods, without first tying him up; and only then will he plunder his house.” (Mark 3:27)
Revelation 20:10 says that one day the war will come to an end: "The devil... [will be] cast into the lake of fire and brimstone... and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (See Matthew 8:29; 25:41).
resist!
James says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). How can we do that? In Revelation 12:11, it was as follows: "They therefore overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony, and even in the face of death did not love life itself." They embraced Christ's triumph through his blood. They proclaimed this truth by faith. They did not fear death. And they triumphed.
The New Testament highlights prayer as the main accompaniment to every battle. “Take also the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; with all prayer and supplication, praying at all times in the Spirit, and to this end being watchful with all perseverance and supplication.” (Ephesians 6:17-18)
As the end of the ages approaches and Satan’s fury increases, Jesus calls us to war in prayer: “Watch therefore, praying always, that ye may be able to escape all these things that must come to pass, and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36). Similarly, Peter makes an urgent appeal to prayer at the end of time: “Now the end of all things is at hand; therefore be judicious and sober for the sake of your prayers” (1 Peter 4:7).
Even Jesus used the weapon of prayer to fight the devil for us. He told Peter in Luke 22:31-32, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded to have you, that he may sift you as wheat! But I have prayed for you, that your faith fail not” (Luke 22:31-32). So Jesus opposes a specific satanic threat through prayer and that sets an example for us.
And, of course, Jesus instructed us to make prayer a daily weapon for general protection: “And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13). That is, deliver us from the successful temptation of the evil one. Do you confront the devil's designs through the power of focused, persevering prayer?
No Neutrality
The question is not whether you want to participate in this war. Everyone participates. Either we are defeated by the devil and follow “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2) like cattle to the slaughter, or we resist—“resist him in the faith” (1 Peter 5:9).
There is no neutrality. Either you triumph "because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of the testimony," or you will be enslaved by Satan. Therefore, “share in sufferings as a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3) and “fight the good fight” (1 Timothy 1:18). Pray without ceasing!
The Lord is no less a warrior today than in ancient times. So again I implore you: come to him from the heart as soldiers of the Prince of Peace and learn to say, he “trains his hands for battle” (Psalm 144:1).
Translation: Frank Brito.
Review: Vinicius Musselman Pimentel.
Source: Satan's Ten Strategies Against You.
SOURCE: https://ministeriofiel.com.br/artigos/10-estrategias-de-satanas-contra-sua-vida/
