How the Devil Comes After Us – Part 2
Acts 25: 13- 27
As we finished Acts 25, I looked at additional ways the Devil comes after believers. This study focused on the intricate dynamics of spiritual warfare and the importance of our response to his tactics.
In the review, here are the five ways the devil comes after us, which I mentioned in part one.
- The Devil Attacks Through Discouragement
- The Devil’s Attacks are Relentless
- The Devil Wants to See You Ruined and Destroyed
- The Devil is the Accuser of the Brethren
- The Devil Wants to Remove You from the Place of Safety!
It is all too common for us to give far more credit to the devil than he deserves. It can be easy for us to blame him for every bad thing that happens. But did you know that as Christians, we face a threefold enemy? It’s true; the devil is not the only enemy we deal with. The threefold enemy we as Christians face are:
- The World: Not the physical globe, but the anti-Christ culture around us.
- The Flesh: Our old sinful habits and natural reactions.
- The Devil: The tempter who uses the world to lure us into fleshly desires.
The devil will use the world to provoke our flesh and keep us in a perpetual state of compromise or, worse, disobedience. And this holds us back from God’s best for us.
It is crucial for us to remember that we are no match for the devil in our own strength. But he is no match for the power of God that is in us! Being forewarned is being forearmed, so let’s look at two additional ways that the devil likes to come after us.
Satan likes to confuse the truth of Jesus.
Satan is the master of confusion, and he loves to see Christians confused! Confusion can lead us to make poor decisions and even significant mistakes. We often see this manifest in the church through interpersonal conflicts and offenses like hurt, slander, and gossip. The good news is when we recognize confusion as a tactic of the enemy, we can combat it. The Bible tells us in 1 Cor. 14.33 that “God is not the author of confusion but of peace.” As we seek truth, pray and ask God for wisdom, we can replace Satan’s confusion for God’s truth and peace.
Satan tries to make us fearful.
Fear is a tactic of the enemy to paralyze and discourage believers. While we may like the path of comfort and predictability, the devil often uses moments of uncertainty and faith to scare us into inactivity, timidity, and even silence. For example, when sharing our faith with a friend or coworker, the devil can scare us with the fear of rejection or ridicule. He gets us to think that we aren’t good enough in the hope that we will give up. Remember, God is faithful to provide strength and courage in unknown and difficult times. When we face our fears with faith it helps us overcome them.
That makes seven ways the devil likes to mess with us. Discouragement, Relentless, Ruins and Destroys, Accuser, Isolation, Confusion and Fear. But it is vital that we remember one more attribute about our spiritual adversary…
Satan is a defeated foe. He fights from weakness, not strength. He can use all these tools to get us off our game, but only if we let him. He is defeated. We know who wins in the end!
Many people question the existence of the devil. In this chapter of Acts we learned some eye-opening experiences about the destructive nature of evil and why it’s crucial to recognize Satan’s tactics. Remember, the devil’s desperation stems from his defeat (Revelation 20:10). Let’s shift our perspective and trust in God’s power to overcome doubt and discouragement. Use the link to hear the teaching in its entirety.
