Overcoming the Enemy
Discover God's plan for winning spiritual battles
The following material is a chapter from Dr. Stanley's study guide.
We need to know not only the nature of the enemy of our eternal spirits, Satan, but also his tactics. A knowledge of the devil's methods better equips us both to discern the devil at work and to know better how to resist him and withstand his assaults. Satan's primary tool is deception. He works through the processes of our minds in an attempt to get us to call good "bad" and bad "good." He is a master of twisting the truth and veiling what is harmful to us so it appears to be beneficial.
The devil is an expert at appearances, disguises, and false illusions. He is the master counterfeiter. The best counterfeits, of course, are objects that are most like the genuine articles. The devil specialises in "good fakes." He comes at us in a way that is appealing and appears to be very spiritual and totally acceptable. Paul referred to the devil as an "angel of light," one who is masquerading as one of God's holy angels. Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers (demons at work in people) also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. (2 Cor. 11:14-15)
Satan's best efforts are those in which a person under demonic influence appears to be doing something that is good, right, or noble, when, in fact, the person is operating from evil motives and for evil ends. Ultimately, the darkness in an evil person will be revealed and will destroy the person, but often not until many others are deceived and are living according to Satan's purposes. Who are Satan's best vehicles of deception? Satan's best human agents are not the drunks sitting on a downtown street corner or the gang members who terrorise a neighbourhood. Everybody knows that these people are either the victims of or the perpetuators of something that is bad. No, Satan's best agents are the brilliant, well-dressed, "successful" people who claim that they have made their way in life totally on their own intellect and skill, who refuse to acknowledge God or His Son, Jesus Christ, and who are fountains of all sorts of false philosophies. They operate in a wide variety of religions and "isms" around the world-including the religions of secularism and humanism, which worship the idols of human achievement.
These expert agents of Satan appear to be well-intentioned people who have the needs and concerns of others at heart (others nearly always being their own followers or the people they can control and manipulate). In reality, they are self-centred, godless people who are motivated by a greed for possessions and a lust for personal power. Satan is often depicted as a bright red creature with a long pointed tail and horns growing out of his head. Believe me, if that was what Satan really looked like, nobody would be deceived by him. They would see him coming a mile away! Satan's tactics and "appearance"-which includes the way his demons work-are much more subtle.
Only those who truly are discerning are able to see him at work. The more Satan watches our lives and knows about us, the more veiled his tactics become. He rarely attacks a person head-on at their strengths. Rather, he discovers their weaknesses and bores into them over time, chipping away at their lives with persistence and increasing subtlety. It's as if the devil says, "Well, they saw through that and didn't buy my lie, so let me see if I can hide my intent a little and try another tactic that won't be so easily recognised." The more we resist the devil, the more clever and veiled are the devil's deceptions. Over time, this can reach the point where Jesus said that even those who were the strongest, most committed Christians would be in danger of becoming deceived (Matt. 24:24).
What the Word Says
What the Word Says Me
False Christ's and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect (Matt. 24:24).
That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but . . . grow up in all things into Him who is the head- Christ (Eph. 4:14-15).
? Can you recall a time when you were deceived into thinking that something bad was good? That something good was bad? ? Have you ever had an experience in which you were led astray by someone who seemed to be acting for good on your behalf but who eventually was revealed as a person who was manipulating you in a way that was evil in God's eyes? ? What new insights do you have about your enemy? ? Recall a specific instance of being deceived. At what point were you aware that you were deceived? How did it feel to be deceived-both before and after the deception became apparent to you?
The Process of Deception
Deception is a process that has several identifiable stages. First, an idea is planted in our imaginations. Everybody has an imagination. It's a part of our thinking that we use for exploring "what if" possibilities and dreams. The imagination in and of itself is neutral. It is a mental ability that can be turned to bad or good. The person who uses his or her imagination for good can be a positive force for building up God's people and expanding the kingdom of God on earth. Such a person can envision highly innovative ways to spread the gospel and show the love of God to people who are desperately in need of His love. On the other hand, the person who allows his imagination to be used for evil can have an equally dangerous and damaging influence on others. A key question we must ask ourselves about any new idea we have is, "Where does the implementation of this idea lead?" In other words, will implementation of the idea lead us and others to heaven, or will it lead us or others astray and cause us to be detoured away from heaven?
The first thing the devil does to deceive us is to plant an idea in our minds that has an appealing element to it. Usually our first impulse toward Satan's planted ideas is to reject them. If we do so, we can cut off Satan's efforts before we experience any negative backlash. Unfortunately, the devil's ideas always are wrapped in some element that has a certain amount of appeal to us. He knows what we like and what we want in our fleshly desires, and he wraps up his temptation in something that appeals to us. He does this so we will at least entertain the idea a while. We may call it a "fantasy," "daydream," or "wish." We know it's wrong but we assume that because we are only thinking about it there's no harm, no foul.
The more we dwell on one of Satan's ideas, the more we are trapped by it. We sometimes say that certain things or ideas "capture" our imaginations. In fact, they do! The longer an idea is entertained in the imagination, the more likely we are to act on the idea.
What the Word Says
What the Word Says to Me
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10:4-5 KJV).
Do not . . . give place to the devil (Eph. 4:26-27).
