Satan’s Tactics

Scripture teaches that Satan repeats certain tactics and methods of deception in spiritual warfare. Paul writes, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Eph. 6:11). The term “schemes” (methodeias) is where we get our modern word “methods.” Furthermore, Scripture reveals that we can know what his methods are. Again, Paul writes, “We are not ignorant of his schemes” (2 Cor. 2:11).

If Satan is so brilliant, why does he repeat and reuse the same methods?

Most Christians never learn about Satan’s methods. As a result, it must be tantalizing for Satan and his demons to repeatedly destroy the lives of believers because they never took the time to learn about his tactics.

Satan might not change his methods because they are so effective. Indeed, a fish might ask a similar question about a fisherman’s lure. If a fish could think complex thoughts, it might ask, “If humans are supposedly so much more brilliant than us fish, then how come they keep using the same bait?” Of course, if a certain method works, why stop using it?

Satan’s tactics are so effective that we often fall for them—even when we are well-aware that it is a scheme of Satan! How many times have we nursed bitterness or anger—even when we know that Scripture directly teaches that Satan uses this to destroy relationships in Christian community? (2 Cor. 2:11; Eph. 4:27)

Why does Satan conceal himself rather than reveal himself?

Satan works best in the dark, placing intrusive thoughts on our minds. Think about it. How many of us would adopt a thought that we knew was plagiarized from the pages of Hitler’s Mein Kampf? If we knew the origin of the belief, we’d have our guard up, and it wouldn’t be easy to be persuaded. Likewise, if Satan openly and directly spoke to you, you would probably put your defenses up.

When a thought pops into your mind, you can’t tell if it is self-generated (coming from your own ingenuity and creativity), or if it’s coming from him. When we think that an idea has come from our own minds, we are far more likely to believe it. After all, we are very inclined to listen to ourselves!

An overt display of power is not as powerful as a subtle, covert attack. Remember the old adage, “The pen is mightier than the sword.” Ideas have consequences. This may be why Satan subtly lets thoughts germinate in our minds—without revealing himself as the source. Put simply, if we knew it was him, we’d reject it; but if we think it’s our own “special insight,” we are prone to nurture it.

The lesson is that we should be very critical of thinking our thought-life is a neutral arena of creativity and ideas. Our thought-life is not like Switzerland in World War II, but more like the beaches of Normandy! Just because a thought originated in your mind doesn’t mean that it originated from you. Therefore, instead of focusing on the origin of the belief, focus instead on the truth of the belief.

Consider some of Satan’s tactics below:

Satan twists God’s truth

Satan is a masterful liar and a brilliant rhetorician. Jesus said, “Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (Jn. 8:44). Indeed, Satan’s accusations are so persuasive that he was able to convince a third of the angels to rebel against God (Rev. 12:3-4). Commentators aren’t sure if this happened in the past or in the future. But the point is this: Satan is persuasive enough to even draw angels from God’s presence.

Satan twists God’s word. Satan convinced the first humans to rebel against God—even though they lived in his very presence (Gen. 3:8). How did he pull this off? He told the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” (Gen. 3:1) Satan twisted God’s original command to make it seem like God was restrictive and controlling. But God said just the opposite. He told the first humans that they could eat “from any tree… freely” (Gen. 2:16).

Satan uses false teachers and false doctrine. Fallen angels can directly pervert the gospel message. Paul writes, “Even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!” (Gal. 1:8). It’s not surprising that Mormonism and Islam both started by alleged angels communicating with their respective prophets. Indeed, Muhammad originally believed that he had encountered a demon, but his wife convinced him that the messenger was from God—not the Devil.[1]

Fallen angels use false teachers to teach “doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1). Under the influence of demons, false teachers pervert doctrine about the person and work of Christ. Paul criticized the Corinthian Christians for accepting doctrine that distorted Jesus, the Spirit, and the gospel: “You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if [false teachers] preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed… Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:4, 14 NLT). This is why believers are told to “test the spirits” because “many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 Jn. 4:1).

How can we respond?

