Know The Tactics Of The Enemy And How To Win

Know The Tactics Of The Enemy

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil, prowl’s around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

With the above Bible scripture, we have a picture of how the enemy works. The Bible says that the devil was thrown out of heaven and fell like lightning. The enemy is here in the world and is known as the “prince of the world” he goes to and fro looking for people to deceive and influence. 
In this blog post, we will learn how the enemy uses his most common strategies against humanity. 

Lies
“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (‭‭John‬ ‭8:44‬ ‭NIV‬‬)‭‭

The devil always used lies to deceive people. To the devil good is bad and bad is good. Satan labels sinful things into good things. The devil lies and says sin has no consequence and that you “will not die.” “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.” (Genesis‬ ‭3:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬) Satan lies and says God is against you. Satan wants you to believe that God does not have your best interest at heart when God commands you to obey Him. Satan’s purpose is to have people disobey God and forgo God’s commandments. The lies of satan lead us to a life of brokenness, regret, and fear.

Isolation
Isolation comes in different forms, and it is caused for various reasons. Isolation is not a sin but it makes us more vulnerable to sin. As in King David’s case in 2 Samuel 11 – King David decided to stay home and did not go with his men to fight in the Spring when Kings went off to war. He was home all alone one evening when, while resting at his rooftop, he spotted a woman taking a bath (Bathsheba). David inquired of the woman, invited the woman up to his palace; one thing led to another, and life as David knew it changed dramatically. David was isolated, and the devil used that isolation to his detriment; if David had gone off to war as he should have, things might have played out differently. 

Know The Tactics Of The Enemy. In isolation, we are vulnerable because our defenses are down, and we are not paying attention. When we become more isolated from God, the devil will slowly creep in and attack us. 

Enthrallment
To enthrall means – to capture the interest of something, to hold spellbound, or to overwhelm. 

Enthrallment is satan’s most common tactic. In the Bible, there are examples of how being enthrallment caused people to sin. 

Lot’s wife – “But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” (Genesis‬ ‭19:26‬ ‭NIV‬‬)‭‭

David – “In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof, he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home. The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.” (‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭11:1-5‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Demas – “for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.” (‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭4:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

The devil uses enthrallment to cause Christians to fall away from their faith or keep people from becoming Christians. Satan draws us to that sin, which overpowers us and destroys us with it. The problem is that many times we are not paying attention or we don’t believe that we are actually vulnerable. As Christians, we are not just vulnerable but targets for destruction by the devil who prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. 

The Enemies Strategies
Satan will use every lie to convince you to disobey God.
Satan will attack you when you are weak.
Satan will use every seduction to capture your attention so that you will serve him instead of serving God. 

This is our God-given strategy to win the battle against the devil. 

Know your enemy: The real battle is for our souls. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians‬ ‭6:12‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Know that you can win: “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” (‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10:13‬ ‭NIV‬‬)‭‭

Know how to fight the enemies strategies: 
Humble yourselves before God. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.”‭‭(1 Peter‬ ‭5:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7)

Remain alert of the enemies strategies. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”‭‭(1 Peter‬ ‭5:8‬ ‭NIV)

Stand firm. “Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”‭‭(1 Peter‬ ‭5:9‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

Expect a reward. “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.”‭‭(1 Peter‬ ‭5:10-11‬ ‭NIV)

Know The Tactics Of The Enemy.