Winning Spiritual Warfare:
Scripure Reference: Genesis 3:1-7
’Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent,We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, Knowing good and evil. And the woman saw that the tree was good for food,and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did it. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they know they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.’
Introduction:
When an individual confesses of his sins, and repents and turns away from those sins and seeks the forgiveness of Jesus Christ, he instantaneously, in the snap of a finger, becomes a child of God, and his name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. He is a NEW CREATURE in Jesus Christ and has for an enemy of his soul, Satan.
Satan did not want to lose his control and his power and dominion over them so he immediately begins a counter- attack --- a spiritual warfare -- to regain that one back into his clutches once again. From the moment he accepts the wonderful grace of God and becomes a joint - heir with Jesus Christ, a war begins and will continue as he fights for his life and death against Satan and all of his demonic forces
for his spiritual survival.
(Ephesians 6:10-13) ’Finally be strong in the LORD and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand firm against the wiles of the devil. For we battle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world’s forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take unto you the whole armor of God,that ye may be able to stand against the evil day, and having done everything to stand, stand therefore."
When you got saved and sanctified and filled with the Holy Spirit, God gave you so many things that you became spiritual heirs of through Jesus Christ; however Satan has determined to steal those very things away from you. He does not want to see you happy in Christ and neither does he want to see you enjoying the good life you have been called to enjoy. Jesus came that YOU may have abundant, enjoyable LIFE. Satan wants to see you sad, depressed and miserable. We will now look at different strategies Satan uses to destroy our joy and our happiness and our peace, and if at all possible; destroying even ourselves.
Let’s look at four persons in the Old Testament and see how they were attacked by Satan and see what can be learned from their experiences. Satan uses the same old tactics against us all. He just adjusts them every now and then to make them taylor made for you and me.
Let’s Look At:
1:) The targets Satan aims at in our
lives
2:) The weapons Satan uses to attack us
3:) The purposes Satan wants to achieve
4:) The defenses God has provided for us
SATAN’S STRATEGY: #1: (Genesis 3:1-7)
#1: SATAN’S TARGET: YOUR MIND:
Notice when Satan set out to destroy the first man and the first woman he began the battle by attacking the woman’s mind, Eve’s thoughts.
( Ref. II Cor. 11:3 and I Timothy 2: 13-14)
<> Why would Satan want to attack your mind?
Because it is part of the image of God that God uses to communicate with us and reveal His will and His purposes unto us. God speaks to our mind. Also, our thoughts have an affect upon the rest of our lives. Proverbs 4:23 "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life." The word "HEART" in the Old Testament deals with your thought life and it is used that in that manner in over 200 of the 800 times the word "HEART" is used.
Another reason, because your thought life dominates and controls your attitude and how your view things and how you accept things and how you deal with things and issues that come your way. Your attitude leads to action and your action leads to achievement.
It is very important that you keep a careful watch upon your thoughts because your life cannot become any bigger than your thoughts. "As a man thinks, so is he." ( Proverbs 23:7)
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2:) SATAN’S WEAPONS: LIES:
The mind is the spiritual battleground where the batle is either won or lost. Satan is aware that if he can influence "what" you think, then he can also influence how you behave and act.
That’s how Satan came to Eve in the garden of Eden, deceiving her mind. Our bodies may be built by the proper food and exercize but our character is built by what we allow to "camp out" in our mind. God wants to influence our mind with truth and good thoughts but Satan wants to destroy the mind with his deceitful lies. He is the master, father of liars.
Notice the steps Satan took to get Eve to fall
for his lies and believe them.
First, he questioned God’s words. "....indeed
God has said..." Next, he denied God’s word.
"...You shall not surely die." Next, he
substitued his own words, lies. "...you shall be
as gods." Satan does not know how to tell the
truth. He would not know the truth if it hit him
in the face.
3:) How did Eve respond to Satan’s lies?
Eve responded by making three mistakes which led
to her downward path of sin.
a) She took away from the word of God. In V#2,
she ommitted the word "freely."
b) Then she added to the word of God. God did not
say she was not allowed to "touch" the
forbidded fruit.
c) Then she changed God’s word. God did not say,
"lest ye die". He said, "..ye SHALL SURELY
DIE."