God wants to fill our minds with truth. Jesus battled Satan with the three-fold refrain, “It is written… It is written… It is written…” (Mt. 4:4-10). This is our only hope when battling a brilliant mind like Satan. McCallum writes, “Think of how easily adults can fool a child. Without much effort you could make a child believe things that are obviously false. Their underdeveloped minds make them vulnerable to manipulation, and that’s why we try to protect them from crafty adult liars. Christians who make the mistake of arguing with Satan on his own ground find their minds tied up like a pretzel. Have you ever debated someone far smarter than you are? You feel you’re in the right but sense yourself losing the argument anyway. Skilled debaters are trained to argue either side of an issue and win regardless. Getting into it with someone like this is usually a bad idea. How much worse it would be if this brilliant debater had intimate knowledge of your own inner prejudices, life experiences, emotional makeup, and thought tendencies!”^[2]

God wants to encourage us through Scripture. Paul writes, “Whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Rom. 15:4).

Satan wants to kill and harm people

Satan is a mass murderer. Jesus taught that Satan “was a murderer from the beginning” (Jn. 8:44), and he “comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (Jn. 10:10). Peter writes, “Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). Moreover, Cain killed his brother, and John writes that he was “of the evil one” (1 Jn. 3:12), implying that this murder was influenced by Satan.

Satan can directly kill or harm people. For instance, he took the lives of Job’s children (Job 1-2). Moreover, demon possession often results in self-harm. The Gerasene demoniac “cut himself with sharp stones” (Mk. 5:5 NLT), and the father of the demon possessed boy told Jesus, “The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him” (Mk. 9:22 NLT). Of course, Satan must require permission from God to perform such an evil task (Job 2:6; Lk. 22:31). Otherwise, what would stop him from killing all people immediately?

Satan can indirectly kill or harm people through thoughts. Satan “prompted” Judas to betray Jesus by placing the thought on his heart (Jn. 13:2). Thus, he can place thoughts on our minds as well, which is his normal method of operations. Hopeless thoughts of despair can lead to self-harm, and hateful thoughts of rage can lead people to harm one another.

Consider the suicide of Judas. Satan entered Judas and influenced his decision to betray Christ (Lk. 22:3; Jn. 13:27). However, later, Judas freely committed suicide—most likely out of guilt and “remorse” (Mt. 27:3-10). While Judas had free will, Satan still played Judas like a pawn. He convinced him to betray Christ—only to pour on the guilt and remorse afterwards.

Satan can indirectly kill or harm people through false worldviews. Idolatry is empowered by Satan (1 Cor. 10:20), and it leads to dreadful and harmful practices. Historically, idolatry led to child sacrifice (Ps. 106:35-37), self-harm (1 Kin. 18:28; Deut. 14:1), and ritual prostitution (Deut. 23:17; 1 Kin. 14:24; Hos. 4:14).

Modern worldviews are more sophisticated than ancient idolatry in some respects, but just as barbaric in others. Philosophical naturalism reduces humans to mere organic machines—devoid of meaning, purpose, or value. Postmodernism leaves humans lost and alienated—adrift in a sea of relativity. Expressive individualism teaches that our personal identity comes from the feelings and intuitions within us—not objective reality.

All of these worldviews leave people filled with confusion and despair. Naturalism tells me that I am nothing more than a moist robot, postmodernism tells me that truth cannot be known, and expressive individualism leaves me groping for an identity. The further a worldview strays from reality, the worse the consequences.

This plays out in the cruelty we observe throughout history and into modern times. For instance, have you ever wondered how otherwise normal people can justify treating entire swathes of humanity with callous cruelty? It’s easy. They need to think of other human beings as sub-human. This is why Hitler called Jewish people “rats,” slave traders called African men “bucks” or “stock” or “cargo,” pornographers call their female actresses “fresh meat,” and abortion providers call unborn persons “clumps of cells.” This dehumanizing language is demonic, stripping people of the image of God.

How can we respond?

Argue with our persecutors. Peter wrote to a church that was being heavily persecuted. He told them, “Even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened” (1 Pet. 3:14 NIV). What should we do instead of cowering in fear to the threats of our persecutors? Argue! Peter continues, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Pet. 3:15 NIV). Elsewhere, Paul writes, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor. 10:5 NIV).

Pray against overt persecution. Satan can and will attack followers of Jesus in overt ways. When this happens, we should pray for him to be bound back. Paul writes, “Stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood… Pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints” (Eph. 6:11-12, 18; cf. Mt. 6:13; 12:29).

Prepare for persecution. We follow a crucified man. Therefore, we need to be prepared that suffering should be expected (Mt. 5:10; Acts 14:22; Jn. 15:18-20; 2 Tim. 3:12; 1 Thess. 3:7; 1 Pet. 4:12-19). When we endure persecution, we should remember Jesus’ suffering (1 Pet. 4:1), show love and grace to our persecutors (Mt. 5:44; 1 Pet. 2:21-23), perform good works (Titus 2:10), persevere in God’s will (1 Pet. 3:17), and defend our faith with a gentle and respectful attitude (1 Pet. 3:14-15).

