How does our Enemy operate? Well, in Ephesians 6:12 Paul noted-
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
The enemy is Satan and he has four primary objectives in interrupting God’s work in our lives. He is skilled in his work and we should not think at any time we are able to stand up to him in our own strength. If we are aware and then prudent in our life we can see that these objectives are indeed real but that God has given us a way through them.
To begin with, it is imperative for us to understand Satan wants us to doubt God’s Word. Don’t take this lightly because there have been those who have and it was to their own detriment. If he can get you doubting just a little bit, then he’s secured a foothold in your life. That foothold will be the launching point from which he attacks over and over again.
In Genesis 3:1, this is how he confronted Eve in the Garden. Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, has God said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
The serpent planted a seed of doubt in her mind and the results were catastrophic for all mankind! That doubt caused Eve to question and consider that God had not meant what He said to her and Adam. That was a major mistake on her part because it allowed Satan to implement his second objective.
That is when Satan tries to distract us from spiritual matters. He wants us focused on earthly, temporary outlets.
It sometimes seems as if the enemy uses every television, cell phone, and computer to change our focus from the Word to things with no eternal value.
Distraction is an important objective of the enemy. It is a way in which we can quickly find ourselves focused on things that distract us from the truth. In this way, the third objective can often be seen.
Satan works to disable us from the Lord’s service. Satan will do anything to prevent you from making an impact for Christ.
Think about all the popular Christian leaders who have fallen away. Their sinful deeds were made public and the spiritual work they had done was discredited.
The Devil rejoices at this and considers it a great success. In accomplishing this he sidelines the believer and causes them to doubt and fear.
While this may not occur in every situation he is still attempting to attack and if these have not worked then he attempts another.
Satan wants to destroy us physically. One of his most effective tactics involves attacking our bodies. Sickness, addictions, stress, and obesity can consume a person’s entire life.
The Devil would much prefer that you focus on your body, not spiritual things. Satan wants you to be useless in your daily battles. He’s looking for ways to destroy you. But don’t let him!
So you are saying right now, what do I do? Here is an Action Plan for you:
-Keep your spiritual eyes open
-Watch for Satan’s skillful, devious attacks
-Depend on God’s Spirit to guide you
The author is unknown yet they had a clear perspective from which to understand-
How Satan Keeps Christians from Christ
Satan called a worldwide convention. In his opening address to his evil angels, he said, "We can't keep Christians from going to church. We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth. We can't even keep them from conservative values. But we can do something else. We can keep them from forming an intimate, abiding experience in Christ. If they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken.
"So let them go to church. Let them have their conservative lifestyles. But steal their time so they can't gain that experience in Jesus Christ."
"Here is how I want you to do this. Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day."
"But how shall we do this?" shouted one of his angels?
"Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent numerous schemes to occupy their minds," he answered. "Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, then borrow, borrow, borrow. Convince the wives to go to work and the husbands to work 6-7 days a week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their lifestyles. Keep them from spending time with their children. As their families fragment, soon their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work."
"Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still small voice. Entice them to play the radio or cassette player whenever they drive, to keep the TV, the VCR, their CDs going constantly in their homes. And see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays music constantly. This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ. Fill their coffee tables with magazines and newspapers. Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day and invade their driving moments with billboards. Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, sweepstakes, mail order catalogs, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services and false hopes."
"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from it exhausted, disquieted and unprepared for the coming week."
"Don't let them go out in nature. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, concerts, and movies instead. And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences and unsettled emotion."
"Let them be involved in soul-winning. But crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Christ. Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family unity for the good of the cause."
Well, in the end, it was quite a convention. The evil angels went eagerly to their assignments, causing the Christians everywhere to get busy, busy, busy, and rush here and there.
Has the devil been successful in his scheme? You be the judge.
With all of this said in the important for you today to recognize the enemy that is Satan. Be prepared and do not be confused by his objectives. Trust God and lean on Him.
A thought to ponder,
Elbert Nasworthy