? Can you recall a negative experience that began with your imagining something that was not right for you in God's eyes? ? What new insights do you have into your enemy's tactics and how to overcome him? Second, we begin to identify with the idea that the devil has planted in our imagination. We start to put ourselves into the picture. We wonder, How would it feel to own that object . . . to be with that person . . . to go to that place . . . to participate in that activity . . . to be a part of that group? The longer we identify with the idea, the more we desire to try out the idea. We begin to dwell on the idea and it occupies more and more of our mental energy. Increasingly, we associate ourselves with what we justify to be the beneficial and appealing aspects of the idea.
In the 1960s the counterculture movement spawned the saying, "If it feels good, do it. And if you haven't tried it, don't knock it." We as a nation began to accept the idea that unless we had personal experience with something, we had no right to criticise it or call it a sin. Many people still think that way. What has happened, however, is that Satan has taken that philosophy and couched it in even more subtle terms. Now, we justify to ourselves that it is acceptable for us to "try out an idea in our minds"-that is, to identify with it in our thoughts. We don't have any real intention of engaging in the actual experience or behaviour, primarily because we don't want to be caught in the act by others who might criticise us.
We justify to ourselves, however, that it just might be beneficial for us to try out a particular idea in our minds so we can see how we "feel" about a behaviour or relationship. We assume that if we never actually do in reality what we are doing in our minds, we remain righteous in God's eyes. This faulty thinking has been around for at least two thousand years, and very likely since Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden. Jesus pointed to the danger of identifying with sin and responding to it in the mind and heart:
You have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgement." But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement . . . . You have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not commit adultery." But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Malt. 5:21-22, Matt 5:27-28) Jesus taught that the way we feel on the inside is just as much a reality as the way we behave on the outside. Sinning "in our minds" is just as real as sinning before the whole world. When we begin to identify with Satan's ideas, we are already in highly dangerous territory.
What the Word Says
What the Word Says to Me
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he (Pro. 23:7). But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, "Why do you think evil in yourhearts?" (Matt. 9:4).
? Can you recall a time in your life when you began to identify with an idea that you knew was wrong?
Third, we have a growing desire to experience the full reality of Satan's sinful idea and we begin to plot a way in which we might act out the thing we know is wrong. The more we identify with one of Satan's ideas, the stronger our desire grows to experience the idea. When that desire reaches a certain degree of intensity, our wills become involved. We begin to make a plan for acting out the full-blown desire that began as only a prick of our imagination.
Let me give you a couple of examples. A person might start thinking about something he knows he can't afford, perhaps a fancy new convertible sports car that costs triple the amount he has available to spend on a car. He thinks about how beautiful the car is and then about all the benefits of owning such a car. Before long, he is thinking about how good it would feel to drive the car with the top down and about how his friends would be impressed if he owned such a car. He begins to see himself sitting in it. He imagines the car in front of his house, and he fantasises about driving it to his place of employment and parking it in his own special parking place. Before long, he is making plans to go for a test drive at a local dealership.
In another example, a woman begins to think about what it might be like to be married to a man she has met at the of office. The only problem is that this man is already married. She ignores that fact and starts to think about all the benefits that might be associated with marrying this man. She begins to see herself going places with him and starts to project how envious her friends would be. Before long, she is plotting a way to get this man to have lunch with her, in hopes that she might find a way to get him to invite her out to dinner. There's only one short step between a strong desire to experience something, own something, or take a specific action, and the making of a plan that puts that desire into action. The Scriptures strongly advise us to check out our plans and the motives behind them.
What the Word Says
What the Word Says to Me
These . . . things the Lord hates . . . A heart that devises wicked plans (Pro. 6:16, Pro 6:18).
Let none of you plan evil in his heart Against his brother (Zech. 7:10).
There are many plans in a man's heart, Nevertheless the Lord's counsel-that will stand (Prov. 19:21).
? Have you had an experience in which you desired something so much-even though you knew it was wrong-that you began to plot a way to act on your desire? Fourth, we act out the idea. In acting out an idea, we rarely have an intent of turning the action into a habit. We usually say to ourselves, "I'm just going to try this one time to see what it's like." But, generally speaking, if we try something we know to be sin, the part that was appealing to us in the first place is going to be temporarily satisfying to us, and we are going to continue to desire and do what we know to be wrong.
We try to convince ourselves that we are strong enough to say no to a second temptation, even though we haven't been strong enough to say no to the first temptation. Once we make a decision to act out sin, we are self-deluded. We think that we can control our fleshly tendencies to sin. In reality, our fleshly tendencies, desires, and lusts are in control of us. When we give in to sin and it becomes a habit in our lives, we become addicted to our sin. It rules us. It dominates our every waking thought. It governs our every action. Our natural human desires are strong, especially when they are coupled with our human will. Once we engage knowingly in sin, the desire for sin is even stronger and our will to sin is strengthened. We find it increasingly difficult on our own to deny ourselves what we desire. Our willpower diminishes. Only as we trust the Holy Spirit to give us the power to withstand Satan's temptations can we turn away from sin and choose God's plan for good. (See Rom. 7:15-25.)
What the Word Says
What the Word Says to Me
An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes... The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good. He devises wickedness on his bed; He sets himself in a way that is not good. He does not abhor evil (Psa. 36:1, Psa 3-4).
The good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me . . . . So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin (Rom. 7:19-20, Rom 7:25).
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God-through Jesus Christ our Lord! (Rom. 7:23-25).
? Have you had an experience in which you told yourself you were only going to try something "once," only to find yourself trying that same thing repeatedly?
? What new insights do you have into the tactics of your enemy and how to overcome him?