OVERCOMING THE ENEMY
LESSON 5: SATAN’S STRATEGIES
Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their
testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
We saw last lesson that Satan is defeated, yet he and his demons continue to battle against God
and the church. Their motivation springs from an implacable hatred of Christ. Their inflexible
purpose is to destroy His church and disrupt His purposes.
I. KNOW YOUR ENEMY
A. Warfare requires knowing your enemy. A successful general must penetrate the mind of
his enemy.
1. In World War II, Field Marshal Lord Montgomery was to lead the North African
campaign against the Nazis. His main subject of study was not the terrain on which
they would fight, but the character, background and outlook of his Nazi enemy,
Gerneral Erwin Rommel, the “Desert Fox”. If he could foresee what strategy
Rommel was likely to adopt, then he could take steps to forestall and eventually
conquer him.
2. Should we be less prudent in the spiritual warfare in which we are engaged? But
many are spiritual illiterates in this area. Let us no longer remain illiterate in this area,
but learn the devil’s strategies.
2 Corinthians 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not
ignorant of his devices.
When Paul said “we are not ignorant of his devices”, his meaning was, “We
know how his mind works.” A device, as it is used here, means something
devised or contrived to bring a result; a plan or a scheme; an ingenious plot,
stratagem or trick. (NIV schemes; ESV designs.)
B. We have looked at the origin and character of our enemy. Now we want to consider his
strategies against believers and the church.
II. THE DEVIL’S DEVICES
Satan has many strategies. We have roughly divided them into strategies against the Word,
against the church, and against individuals. Open for group discussion first: what are some
strategies Satan uses in these areas?
A. Strategies against the Word.
1. Satan snatches away the good seed of the word.
a. The picture is of birds swooping down and picking up the grain fallen from the
sower’s hand on the hard-beaten path. The devil snatches away the good seed of
the Word before it can sink into the understanding and be received by faith. That
is the activity of the devil whenever the world is preached.
Matthew 13:19 When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and
understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that
which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
b. The devil is active after every sermon. How frequently the solemn impression of a
powerful sermon is dissipated by idle chatter after a service (or thoughts of lunch
during the sermon!).
c. The devil wants to neutralize our witness. As soon as you finish witnessing, the
devil comes to do follow-up work of his own! He also attacks new converts with
unbelievable ferocity, especially after they have made a commitment to break
with their old life. We can see the importance of following up on people. If all
Christ’s followers worked as zealously as the demons do for Satan, there would
not be two billion unevangelized people in the world!
2. Satan strategizes to corrupt the Word.
a. He mixes truth with error. His strategy is to include enough truth in his teaching
to make error appear both credible and palatable. He will quote or misquote
Scripture as it best suits his purpose. He is ingenious. He employs orthodox
language and theological double talk.
Matthew 13:25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among
the wheat, and went his way.
b. He attempts to subvert the church with heresy and apostasy. As soon as the
church was birthed, the devil began to infiltrate it with emissaries who
promulgated false doctrine, especially concerning the Person of Christ.
2 Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as
there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable
heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves
swift destruction.
c. Paul calls false doctrine what it is: the teaching of hell!
1 Tim 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some
shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of
devils;
B. Strategies against the individual.
1. Satan seeks to disqualify through defilement.
a. He uses a wide variety of temptations and tactics to lure God’s people into sin and
disqualify us from ministry and effectiveness in the Kingdom of God. Then, he
accuses us before God and others, and beats us down with condemnation. This
picture is perfectly illustrated in Zechariah 3:
Zechariah 3:1-3 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before
the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And
the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that
hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
3
Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
b. Satan will exploit wickedness and vices contained in our fallen nature. What are
some of these issues? Scripture gives specific warning about Satan’s hand in some
sins such as anger and unforgiveness. What are others?
Eph 4:26-27 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your
wrath: 27 neither give place to the devil.
2 Cor 2:10-11 To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave
any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of
Christ; 11 lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of
his devices.
2. Satan minimizes our impact by getting us to mix our priorities.
a. He promotes secondary priorities to first place (P. Warner’s “Shadow Mission”
sermon) and reduces our effectiveness. Although they may be important and
legitimate, there should never be anything ahead of the will of God. Discuss:
what priorities do we move ahead of the kingdom of God?
