Lesson 6
Recognizing the Enemy
"So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God for He cares for you. Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring Lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are. In His kindness God called you to share in His eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus." 1 Pet. 5:6-10
In order to win we must study the enemy's playbook and be aware of how he operates. If we ignore the power that Satan can be given in our lives we will fall prey to his destruction.
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Here are a few things that the Bible tells us about Satan:
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2 Cor. 11:3 "cunning"
Acts 5:3 "able to fill your heart"
John 8:44 "murderer, liar, void of truth"
John 10:10 "thief"
Genesis 3:1-5 "more crafty than others"
Eph. 6 "He has schemes
2 Cor. 5:11 "He can outwit us if we are unaware of his schemes"
When we first see the devil in the garden of Eden, we see the tactics Satan used to deceive Adam and Eve.
"Did God Really???????"
"You won't die"
"You will be like God"
Only 3 chapters into the Bible and we can learn two of the Devil's plays; Doubt and deception.
I fiind it interesting that when Satan lies it is not grand. Usually the lie is surrounded in much truth. If we are not strong in our faith, as 1 Peter urges us to be, we can easily fall for his lies.
Along with the lies, shrouded in truth, the Devil loves to cast doubt on our beliefs. His words were,"Did God really say that?" We, too can question what God says in His word and when we dwell on the doubts, it becomes easier to believe the deceptions.
OTHER PLAYS OF THE DEVIL
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1.) Division - Creates arrogance and pride. We are all to consider ourselves to be mere servants. No one is better than another. No ideas are superior to another. We, who are in Christ, strive to be united.
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2.) Comparison - This robs us of confidence and gratefulness. All are given gifts by God to be used for His glory. Constantly comparing ourselves to others develops in us a sense of pride or insecurity for there will always be those who can do more and those who can do less.
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3.) False Humility - We are to humble ourselves under the mighty power of God as was said in the 1 Peter text. This is a pure knowledge of who we are in Christ. We are loved and protected and valued by our creator. And yet we are submissive to that benevolent God.
Humility is not thinking less of yourself or thinking that others are better because of any number of things. This false thinking keeps us ineffective, depressed, and a terrible witness to a great God who heals and empowers His people.
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4.) Selfishness - The Devil is great at appealing to our selfish nature. It is so easy in our culture to start to feel entitled to many things. "I am worth it!" "I deserve a vacation!" etc. Sacrifice, which is one of the tenants of the Christian life is seen as a negative thing. "I shouldn't do so much. Others should be.........fill in the blank." Giving in to the selfish nature will always bring dissatisfaction and a warped sense of what it means to be a Christ Follower. A christian imitates Jesus and being selfish is very far from that.
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5.) Fear - The Devil loves to keep us in fear because fear demonstrates that we do not trust in our capable God. Fear keeps us paralyzed and unable to be effective in the kingdom. Love casts out all fear and God has showed us the greatest of loves in His creation and in His salvation for that faltering creation.
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Whatever the tactic, you can be sure that Satan knows you very well. He knows what will be the thing that tempts you to sin. Identify those things and hold yourself accountable.
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You can have victory because God knows you better. He has given us the Holy Spirit and the body of Christ to be our helpers. Developing habits that surround our minds in the Word of God and bring us into fellowship with His church will transform you to a person who laughs at the Devil's attempts to knock you down. Developing a Biblical World view will allow us to see the spiritual battle that rages all around us. "Get behind me, Satan" can be our battle cry and we can have confidence that when we resist the Devil, he will flee from us. (James 4:7) Jesus always wins.
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STUDY QUESTIONS
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1.) What are some ways Satan tries to attack you personally?
2.) What are some ways Satan tries to attack your family?
3.) What are some ways that you can shield yourself from those attacks?
4.) How have you been successful in fighting the devil's schemes?
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"I want to be the kind of woman that when I wake up in the morning, Satan says, "Oh crap, she's up!"
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Let's be a thorn in Satan's side and not easy prey!"