Overcoming Satan's Devices

Satan is our “adversary” (1 Pet 5:8), whom we must “resist” (Jms 4:7). He uses many “devices” against God’s children to cause them to stumble and fall (Isa 8:15). He recruits “the workers of iniquity” (Ps 92:9), to “pervert the gospel of Christ.” (Gal 1:7). For instance, when Paul was preaching, Elymas the sorcerer sought “to turn away the deputy from the faith” (Acts 13:8). Such false teachers “bring in damnable heresies” (2 Pet 2:1).

 They would try to pull people away from hearing the truth! In order to prevent this common device of Satan, we must hold “fast the faithful word” (Titus 1:9). Satan is “the god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4), so he uses worldliness as another one of his devices. To “be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (Jms 4:4). Demas had forsaken Paul because he “loved this present world” (2 Tim 4:10). Sadly, today’s contemporary churches are bringing worldliness to reach the crowd (2 Tim 4:3). We can’t use this subtle device of the devil to do God’s work and reach the lost for Christ! The Bible warns us to exercise our senses “to discern both good and evil” (Heb 5:14).

Bible-believing Christians can be protected spiritually by taking God’s word as our sole authority for faith and practice (Ps 19:7), and proving everything by it (1 Thes 5:21). We are to “judge righteous judgment” (Jn 7:24), whether things are true or false, and good or evil. We shall surely reject the modernist church philosophy if we follow this biblical standard; which includes music, dress, and entertainment. Instead of compromising, we need to “come out from among them” (2 Cor 6:17). The devil will always try to conspire and oppose us when we are doing God’s work (Neh 4:8). He would get us to disobey God by either deceiving or manipulating our emotions (2 Cor 2:9). We must “stand fast in the faith” (1 Cor 16:13), and never trust or follow our heart (Jer 17:9)! God bless you!

- Pastor Melito Barrera