Stand against persecution. Sometimes we can do everything in our control to mitigate persecution, and yet, it still comes just as hard as ever. What should we do then? Don’t budge and keep standing! Satan continuously looks to destroy us, but Peter tells us, “Resist him, standing firm in the faith” (1 Pet. 5:9 NIV). Sometimes, God calls us to do nothing more than simply endure, refusing to bend the knee to pain or social pressure.

Satan tempts believers

Satan is so creative and persistent with placing temptation into our lives that the Bible calls him “the tempter” (Mt. 4:3; 1 Thess. 3:5). Satan understands human psychology to an exquisite degree, and he has been using temptation effectively since the dawn of humanity. In fact, he might especially like this tactic because it was his first victory over humanity in the beginning (Gen. 3:1-7). Consequently, he has been using and refining this tactic ever since.

Satan places such stock in this method that he even tried on Jesus himself (Mt. 4:1-3). Imagine that! Satan has honed the art of temptation so much that he had the hubris to try it on the Son of God.

Sexual temptation seems like a particularly strong method. Regarding marriage, Paul writes, “Do not deprive each other of sexual relations, unless you both agree to refrain from sexual intimacy for a limited time so you can give yourselves more completely to prayer. Afterward, you should come together again so that Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control” (1 Cor. 7:5 NLT). Sexual immorality ruins marriages, families, ministries, and careers. We have never overcome the shock of seeing people spoil decades of work and a reputation in ministry for a cheap sexual affair.

The temptation of pride and arrogance also seems like another especially weak area of exploitation. Ananias and Sapphira saw that people were getting recognition for selling their property to provide for the poor (Acts 4:32-37). So, they lied about how much money that they gave in order to look good. This might seem like pure vanity, but Satan attributes it in some measure to Satan. He asked Ananias, “Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?” (Acts 5:3).

Satan encourages us to sin, and then he accuses us of sinning. Wiersbe writes, “Before we sin—while he is tempting us—he whispers, ‘You can get away with this!’ Then after we sin, he shouts at us, ‘You will never get away with this!’ Have you ever heard his hateful voice in your heart and conscience? It is enough to make a Christian give up in despair!”^[3]

How can we respond?

Humans have free will. We shouldn’t think of temptation like the plot of Christopher Nolan’s film Inception (2010), where psychological criminals can force someone to do something when a thought is properly “incepted.” This makes for good science fiction, but bad theology. Satan can place a thought on our minds or an opportunity in our path, but we are responsible. McCallum writes,

Satan doesn’t directly create our urges and reactions; those are ours by nature. Rather, he speaks to our minds, inflaming and justifying our sinful nature’s impulses. We sense an increasingly powerful urge to sin, reluctance to act (in the case of sins of omission), or reaction (such as angry responses). These can build over minutes, hours, even days. You begin to sense that this is not a normal temptation. Thoughts in your mind continue to torment you even after you’ve surrendered the issue to God… With any temptation, we could extrapolate the implied false belief if we think about it for a moment. Understood correctly, temptation is really a form of deception. We believe our false assumptions about the sin, and that makes it more appealing.^[4]

This is why our free will is so important to embrace. While external forces can tempt us, sin ultimately originates within us. James writes, “Each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust” (Jas. 1:14). Furthermore, while Satan is guilty for the sin of stumbling us, we are culpable for acting on temptation. In Scripture, God never buys the excuse, “The Devil made me do it!” Instead, whenever Satan tempts people, the individual is held responsible for succumbing to the temptation (Acts 5:3; Gen. 3:1-15).

You are not an animal acting on instinct. You are not too far gone to turn back now. You have a choice. To deny choice is to deny Scripture. Paul writes, “God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure” (1 Cor. 10:13 NLT).

Turn to Jesus who understands our temptation. The author of Hebrews writes, “Because Jesus himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Heb. 2:18 NIV).

Satan brings accusations into our minds

Even though Satan lived in the very presence of God, he still chose to rebel against God’s love and leadership. Consequently, Satan looks to discredit anyone who chooses to love God and follow him. McCallum writes, “Any moral being who rejects God’s leadership finds it psychologically necessary to justify that decision.”^[5] He’s right. In part, Satan must seek to accuse us in order to justify the insanity of his own moral and spiritual decisions.