Mark 4:19 and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the
lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
b. These distractions may not always be secular, and may seem spiritual. In the early
church the devil tried to pervert priorities. With the multiplication of converts, the
legitimate social responsibilities of the infant church began to crowd out the more
important spiritual ministries. Feeding the widows certainly seems like a spiritual
task and necessity, but the apostles had the insight to deflect Satan and determined
to put first things first.
Acts 6:2-4 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them,
and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve
tables. 3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest
report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this
business. 4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the
ministry of the word.
c. If we are not careful to mind prayer and the Word, the pressures of life and
ministry can erode our personal relationship with God and our devotional life,
thus making us spiritually powerless.
3. Satan seeks to hinder us by making ourselves unequally yoked.
a. This strategy, too, is specifically stated in Scripture to be from Satan. Although
the primary reference here is to marriage, its scope is wider and includes any
voluntary, binding associations. Discuss – what are other ways we are unequally
yoked with unbelievers or with the world?
2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for
what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what
communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with
Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
b. This is not a warning to hide in a cave and stay away from sinners; it is a warning
to not hold association with unbelievers in their characteristic activities; to do the
things that they do side by side with them. To take on the ways of the world, and
“do what they do” is to open the door to Satan.
C. Strategies against the church. What are some strategies against the church?
1. Persecution. The adversary’s assault on the early church came from without in the
form of virulent persecution. They were threatened, arrested, imprisoned, stoned,
flogged, tortured, and killed for their witness to Christ. Successive Roman emperors
ruthlessly persecuted the law-abiding Christian community.
KJV
Acts 8:1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there
was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they
were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria,
except the apostles.
2. Prosperity. When Satan saw that persecution served to spread the gospel, he
switched tactits and began to smother its witness by great popularity. That popularity
reached its zenith in the reign of Emperor Constantine, and greatly weakened the
church. Prosperity often hinders the church more than persecution. Why?
KJV
Deuteronomy 6:10-12 And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall
have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham,
to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou
buildedst not, 11 And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not,
and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which
thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; 12 Then beware lest
thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from
the house of bondage.
3. Division. If he cannot destroy the church, Satan aims to discredit it. And he has found
many ways in which he can thwart God’s purposes. One of his most successful ways
has been to disturb the unity of the church by creating discord and division. The
church’s power is in its unity; and is therefore constantly under attack.
a. Satan works by playing on the prejudices, ambitions, and jealousies of church
members. He creates parties and factions within churches to fragment them and
neutralize their witness.
b. Few attitudes play more into the devil’s hands than a critical spirit. He often uses
this tactic with those he can’t deceive about the Word of God or from doing the
will of God. He will cause them to be so critical that love and courtesy are
forgotten and are replaced with intolerance, suspicion, and acrimonious criticism.
The battleground shifts from doctrines to personalities.
4. Hindering evangelism.
a. To prevent the extension of Christ’s kingdom, the devil concentrates powerful
force on hindering missionary work and church planting. No sooner had Paul
begun his missionary work than he met Satan-inspired opposition from a sorcerer.
Paul identified it as a strategy of Satan!
Acts 13:8-10 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation)
withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. 9 Then Saul,
(who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, 10
and said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou
enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the
Lord?
b.
Paul also attributed the repeated frustration of his missionary plans to satanic
activity. We can’t attribute all obstructions in our path to Satanic adversity, but
Paul discerned the hand of hell in frustrated attempts to establish churches.
1 Thess 2:17-18 But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in
presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with
great desire. 18 Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once
and again; but Satan hindered us.
c. We must understand how important it is to pray for our outreach churches and
missionary works on a daily basis. They are battling things we don’t experience
here under the cover of our home church and pastor.
A Chinese proverb says, “If you know yourself and your adversary clearly, then in a hundred
battles you will win a hundred times. We look at these areas to expose Satan’s plans and to
target our prayers for effectiveness.
Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil.
Next week we will finish out the series by looking at our authority over Satan through Christ,
and three sure ways to “Overcome the Enemy”.