As I sat here writing my last post, “Get out of Your Feelings”, God gave me this title. He gave it to me during the paragraph where I was speaking regarding my desire to “match energy” which would have caused my friend to be led astray from God. At the time, I did not identify that the enemy had crept in and was attempting to cause division in my friendship because I was so caught up in my feelings. It took God revealing the plot of satan to me to prevent me from falling into his trap. As mentioned in that post, my friend wasn’t my enemy. Satan was and still is. Let’s Talk about our real enemy!
When it comes to building a relationship with God, we must know and understand that we have an enemy. Satan does not want us to be in relationship with God, do what’s right according to God’s standards, live holy lifestyles, be righteous or serve our purpose for God’s kingdom. Instead, he desires for us to remain in the world and of the world. The enemy’s ultimate goal is world dominion by leading the people of God astray causing a falling away (Revelation 20:7-10). If you have any sports-related knowledge or any experience is competitive games, you know that, in preparation for a match, teams study the tactics of their opponents. This is done to identify any strong and weak areas of the opposing team so that strategies can be organized in an attempt to dominate the opponent and ultimately win the game. Just as sports teams study their opponents, satan studies us. He knows exactly how to tempt us, trap us, distract us, destroy us, and trick us into a state of turning away from God. Knowing that satan studies you, don’t you think you need to study him, identify the tactics he uses against you, and strategize a plan of how you will defeat him when he comes to wage war against you?
In Ephesians 6:12, we are informed that we do not battle against flesh and blood (physical components) but against master spirits who are the world rulers of the present darkness and spiritual forces of wickedness in the supernatural realm. Comprehending this verse is essential. The master spirits of satan don’t care who they utilize as long as they accomplish satan’s goal of stealing, killing, and destroying (John 10:10). Want proof? In Luke 22:1-6, we can read about Judas. Verse 3 informs us of two things: satan entered into Judas and Judas was one of Jesus’ 12 disciples. Clock that!! After satan had entered into Judas, verse four informs us that he went to the chief priests and captains to discuss how he could betray Jesus. Verses five and six inform us that they paid Judas for his betrayal so he devised a plan to give Jesus to them. NOWWWW JUDASSS!! Judas was CHOSEN by Jesus and afforded the opportunity to walk closely with Him, but satan USED HIM AGAINST JESUS. Clock that!! Want more proof that satan does not care where these spirits dwell? Let’s go to Matthew 8: 28-32. Verse 28 informs us that Jesus encountered two men that were possessed with demons. In verse 29, the demons spoke to Jesus asking what He came to do to them. In verses 31 and 32, the demons begged Jesus to cast them out into the group of hogs, and Jesus sent them into the group of hogs causing the hogs to run into the sea and die. THE DEMONS REQUESTED TO GO INTO THE HOGS. You got that point, right? What makes us think that satan cannot and will not use people and things closest to us to cause us to steer away from God? What makes us believe that the people we love cannot be used by satan to influence us to take the wrong path? I’m telling you today that satan DOES NOT care about you nor your family and friends. He does care to accuse you (Zechariah 3:1). He does care to lie to you as he is the father of lies (John 8:44). He does care to corrupt your mind and seduce you from sincere and pure devotion to God (2 Corinthians 11:3). He does desire for you to lack self-control and isolate yourself (1 Corinthians 7:15). He does desire to fill your heart with deceit causing you to attempt to lie to and deceive the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3). He does care to destroy you including every thing and every one attached to you (1 Peter 5:8).
Are you fighting a losing battle against people? SATAN IS YOUR REAL ENEMY! But just as a team develops a strategy against their opponent, our God did as well. Colossians 2:15 informs us that God disarmed the principalities and powers that were ranged against us in triumphing over them in HIM and IN THE CROSS. When Jesus gave His life for us and resurrected, satan was defeated. And we know that the SAME POWER that raised Jesus from the dead resides in us according to 1 John 4:4. So why is the devil whopping you, friend? Is it because you are not equipped for the warfare? Let me share with you how to get equipped. Go read Ephesians 6:13-18 then I want you to read James 4:7 ensuring that you follow all of the instructions.
Y’all should know by now that I love to enlighten people with the wisdom that God gives me through the revelation of His Words. I also like to connect personal experiences to ensure relatability remains. So here we go… At the beginning of this month, I read Priscilla Shirer’s Fervent: A Woman’s Battle Plan for Serious, Specific, and Strategic Prayer. If you watched War Room or The Forge, Mrs. Shirer was one of the main characters for both movies. In this particular book, she identifies the top ten tactics satan uses to distract us from being focused on God. She also offers scripture-based strategies against each tactic. If you like to read as a hobby, I highly recommend this book because satan’s tactics mentioned within this book were all relatable to my life. I feel as if with the knowledge from God’s Word and that book, I am better equipped at identifying the tactics of satan in relation to areas in life that I don’t readily think of.
As always, read, dissect, and mediate of the above mentioned verses.
Real Talk with Keve 