One of the most sobering facts about life is that 


all humans have a supernatural enemy whose aim is 


to use pain and pleasure to make us blind, stupid, 


and miserable. 


The Scriptures call him “The devil and Satan, 


the deceiver of the whole world . . . the accuser” 


(Revelation 12:9–10),


“The ruler of this world” (John 12:31), 


and “The god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4).


Right now, I am back on the battlefield. 


When Satan, who is pure evil, rises against us 


we must have our Spiritual armor in place, 


so that we are able to stand strong and firm in the midst of these battles.


The enemy does not want us to fulfill God’s calling 


in our lives. Satan is literally hell-bent on perverting and 


preventing God’s plan. He wants to keep us ignorant


of God's will.



He does everything he can to deter us from hearing


God’s voice and sharing God's Word with others.

Spiritual warfare is not about a technique


 to defeat Satan or his demons, but is all about having 


a heart that walks closely with God. 

Paul says in Ephesians, 


“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, 


against the powers, against the world forces of darkness, 


against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Our battle is against spiritual forces of evil in the world.


The reality of Satan and his evil forces should cause us 


to draw nearer my God to Thee.

When God is first and foremost in our lives...


 Satan lacks power over us...


despite his attempts to weaken 


our efforts to pursue God.

Understanding our limitations frees us to put our trust


in God's limitless power and wisdom. 


It allows me to live out my faith in front of my family. 



When we come to the end of ourselves, 


we arrive at a divine opportunity 


to see God's grace show up amid the chaos.


The devil has tried to bait us with false teaching, 


lure us into sin, and turn us against each other. 


He does this to keep us from glorifying God 


and walking in our calling. 


He seeks to devour us (1 Pet. 5:8) 


so we can no longer be a light to a lost world.

The enemy wants us to mess up (fall into sin), 


give up (get discouraged), 


get puffed up (live in arrogance), 


split up (divide), 


or shut up and quit spreading the Good News.

Messed up people are used to mess up others. 


People who are messed up seem to get some comfort 


or consolation from knowing that others are messed up 


and miserable too.

We must know who the enemy is. 


If we don't know who the real enemy is and how he operates, 


chances are, we will not win. 


Who exactly is Satan?


 He is the one in Scripture who is called the “Evil one.” 


Satan is also called the devil, 


who possesses abhorrent qualities. 



Satan is referred to in Scripture as the accuser, 


the slanderer, the adversary, the enemy,


the father of lies, the murderer, the wicked one,


 and the deceiver who leads humanity astray 


by seducing humanity into the ways of lies and sin.



Satan is also described as a malicious, hostile, 


evil-intentioned, evil-minded, venomous, vindictive,  


accuser and adversary who is opposed to God and man.



Feelings of pride and rivalry toward God


 grew within this spirit creature. 


Satan's desire was for others to worship... him.

Satan is the master of deceit.


Satan's greatest deception is to lead us to believe 


that he is not Satan.

Jesus meticulously called Satan a murderer 


from the beginning.


Jesus identified Satan as the criminal mastermind 


behind the corrupt world we live in. 


He called him “the ruler of this world.” 


(John 12:31; 16:11)


The Scriptures speak about the reality of a conflict 


we face as believers. 



We call that conflict 


“Spiritual warfare.” 


Satan and his forces are real.



A tactic of manipulators is intentionally 


setting up misdeeds and then questioning 


the victims' sanity for reacting to those misdeeds. 



They provoke negative emotions, 


then dismiss the victims' legitimate concerns 


with labels like “Crazy”, Insane”, and “Sensitive”.



They are patronizing, unapologetic, and cowardly. 


When they realize they are unable 


to manipulate a strong soul… 


they begin to manufacture insanity and chaos.



I believe God has intentionally allowed me


to have more than I can handle 


so that I'm forced into deeper dependence on Him. 



The impression that Satan intends to give of himself is 


absolutely dissimilar from who he really is.


Satan is a deceptive liar and murderer. 


He is notorious for twisting, blurring, and manipulating 


people and situations.



He desires to express to the world 


the very opposite traits. That is what liars do.


Satan tries to deceive us. 


He tries to make situations look like the truth,


when in reality they are absolute lies; it is a deception.


BEWARE:

Many times the wolf disguised in 

sheep’s clothing 

knows God’s Word better than we do. 

Satan is our “Adversary who prowls around 


like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” 


(1 Peter 5:8). 


Yet, in the most appalling and unwitting bondage, 


the whole world willingly 


“Follows the prince of the power of the air, 


the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience”


(Ephesians 2:2).


 At his most successful, his subjects march obliviously 


to destruction and take as many with them as they can.


Satan is notorious for crafting and twisting lies...


 one might even find themselves feeling confused


over what is real truth.



Satan compels or entices his prey to follow him 


whether they realize it or not.


By masking himself, he can tempt and deceive people 


without blame.


Satan tries to leave no trace of his identity,  

and he is still trying to hide and cover up, today.



Remember:

The thief enters only to steal, 

kill, and destroy.

Another one of Satan's battle tactics is... 


erecting roadblocks and pitfalls to hinder the work of God.


He loves to find us spiritually withered and unprepared. 


That makes his job of getting people on his path 


and following his ways, easy.


The enemy is once again upset and would love to 


shake up my mind, my attitude, my heart, 


my faith, and my peace. 


He wants us angry and off center... 


so we will not be able to think clearly. 


It's important for us to do whatever we can to avoid 


unproductive arguments and keep our temper in check. 


We should not retaliate, but go quietly on our way.



Let us remind ourselves that revenge should be so far beneath us 


that we couldn't even stoop to reach it, if we tried.



Calmness is the crown of self control.


We must make a conscious choice to behave in accordance 


with our values, despite our circumstances. 


Satan endeavors to scrutinize, tempt, and discourage.


Satan is in the business of tearing people down. 


He is an accuser, and he approaches people 


with no love, but with a tone of condemnation.



He is constantly planting seeds of negativity. 


His plan is to crush spirits and lay heavy burdens 


and strongholds on his victims.


Satan doesn't want to see God's children


move in power and victory.



He and his troops are out to mislead;


and to persuade the willing soul


to believe in something that is not true.


He hurls all kinds of misleading thoughts


into the mind.


Satan conceals truth and targets the mind.