Satan’s Devices

by Floyd Chappelear
via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 2, June 30, 1989

Introduction

1. The Devil is real and out to get us (I Peter 5:8).
2. His will not be a frontal assault; he will get us with his tools and his devices
   of deception. He does have devices (cf. II Corinthians 2:11).
3. It will do us well to consider some of his devices and be familiar with them.

Body

1. He labels evil things with pleasant names!
   1. His agents are crafty through speech (Colossians 2:4, 8).
   2. His agents in society will not call evil anything but good (cf. Isaiah 5:18-28).
      1. Fornication is called "free love" (cf. I Corinthians 6:18).
      2. Rebellion is not witchcraft but "independent thinking" (cf. I Samuel 15:28).
      3. Drinking is not for fools but for men of distinction (Proverbs 31:4-7).
   3. Wise men consider the consequences of each of the above!
2. He attacks us through our passions!
   1. One passion he can really use is anger, giving place to the devil (Ephesians 4:26-27).
      1. Consider the meek man Moses, who was so reluctant to become the agent of God that he lost his temper more than once (Exodus 32:19; Numbers 20:12).
      2. Cain killed his brother for it (Genesis 4:5).
      3. Naaman would have continued in his leprosy for it (II Kings 5:11-12).
      4. I am never a more fitting servant of Satan than when I am angry!
   2. He will use the passions of the flesh (I John 2:15-17).
      1. People will lie, steal, prostitute themselves, etc., for lust.
      2. He will tempt us with our greatest desires. Christ, for instance, had a consuming passion for the world's kingdoms, to bring them into submission to God. Satan offered him these if He would bow down to the Devil.
      3. Even when we want good things, he will use them to bring us down. For instance, the preacher who wants to serve God ably may be brought down with the pride of becoming a "brotherhood figure."
   3. He can even use our noble passions against us. Peter, for instance, was ready to die for Christ, but Satan made him a coward to deny Him (Matthew 27).
3. He will fake defeat to get us off guard!
   1. Many a battle has been lost because the enemy was thought to be overcome when he
      was not, in fact, overcome at all. The first battle of Bull Run was considered
      the end of the Civil War, as was the second. The enemy was still just preparing.
   2. Satan may lose us to Christ, but the race isn't over till it's over (cf. Hebrews 12:1).
   3. We should not be weary in well-doing. We'll reap if we faint not (Galatians 6:9; I Corinthians 15:58).
4. Finally, for this lesson, he emphasizes "tomorrow."
   1. Satan always wants us to consider delayed decisions.
   2. Today seems so insignificant with its reality; tomorrow always seems so glamorous and appealing with its potential. Thus, Satan wants us to look to tomorrow.
   3. God speaks only of today for us (James 4:13-14).
   4. Today is the day of salvation (II Corinthians 6:2).

Conclusion

1. To be sure, there are other "devices" that Satan uses, but these he uses so often and so effectively.
2. Let us not be ignorant of his devices.