Satan accused Job before God and all of the angels in heaven (Job 1:9-11; 2:4-5). While God called Job a righteous man, Satan couldn’t stand the thought of it. To paraphrase Satan’s case, he said, “No one really loves you, God. They only love your gifts. You’re buying Job’s love by giving him good gifts… But if the gifts go away, so will Job’s love for you.”

1. Satan accuses God

Satan accused God to the first humans, claiming that God was a lying, restrictive control freak (Gen. 3:1-7). It worked. Rather than focusing on the beauty of the tree or the succulence of the fruit, Satan targeted all of his accusations at God and his word. Once the first humans believed these claims, the sin followed naturally.

Satan will often bring accusations to a person against God. Unger writes, “If his victim is an unbeliever, he whispers in his ear, ‘Don’t ever become a Christian! You will really ruin your life!’ If his target is a believer, he sneers, ‘Don’t be a fool and give your life to Christ! You really want to be miserable, don’t you!’”^[6] This might explain what Jesus means when he said that “the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted” in the unbeliever’s heart. Satan must run interference to the extent that they “don’t understand it” (Mt. 13:19 NLT). Consider other common accusations against God:

Once accusations like this take hold, they don’t let go. If you cannot rebut this sort of rhetoric, you’re in big trouble.

Is it a sin to doubt?

Doubt is not the same as unbelief. Jude writes, “Have mercy on some, who are doubting” (Jude 22). Doubt isn’t a sin, but unbelief is. Consider this chart for comparing the two.

Which side do you identify with more? Why?

The object of our faith is more important than the amount of faith. The Bible doesn’t emphasize our amount of faith, as much as it values the object of our faith. For instance, a man could be scared to cross the Golden Gate Bridge—even though the bridge is structurally sound. Meanwhile, another man could be fully confident in crossing a rickety bridge—even though the bridge is dilapidated and falling apart. Here’s the point: Which man will cross the bridge? The man with little faith in the Golden Gate Bridge will get across safely, but the man with great faith in the unsafe bridge will likely perish.

You might feel scared or apathetic when taking a step of faith. That’s fine. The question is whether or not you chose to take the step—not how you felt about it beforehand. Jesus healed a man’s son when the man made the rather pathetic affirmation, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” (Mk. 9:24) Moreover, when Thomas emotionally doubted Christ (Jn. 20:24), he was met with evidence—not judgment (Jn. 20:27-29). In each case, the emotions of the person were less important than their decision to trust Jesus.

Move toward doubt—not away from it. C.S. Lewis famously said that Christianity is not a “boy’s religion.” By this, he meant that we should expect to mature into an adult faith, using our mind to its fullest extent. Are you reading quality, academic material from Christians on your doubts? Are you able to identify superficial content from serious, academic content? How many books have you read on the topics that you’re doubting?

No worldview has 100% certainty. But the Christian worldview is solid at the core:

ü  Cosmological Argument(s)

ü  Telelogical Argument(s)

ü  Moral Argument(s)

ü  Free Will Argument(s)

ü  Consciousness.

ü  The Historical Reliability of the Gospels

ü  Archaeological Evidence

ü  Argument for the Resurrection

ü  Fulfilled Predictive Prophecy

ü  Credible miracle reports

ü  Change in millions of people’s lives

However, Christianity does have superficial problems on the surface:

ü  Talking snakes and donkeys?

ü  Where did Cain get his wife?

ü  The flood?

ü  Quirinius census in Luke 2?

Do you think these problems invalidate Christianity? Compare this with the problems in other worldviews:

Atheism and agnosticism have no explanation for the core questions of life: the origin of the universe, fine-tuning, objective morality, consciousness, free will, etc. I’d hate to have a worldview that cannot even account for something as simple as the reliability of my own consciousness or free thought.

Other religions have virtually no evidence for their religious assertions. The Qu’ran is basically a 114 chapters (surat) of assertions about Allah and Muhammad. But none of it is grounded in history. Hinduism and Buddhism have no interest in evidence because the teachings themselves are important—not objective claims about history. Fringe groups like Mormonism make historical claims that have been repeatedly proven wrong. Far different than historical Christianity.

Check your personal walk with Christ. Are you struggling with any issues related to your relationships, moral integrity, spiritual well-being in the means of growth, or suffering?

