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Closing Week:
Overcoming Strategies the Enemy Uses to Defeat Your Faith - Part 4:
Strategy No. 3: The Enemy Tempts You to Sin -
“Blessed be the Lord my Rock,Who trains my hands for war,And my fingers for battle -- My lovingkindness and my fortress, My high tower and my deliverer,My shield and the One in whom I take refuge,Who subdues my people under me ”Psalm 144:1-2 (NKJV).
God will never tempt you to do anything wrong. In fact, He has given you every tool to resist the devil so he will flee from you. “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” James 4:7 (NKJV). The enemy tempts you to sin and no one is exempt. How does Satan tempt you? Sometimes he’s obvious about it, tempting you to lie or commit acts of immorality or another sin clearly defined as such in God’s Word. But a lot of times, he’s subtler than that. The enemy’s schemes are ruthless and cunning. The Bible reminds us that his main aim is to steal, kill, and destroy. If you’re a child of the living King, don’t ever believe for a second that the enemy hasn’t planned your demise. He will do everything he can to bring every believer down. That’s his goal, and he will stop at nothing to accomplish it. That is how the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness. “And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread”Matthew 4:2-3 (NKJV). He pulled out all the stops to get Jesus to abandon the path of obedience and keep Him from what God had sent Him to accomplish. When Jesus was in the wilderness, “after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’” “Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him”Matthew 4:7-11 (NKJV). Satan came to Jesus when he sensed weakness and tried to prey on that weakness, while he’ll do the same to you. The greatest danger in a believer’s life is to ever think that you are above temptation. That’s when you’ve let your guard down, taken off your armor, and assumed your work is done. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour ” 1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV).
Overcoming Strategies the Enemy Uses to Defeat Your Faith - Part 5:
Strategy No. 4: The Enemy Stirs Up Pride -
“Blessed be the Lord my Rock,Who trains my hands for war,And my fingers for battle--My lovingkindness and my fortress, My high tower and my deliverer,My shield and the One in whom I take refuge,Who subdues my people under me ”Psalm 144:1-2 (NKJV).
One of the most effective strategies the enemy uses to keep you defeated is to stir up pride. Satan fell because of pride, and he wants to take you down with him by getting you prideful. Don’t let yourself fall into it! What is pride? Pride is defined as “an over-high opinion of one’s self; exaggerated self-esteem or conceit, haughtiness or arrogance; self-esteem arising from one’s accomplishments or possessions; an exaggerated idea of one’s own dignity or importance.” That’s just the dictionary definition, and it’s bad enough! But the Bible goes even further in its description of pride by identifying it as one of the seven things that God hates. “These six things the Lord hates,Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: proud look, A lying tongue,Hands that shed innocent blood ” Proverbs 6:16-17 (NKJV). Satan knows pride is the path to destruction and shame, so he will deploy tactics to get you prideful. He’ll start whispering all kinds of things you want to hear in hopes that you will become puffed up. “When pride comes, then comes shame;But with the humble is wisdom” Proverbs 11:2 (NKJV). “Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty,And before honor is humility” Proverbs 18:12 (NKJV). Yet as we know from God’s Word, Satan is not in full control. He’d want you to believe that he is. He will lie and lure and even try to deceive you by masking himself as an angel of light or twisting God’s truth. But the Bible is clear. He’s not to be trusted or believed. God’s given us everything we need to resist and defeat the enemy’s plots and schemes. The Bible never instructs us to fight the devil in our own strength, or to be afraid of him and his attacks. But it does tell us how to live strong and alert, knowing that God is the One who holds us secure. How many times do we see believers get into trouble because they get an overblown idea of themselves? They begin to think they’re so smart and have it all figured out. That’s a sure sign they’re listening to the devil’s whispering. Then, the next thing you know, they’re thinking they have to straighten everyone else out. Instead of just letting Jesus be Head of the Church, they feel like they have to step in and do the job. Once that happens, it’s just a matter of time before conflict arises, and they fall flat on their faces in failure. Why? Because the Bible says God resists the proud. “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for“God resists the proud,But gives grace to the humble”1 Peter 5:5 (NKJV).
Overcoming Strategies the Enemy Uses to Defeat Your Faith - Conclusion:
Resist and Defeat the Enemy’s Schemes -
“Blessed be the Lord my Rock,Who trains my hands for war,And my fingers for battle--My lovingkindness and my fortress, My high tower and my deliverer,My shield and the One in whom I take refuge,Who subdues my people under me ”Psalm 144:1-2 (NKJV). Satan cannot recapture that person who is "in Christ." Therefore, Satan is a defeated enemy, one who ultimately will be thrown into the lake of fire. However, until that time, he is still very active in our world. Consequently the believer must take the proper steps to win victory over this enemy. While believers are living in this world-system, and battling the attacks of the devil, it is possible to achieve temporary victories over this foe. These victories can only come through faith in Christ. Though victory is always possible, occasional defeat will occur, if the believer fails to do their part. Though these defeats do not affect the final outcome, they can hinder a person's Christian testimony, as well as their spiritual growth. Therefore we need to discover how victory over the devil can be achieved. Now, there are several reasons why we have trouble: We live in a fallen world and experience the effects of sin; we disobey God and make poor choices; and we are directly attacked by the devil. I want to focus on the ways and reasons why the enemy brings trouble into our lives. “But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one. And we have confidence in the Lord concerning you, both that you do and will do the things we command you” 2 Thessalonians 3:3-4 (NKJV).
The Counterattack for Fear:
(1) Meditate on God’s Word.
“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these thing ” Philippians 4:8 (NKJV).
(2) Speak the Word of God.
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life”John 6:63 (NKJV).
(3) Rebuke fear.
“Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear”1 Timothy 5:20 (NKJV).
(4) Pray in the spirit.
“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints ”2 Corinthians 10:5 (NKJV).
(5) Take every thought captive.
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled” 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NKJV).
(6) Humble yourself.
“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you”1 Peter 5:6-7 (NKJV).
“Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord” Romans 12:16-19 (NKJV).
(7) Be grateful.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV).
(8) Recognize there’s a way out of it.
“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it”1 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV).
(9) Answer the temptation with God’s Word.
“And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God”Luke 4:3-4 (NKJV).
“But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of Go” Matthew 4:4 (NKJV).
(10) Don’t judge other Christians.
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?”Matthew 7:1-3 (NKJV).
“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven” Luke 6:37 (NKJV).
“There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another? ”James 4:12 (NKJV).
(11) Respond with the truth.
“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free ”John 8:31-32 (NKJV).
“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ” 1 Corinthians 2:14-16 (NKJV).