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#3: SATAN’S PURPOSE: TO MAKE YOU IGNORANT OF GOD’S
DIVINE WILL
Why did Satan begin by attacking the WORD God had
spoken to Adam and Eve and then set out to change it? Because God wanted to share with mankind His will for their earthly lives. The WORD is what reveals God’s will unto us. God speaks through His infallible WORD.
Apart from the WORD of God we have no understanding of God or His will. If Satan can get you to question the WORD of God then he can get you to go your way never discovering God’s will.
#4: YOUR DEFENSE --- THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD:
St. John 8:32 "Ye shall know the TRUTH and the TRUTH shall set you free." When Satan took Jesus up into a high mountain and tempted him after Jesus had fasted for 40 days and was hungry and weak in the body, he used the WORD to attack Jesus. "It is written ....." Scrip Ref. (John 1-11)
If you and I are to win this spiritual warfare we must do these things:
1:) Love God’s Word
2:) Know God’s Word
3:) Read Gods’ Word
4:) Meditate on Gods’ Word
5:) Believe Gods’ Word
6:) Do God’s Word
7:) Use Gods’ Word.
The SHIELD OF FAITH, which is THE WORD OF GOD,
will QUENCH ALL THE FEIRY DARTS OF THE DEVIL!
"Praise God!" When we use the Word of God in
our battles against Satan, we will ALWAYS WIN.
By doing those seven steps listed above we will
overcome everything Satan may hurl at us.
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THE STRATEGY OF SATAN: #2:
Scripture Reference: Job chapters 1 and 2:
1:) Satan’s Target: Your Body
If Satan cannot defeat you by destroying your mind, he will not just simply give up on you. Oh no! His next approach is to attack your body. You see, your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. I Corinthians 6:19-20) As a serpent Satan deceives and as a roaring lion he devours. Your body is God’s tool. (Romans 6:12-13)
a) Satan’s weapon is your SUFFERING:
By gaining control of your situations and circumstances he tries to bring suffering upon you. Refer to the story of Job. Satan afflicted him with sore boils from the top of his head down to the soles of his feet. He was in absolute misery and pain.
Do not misunderstand, not all suffering is brought on by demonic forces but Satan does rejoice whenever we suffer. When the body grows weak and is in great pain our faith and will power can easily wax weak.
b) Satan’s purpose in your suffering is to get you to question the loving, powerful care of God for you. In Satan’s attack against Job- Job’s faith and trust in God was put to the test. Would Satan place upon him more than what he and God together could bear? Would his faith crumble and falter because of the intense suffering his body was in? Or, would Job continue on loving God and serving God despite his sufferings?
The only reference to Job within the New Testament is found in James 5:11, "..You have heard of the patience of Job,,," The reference here is that Satan was trying to get Job to act impatiently and to give up trusting God. Satan thought he knew Job fairly well, he thought surely no man could continue to love God and be faithful to God and go through what Job was going through. However, Satan did not know Job as well as he thought. Job’s words were: "Though He slay me, I will trust Him." In order to overcome any spiritual attack, it is an absolute must that we learn to practice patience and continue on being faithful unto the Lord, until the situation changes. Don’t cast away your confidence in God due to a moment of sufferings. It is only through being patient and holding on, that we are able to find the purpose and reason for God allowing you to go through that particular valley and test.
#04: YOUR DEFENSE: THE IMPARTED GRACE OF GOD
There was another man of God that felt an all out attack against his physical body. The great apostle Paul had similiar experiences.
II Corinthians 12: 7-10
God’s GRACE is the provision from God for every need you may have.
Here are some steps you should take when Satan attacks your body and tries to make you impatient when waiting for God to move upon the scence.
1:) Immediately Submit Yourself to God.
2:) Continue to Give God Worship, Praise, and Thanks Every Day in Spite of the Problem You Are Suffering.
3:) Pray about the situation and then believe that God will find a way to work all of this to your good. (Romans 8:28)
4:) Spend Much Time in the Word of God.
Don’t Whine or Complain
Don’t Fall Into the "That’s Not Fair" Trap
Don’t Surrender to the Problem
Speak the Word of God in the problem
Give God Opportunity to Work His Power and
Provision in the Situation
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SATAN’S STRATEGY: #3:
I CHRONCILES 21: 2, 7, 8, 9-14
Satan’s Target --- Your Will.
Satan’s goal is always to get to the will and then control it. That is what he attacked in the life of David.