2. Satan accuses us

During Zechariah’s time, Satan accused the high priest Joshua, but the angel of the Lord (Jesus?) interceded for the man (Zech. 3:1-9, 6:11-15). Legally, Satan has no right to accuse believers in Christ. Paul writes, “Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. ³⁴ Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us” (Rom. 8:33-34 NLT). But he does so quite effectively.

Spend some time watching the outrage and vitriol of political pundits online, and you’ll get a taste of Satan’s approach to his accusation of us. Even when you hear false statements, the incessant barrage of accusations wears you down.

God’s view of us never changes. He sees us “in Christ,” completely and totally “holy and blameless before Him” (Eph. 1:4). Because we are identified with Christ, he views us in the same way that he views Christ—as his “beloved son” with whom he is “well-pleased” (Mt. 3:17).

Satan can’t change the reality of our identity in Christ. So, he simply ignores it, focusing on the reality of our sins and failures. He focuses on making feel filthy before God. He’ll tempt us into a certain sin by saying, “You deserve it… Just unwind a little bit.” But then immediately afterward, he’ll whisper, “You would get into that right before meeting with other believers? You’re a hypocrite and a fake!”

How do we know if a thought is an accusation from Satan or conviction from God?

In order to identify fake currency, we hold it up to the light to see if the ghost-image of the presidential figure is present in the bill. Similarly, when thoughts enter our minds, we need to hold them up to the light of Scripture. These biblical criteria will help shed light on whether a thought is from God or from the Evil One.

(1) Does the thought get you to dwell on your failures from the past? God wants you to learn from the past, but not to be paralyzed by your failures. Paul writes, “Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead” (Phil. 3:13).

(2) Does the thought make God seem sadistically restrictive? God doesn’t want to ruin your life. Satan does. Jesus taught, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (Jn. 10:10).

(3) Does the thought contain a half-truth? Good liars know how to include just enough truth to make their deceit seem plausible. In the film The Usual Suspects (1995), Verbal Kint tricked the police detective by weaving together truth and lies in his story about “Keyser Soze.” By the end, the audience is so mixed up that it takes a while to separate truth from fiction.

Satan thrives on half-truths. He told the first humans, “You will be like God” (Gen. 3:5). Of course, this is a half-truth. They did become like God—basing morality off of themselves—but this led to turmoil and not freedom. Likewise, Satan tempted Jesus by telling him to turn stones to bread and even quoting Scripture to him (Mt. 4:3, 6). Jesus had the power to turn stones to bread, and God would protect him within his will (Ps. 91:11-12). But believing these half-truths would’ve led to total destruction. Sanders writes, “[Satan’s] strategy is to include enough truth in his teaching to make error appear both credible and palatable.”^[7]

You might get an intrusive thought that tells you, “You’re more sinful than you ever imagined… How can you try to serve God when you’re in a condition like that?” The first part of this thought is undoubtedly true, but the second half imported a lie. While you are more sinful than you ever imagined, you are also more loved than you ever hoped. Satan would never communicate the love of God like this—only truths about how much we fail him.

Consider another thought: “You have been hiding your sin for over a year, and you’re a real hypocrite… You should be honest with yourself and stop following Christ, rather than live in hypocrisy.” Again, the first part of this thought could be entirely true: perhaps you have been a hypocrite and you have been lying. How does it follow from this that you should quit following Christ? God would never tell you to stop following him! The right solution is to come into the light and get the grace and help that you need to truly change—not fall away from following Christ altogether.

(4) Does the thought push you toward God or away from God? Does it push you toward or away from other believers? When the first humans fell, they hid from God (Gen. 3:8) and turned on one another (Gen. 3:12). Whenever a thought makes you want to hide from God or his people, you can know that this isn’t a message God would ever send you. After all, the author of Hebrews writes, “Let us not give up meeting together” (Heb. 10:25 NIV). Satan would erase the word “not” from God’s word, and tell us, “Let us give up meeting together”!

(5) Does the thought urge you to serve others, or does it create a feeling of discouragement and defeat? Why would God ever want you to feel stupid for trying to take a step of faith? Would he ever want you to feel discouraged for serving him or others? Not at all. Paul writes, “Be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless” (1 Cor. 15:58; cf. Gal. 6:9; 2 Cor. 4:1; Jas. 5:7-8).

(6) Does the thought convince you that your feelings are more reliable than God inerrant word? Satan has many people convinced that their feelings are more reliable than reality. Yet, if God says one thing, but your feelings tell you the opposite, who is in the right? All of us need to learn to judge our feelings through the filter of divine facts.

