1st. Peter 5:8
I want to begin by letting you know that
this evolved out of the reading of several books on the subject, but mainly a
book by the Title “Satan’s Whispers” by Robert Don Hughes; and the book
“Unmasking Satan” by Richard Mayhue. It began as a series of study lessons that
I have used in Sunday School and Small Groups, and I decided to post it here.
Let me start out by quoting a few
scriptures so we can get a proper picture in our minds as to who Satan really
is, and I will emphasize the appropriate words;2 Corinthians 2:11(1) “I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not out-wit us. For we are not unaware of his (schemes).”
2 Cor. 11:13 “For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself (masquerades) as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.”
2 Thes. 2:7 “For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of (counterfeit miracles), signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that (deceives) those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love (not refused to believe, but refuse to love) the truth and so be saved.”
Matthew 24:21 “At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to (deceive) even the elect--if that were possible.”
Rev. 20:7 “When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to (deceive) the nations in the four corners of the earth—“
When it comes to being deceived, it’s not the outright, obvious things of evil that get us, it’s the “whispers.” It’s the subtle ways Satan gets us to carry out his plan and in the process destroy individuals, and to destroy families, and of course, destroy the church. He will distort or deny the truth of God’s Word; he will discredit the testimony of God’s people; he will depress our enthusiasm for God’s work; and, he will dilute the effectiveness of the church. Think about people, and families, and churches, and even nations that have fallen because of one or more of these tactics by Satan in our world.
We read words in the scriptures such as “lies”; “false” “schemes”; “deceitful”; “counterfeit”… “looking for someone he can devour!” One thing I have learned is that Satan does not lose interest or give up on us just because we decide to live for God… In fact, one of Satan’s greatest tactics is to allow us to profess our faith while using every means possible to prevent us from practicing our faith!
Yet, despite all of its obvious flaws, weaknesses, hypocrisies, sins, and excesses, the church has been the most powerful force for good on the face of the earth. Not because of the people in the church, but because of the one who is the head of the church…Jesus Christ, God’s only Son! “Upon this rock” said Jesus, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it!”
However, most Christians don’t know, understand, or realize that the churches’ ministry is not only to the world …In Ephesians 3:10 Paul gives us a glimpse of another purpose; “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known (listen) to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms”…That is mind boggling to think that we in the church have a dual responsibility; To carry the Gospel, the “good news” of God’s plan of salvation to the world; and that through us and our obedience, to show the “manifold wisdom of God” in His plan and purpose for mankind, to powers and authorities in the heavenly realms! Satan’s plan is to stop that from happening! And, he does it by way of his “battle plan” - the four ways we have listed.
In this series we are going to learn about the “Strategies of Satan”; We will learn about the “Three Purposes of The Church” and the reality of a true church and a false church; We will hear what the scriptures say concerning the church described as a “Body”; a “Temple”; as “God’s workmanship”; and as an “Army.” We will learn about the “Secret Weapons of The Church” and our “Defense Against Defeat” and finally “The Posture of a Christian.”
Paul was chosen as apostle to the Gentiles and, in that dramatic conversion experience on the Damascus road, he said to the Lord whom he saw in the glory, "What will you have me to do?" Jesus replied, "Stand upon your feet, for I will send you far hence unto the Gentiles, to open their eyes and to turn men from darkness unto light and from the power of Satan unto God"…Satan’s power is but a subtle “whisper”…
I read through the prayers of Paul, and I find that he deals with many matters in his prayers. But, primarily, and repeatedly, one request comes out again and again: He prays for other Christians, that their spiritual understanding might be enlightened. He asks that the eyes of their mind, their intelligence, might be opened, unveiled… This repetition in the apostle's prayers indicates the importance of understanding intelligently what life is about, what is true and what is false, what is real and what is phony. It also illustrates the power of the devil to blind and confuse, and deceive…and to make things look one way when they are quite another.
It is one thing to listen to that “still small voice of God’s Holy Spirit within… It is another to listen to Satan’s whispers.
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