Here are some WILL’S that Struggle for Man’s Obedience.
1:) Man’s Own WIll (Romans 12:1-2)
2:) Other Man’s Will (I Peter 4:2)
3.) Satan’s Will (John 8:44)
4.) God’s Will (Ephesians 5:15-17)
Why is Satan after "Our Will?" Because to serve
the Lord Jesus and to be a Christian and to serve the Lord with all of our heart, soul and mind is a decision made by "our will." God will never force Himself upon anyone. "Whosoever "will" may come and drink of the water of life freely." Your "will" helps to determine your character. Your will makes the decisions which set the course for your life.
When we look at Satan, his original sin was a sin made by his "will" Five times in Isaiah 14:12-14 he says "I WILL..." Satan seeks to dublicate this same proudful will into your mindset.
SATAN’S WEAPON: PRIDE
David was feeling really important when Satan came up to him with the idea to number the people of Israel. In this act he was repeating the proud mindset Satan did in Isaiah 14. God was the only one who was authorized to number the people. But David took it upon himself to do it despite the warning from Joab. There was no need to number the people because God had already promised to multiply the people. David did not need a number; he needed FAITH IN GOD! His purpose was to find out IF GOD had kept His word. As a result of David’s trangression 70,000 people had to die. Pride goeth before a fall.
What was really so wrong in David numbering the people? David did it for his own glory and not for the glory of God. It did not have the favor and the annointing of God. It was an act to boost David’s ego. "Look How Many People We Have Fighting For Us." Regardless of the human number, unless God goes and fights for you, you are in deep trouble.
SATAN’S PURPOSE: TO MAKE YOU ACT INDEPENDENTLY
OF GOD.
Man is a weak and dependedent creature and he cannot afford to act independently of God. Paul said that it is " in Him we live and move and have our
being." Victorious power comes about by the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Philippians 2:12-13
We are to work out our own salvation with the guidance and instruction of God. We need God woking with us and not against us. We are to seek what God’s will for our life is and not what we want.
How does God work in us? Through the Holy Spirit. Romans 12: 1-2 The Holy Spirit can work through you when your body is yeilded to God’s will. Each new day you must yeild your body, mind, and spirit to God’s will. War calls for surrenderence but instead of surrendering to Satan you must surrender to God. Then you have the power to overcome Satan.
When the spirit of God is at work within you it will produce the spirit of humility, not the spirit of pride. James 4:10 "Humble yourself in the presence of the Lord and He will lift you up."
STRATEGY OF SATAN: #4:
SATAN’S TARGET: YOUR HEART AND YOUR CONSCIENCE
The prophet Zechariah was given a vision at a time when the nation of Israel had sinned against God. The scene of the vision takes place in Heaven.
The scene was of a court room and God was the Judge. Joshua the High Priest was the defendant and Satan is the Prosecuting Attorney. Satan appears to have a case against Joshua because he appears to be wearing filthy garments while ministering and the law was that the High Priest was always to wear clean clothes. In this vision, Joshua represents the people before God in their sins. Sin is filty!
A high priest identified himself with the people he represented. Satan knew Israel was sinful and he protested to God that Israel and Joshua the priest be judged. You can imagine Satan’s arguments. Imagine how Joshua felt during this trial. Certainly his heart was broken and his conscience was smitten.
When you and I disobey God we feel guilty. Guilt is an emotion we feel when we receive a message of disapproval from the Holy Spirit. "You’ve done wrong." And shame and condemnation takes place.
Satan uses this guilt to bring you to judgment. Satan brings accusation while the Holy Spirit brings conviction. Conviction is a good thing. It is the sign God is at work, drawing you back to Him. The Holy Spirit sends the message that if you repent God will accept that repentance. Satan wants you to focus on the condemnation and not the pardon from the sin and from the guilt and from the condemnation. For there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. True conviction will always lead you closer to God.
YOUR DEFENSE: The Interceding Son of God.
Jesus stands at the Father’s right hand, ready to receive and to forgive. Hebrew 7:25 and Luke 22: 31-32. At the throne of God is amazing grace and eternal forgiveness. Satan stands to accuse but Jesus stands to forgive. praise His Holy Name. Let Him forgive you today and make you a brand new creature in Him. The shame is not to fall. The shame is to fall and refuse the extended hand of Jesus Christ to pick you up again.