Jesus experienced a wide range of emotions. Yet, Jesus never allowed his emotions to control him. His emotions never led him into sin or deception. Spiritual maturity occurs when we develop the ability to understand how we feel, while not allowing this to control what we do.

3. Satan accuses fellow believers

Scripture teaches that Satan is “the accuser of our brothers and sisters” (Rev. 12:10 NIV), and he plays an integral role in causing suspicion in the Body of Christ (2 Tim. 2:26). By fueling bitterness and resentment, Satan can rip apart Christian community like liquifying fruit in a blender.

Loving Christian community is one of the greatest apologetics for the reality of Christ (Jn. 13:34-35; 17:21-23; 1 Cor. 14:25). Satan knows that he cannot “destroy the church,” but he can “discredit it.”^[9] This must be why Scripture treats division in the Body of Christ as such a serious sin. Paul writes to “reject a factious man after a first and second warning, knowing that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned” (Titus 3:10-11). Elsewhere, he writes, “There may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another” (1 Cor. 12:25), and he writes, “[Be] diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3).

When we start to believe Satan’s accusations against fellow believers, this makes communication and reconciliation nearly impossible. Satan uses our lack of forgiveness as one of his premier tactics. Paul writes, “I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes” (2 Cor. 2:10-11 NIV). And elsewhere he writes, “Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil” (Eph. 4:26-27 NLT).

Satan uses passive division. Division is more often passive than active. Passive division refers to silently retreating from others in suspicion, distrust, and gossip. Superficial relationships replace real love in groups like this, emptying the church of its power (Jn. 13:34-35; Jn. 17:21-23; 1 Cor. 14:24-25).

Satan uses active division. Those in the midst of bitterness rarely realize that Satan can use their hurt feelings to hurt others. McCallum writes,

Sowing suspicion is the name of Satan’s game. He can usually ground suspicions in facts, at least partially, subtly adding assumptions about people’s motives. But even when people are in the wrong, we are called to help fellow believers overcome their problems, not fight with them or hold them in contempt. Some people are remarkably susceptible to suspicious thoughts about fellow Christians. They never consider that the accusing voice in their heads might be Satan. The Evil One knows which individuals in any fellowship have immature conflict-management skills. These self-centered believers rarely go to people they harbor suspicions against with a humble spirit and open mind. Instead, they become bitter and spread their suspicions to others, often exaggerating for effect. Believers tell tales heedless of the effect they may have on local church unity, and they do so without fairness, context, or key information that would ruin their intended spin-job.^[10]

Lying dormant until the right moment, these people are secret weapons that Satan can unleash when he’s ready. Experience suggests he may have several people substantially under his control in the same church. The sudden nexus of several bitter people with the same agenda is a sure mark of Satan’s handiwork. Bitterness and suspicion then spread with incredible speed from person to person.^[11]

Accusing other believers is easy for him because people often are guilty. We will never be in a church, Bible study, or family where other people don’t wrong us; some suspicion is often warranted in these situations, and sometimes later events confirm our suspicions. But we should recognize Satan’s spin: It’s not only that a person has done something wrong, but as a result he is fundamentally untrustworthy. It’s not just that she said something wrong, but she said it deliberately, with the intent to hurt you. Satan strings patterns of historical failure together into a scenario that suggests permanent distrust and avoidance. Rejection and separation seem to be the only reasonable responses.^[12]

The way to cure bitterness is not to expect others to weep and beg for our forgiveness. Instead, we should take different approaches depending on the situation. We might need to:

Satan will use bitterness to poison your soul (Eph. 4:26-27; 2 Cor. 2:10-11), and it will “corrupt man” (Heb. 12:15). Do you think it’s possible that you’re deceived in the area of division and conflict? How would you know? Do you think it’s possible that Satan is using your hurt feelings to cause division? We think that “bitterness” isn’t a big deal, but Scripture calls this “demonic” (Jas. 3:14-16). Don’t let Satan ruin your life through bitterness.

Satan distracts us from prayer

Paul wrote that a man named Epaphras was “always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers” (Col. 4:12), and he told the Romans, “I urge you… to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me” (Rom. 15:30). Of course, when we pray, we are not “laboring” or “striving” with God. We are striving against our own sinful nature and also against Satan. It is not a coincidence that Paul’s long description of spiritual warfare is immediately followed by the command to “pray at all times in the Spirit” (Eph. 6:18).

