The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. – Psalm 19:7-8
Throughout the Bible, God’s children find hope in His promises. The Lord has not only saved us from our sins but also serves as our guide, protector, comforter, Father, creator, friend, and rewarder. He has prepared a place for us in heaven that is more wonderful than we can possibly imagine! What a foundation! God speaks to us directly through His Word and invites us into a relationship with Him—a relationship that extends beyond our time on earth to our final destination in Heaven. As we meditate on His Word, we feed ourselves with His truth. This allows us to rest in His promises. While we rest, we must also be aware of the tactics of God’s enemy, Satan.
We must understand that Satan came to kill, steal, and destroy. (“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” – John 10:10). First, he wants to kill our chance to go to Heaven, and we must know how that happens! Second, he wants to steal your inheritance and relationship with your Heavenly Father. Third, he wants to destroy everything you have: your name, your family, your business, and more. Most importantly, he wants us to spend eternity in hell with him. Seldom would anyone willingly choose the curses of Satan over the abundant blessings of God. Therefore, we must gain a deep understanding of Satan’s cunning tactics. Why? Because Satan never comes as a wolf––he comes dressed in sheep’s clothing. He comes offering enticement, ease, and immediate satisfaction. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 11:14, “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”
One of his tried-and-true tactics is, “My way is easy!” It’s attractive! It’s fun! And you can have it now, why wait! We see this illustrated when Satan approaches Eve in the Garden. In Genesis 2:16-17, we read: “And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.’” We see Satan’s tactics at work when he went to Eve and said, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1). This crafty tactic created doubt in Eve. Then Satan presented the attractive fruit. In effect, Satan was saying, “You can’t trust God; He wants to deprive you of the pleasures of this fruit.” He created doubt, offered the temptation, and finally, provided a quick and easy path to immediate satisfaction. Satan’s three tactics in the Garden are the same ones he uses now. His game plan hasn’t changed. He is often subtle. Satan doesn’t offer sin as something that will destroy our lives. He offers instead an appealing basket of fruit!
But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. – James 1:14-15
Men, let’s recognize these tactics so we can quickly identify them:
- He seeks to create doubt in God’s Word: “Did God really say this?” This is why it is essential to spend time in the Word so that we really know God’s truth! Satan’s tactic is to confuse us with doubt.
- Satan’s tactics are designed to entice our flesh. For example, “The fruit is attractive, and you deserve it.”
- He makes it appear easy. “Just take one bite, and you will be like God.”
- He never shows you the outcome of the sin. He only offers immediate satisfaction. A wise owl once told me, “All sin has consequences. The consequences are often delayed and always worse than you think!”
Satan’s first goal is to prevent us from going to Heaven. He doesn’t want us to believe that Jesus came to die on the cross for our sins. His second goal is to try to steal the work God has prepared for you: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10).
God created and saved us so we can have a fruitful life here on earth and spend eternity with Him in Heaven. Satan is the roaring lion who comes to rob us of our salvation, steal our journey and purpose on earth, and tempt us to spend eternity in hell with him. Hell is a real place! We must avoid it at all costs. The road to hell has a wide entrance:
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” – Matthew 7:13
Hell is full of people who never took the time to read the Bible. It is full of people who thought church took too much time. The road is full of people who thought they were good. It is full of people who fell for Satan’s tactics—people who took the easy way and ignored discipline. Satan’s game plan is still the same: “The fruit is attractive; you deserve it, it tastes good, it’s easy, and there are no real consequences!” His tactics have not changed. Thankfully for us, neither has God’s goodness and grace!
– RTM Stephen Thomas