When Jesus confronted a demon-possessed man, the demon cried out, “Please, I beg you, don’t torture me!” (Luke 8:28 NLT) Think of that. Demons are the scariest creatures in all of creation, but they “tremble in terror” before Jesus (James 2:19 NLT). Demons fear your prayers. They fear the name of Jesus. The powerful name of Jesus can “command” Satan and his demons to flee with just a word (Acts 16:18).

Prayer can debilitate Satan’s every move. Thus, Satan has one strategy: keep you from praying at all costs! Satan knows that when you open your mouth, he must submit to God’s infinite power (James 4:7). So, he keeps you from opening your mouth in the first place. Pastor Chuck Smith described the importance of prayer in this way:

Intercessory prayer is a real labor. It’s a real conflict in the battle against Satan. It’s the deciding factor, and that’s why Satan fights it so hard. Suppose that someone attacked you on a dark street and started wrestling with you. If he were to pull a knife, the whole battle would suddenly be centered on one thing—control of the knife. All of a sudden, you’d forget about punching him in the nose. You’d be grabbing for his wrist and trying to knock that knife out of his hand for you realize that it is the deciding factor in this battle. Satan knows that prayer brings you victory and spells his defeat. He knows it’s the deciding factor in this spiritual warfare. That’s why he concentrates all his efforts against prayer. He’ll do all he can to upset your prayer time, and keep you from praying.^[14]

So true! This explains why such a simple act as prayer is so difficult to maintain over any stretch of time. Why do you suddenly become so tired when you pray? It’s strange. You can be wide awake one minute, but then terribly tired after only a few minutes of prayer. If you struggle with insomnia, just start praying for the people in your life. Satan won’t tolerate it. He will put you to sleep in minutes!

Why do so many distractions enter the room when you pray? Text messages will flood into your phone. Your doorbell will ring. You’ll feel an absolute compulsion to check your email, social media, or bank account. Taking care of chores around the house will suddenly feel absolutely necessary and urgent—almost as if taking out the trash can’t wait another 15 minutes. Satan “knows that he who daily observes the quiet hour at the feet of Jesus is invincible… Such a soul may momentarily be led astray and transgress the will of God; but he flees at once back into the open arms of Jesus, and comes out again stronger than ever.”^[15]

How can we respond?

Satan cannot stop us from praying. It is within our control to develop sweet, enjoyable, and consistent time with God. If you are lagging in this area, take our class on “Spiritual Growth.”

Satan targets the spread the gospel

Satan opposes the spread of the gospel DIRECTLY. Satan can confuse the message of the gospel before a person can grasp what they heard. Jesus said, “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart” (Mt. 13:19). Paul wrote, “The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel” (2 Cor. 4:4), and “Satan hindered” him in his ministry (1 Thess. 2:18).

How can we respond? McCallum writes, “How many times do Christian leaders square off against Satan with prayer, the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit and meet defeat anyway? Not often. Usually leaders are scrambling to do damage control well after the fact.”^[16]

Satan opposes the spread of the gospel THROUGH FALSE RELIGION. Satan desires to be served and worshipped (Mt. 4:8-10), and Paul wrote that idol worship is really “sacrificing to demons” (1 Cor. 10:20). McCallum writes, “Satan fosters religion that allows people to view themselves as gods, and by so guiding, he causes them to believe they’re close to God when in fact they are not.”^[17]

How can we respond? Paul tells us to dismantle false views through dialogue, discussion, and debate (2 Cor. 10:3-5; 1 Pet. 3:15; Titus 1:9).

Satan opposes the spread of the gospel through FALSE BELIEVERS. When Paul came to Philippi, a demon-possessed girl followed him around to distract people from Paul’s message (Acts 16:16-18). Paul warned, “[Satan’s] servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds” (2 Cor. 11:15). Satan can proof text the Bible to twist the text (Mt. 4:7; Ps. 91:11-12), and so can false teachers. Anyone who is actively trying to spoil the message of grace is acting on behalf of the evil one (Gal. 1:8; 2:4).

In our own day, false believers of the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) make Christianity seem so strange and sadistic that they turn the message of the gospel into a message of hate. This “church” consists of only 40 members, yet it regularly garners the attention of national news. As it turns out, Fred Phelps’ children reported that he beat his wife and children with the handle of an axe, and his grown son Nate hasn’t spoken to him in years. His other son Mark left the WBC in 1973, and he doesn’t believe his father is even a Christian. Since 2004, WBC has lost twenty of its small population of members.

By flooding the market with fakes, Satan makes true Christians blend in as wackos or extremists (cf. Marjoe Gortner, Benny Hinn, etc.).

How can we respond? We have plenty of common ground with secular society in this regard. Indeed, secular people can often spot false Christian leaders far easier than many believers in Christ (who too often defend them!). Scripture teaches to scrutinize what we are hearing from other believers. Paul writes, “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others pass judgment” (1 Cor. 14:29), and he writes, “Examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thess. 5:21-22). This could even result in public rebuke (Mt. 16:23; Gal. 2:11-16).

Satan opposes the spread of the gospel through MANIPULATED BELIEVERS. After Ananias and Sapphira brought hypocrisy into the early church, Peter asked, “Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land?” (Acts 5:3) Paul said that believers should “escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will” (2 Tim. 2:26). This doesn’t refer to demon possession, but to manipulation.

When believers fall prey to just one of Satan’s lies, they become susceptible to more. The logic of disbelieving God in one area can quickly be used to disbelieve in another. McCallum writes, “Christians who begin believing even one of Satan’s lies find themselves on a slippery slope… The mental battle with him is rarely a single encounter but rather a day-in, day-out, wearying dialogue that tends to break us down. He piles evidence onto evidence as he builds his case. No sooner do you begin to wonder if Christians can be trusted than you find out one of them has been talking behind your back. No sooner do you begin to worry that you’re not putting enough energy and time into your financial standing than your car breaks down and a big unexpected bill hits. You begin wondering if witnessing might be too risky because people could be offended, only to hear a neighbor angrily describing how offended he was by a recent encounter with a Christian.”^[18]

How can we respond? When talking about believers who are ensnared by the devil, Paul writes that we should take a gentle approach—not using more confrontative force than is necessary to win them. He writes, “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses” (2 Tim. 2:24-26).

Satan opposes the spread of the gospel through CORPORATE DECEPTION. Church leaders often oversee millions of believers who don’t even know or believe in the Bible. Other leaders place additional sources of authority alongside the Bible (e.g. Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, etc.). In extreme examples, church authorities tortured believers for their Christian convictions.

How can we respond? While churches in the episcopal model of church government solve this problem through a hierarchical approach, this is misguided. If leaders become distorted, then who corrects them? The answer is simple: Scripture. McCallum writes,

Any time we reckon a second authority as equal to Scripture, it ends up eventually replacing Scripture as the true source of revelation. These cult groups and churches drift further and further from biblical teaching with essentially no constraint, and once the church authorizes humans to generate rulings and visions that have equal authority with the Word of God, anything can happen. Satan can literally take over such groups, leading them to commit atrocities in the name of Christ: slaughtering, stealing, lying; you name it. They may present an image so grotesque and bizarre that they drive the watching world away in horror.^[19]

The solution to corporate deception is to encourage public and private reading of Scripture (1 Tim. 4:13), good hermeneutics (2 Tim. 2:15), and learning “not to exceed what is written” (1 Cor. 4:6).

Conclusion

Satan has many tactics at his disposal, but we have far greater power. Followers of Jesus need to learn to rest in their identity in Christ, and they also need to learn to fight out of this identity (see “The Believer’s Response”).

[1] Muhammad received his first revelation from the angel Gabriel in the cave of Hira in AD 610. One of the most authentic hadiths states, “The angel came to him and asked him to read. The Prophet replied, ‘I do not know how to read.’ ... Then Allah’s Messenger returned with the inspiration and with his heart beating severely. He went to Khadijah bint Khuwailid and said, ‘Cover me! Cover me!’ They covered him till his fear was over, and then he said, ‘I fear that something may happen to me.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 1, Hadith 3). Then, in the earliest biography of Muhammad (AD 767), we read, “‘I feared for myself’ or ‘I thought I had gone mad,’ or that he might be possessed” (Ibn Ishaq's Sirat Rasul Allah).

[2] Dennis McCallum, Satan and His Kingdom: What the Bible Says and How It Matters to You (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2009), 104.

^[3] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Strategy of Satan: How to Detect and Defeat Him (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1979), 84.

[4] Dennis McCallum, Satan and His Kingdom: What the Bible Says and How It Matters to You (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2009), 150.

[5] Dennis McCallum, Satan and His Kingdom: What the Bible Says and How It Matters to You (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2009),

^[6] Merrill Unger, What Demons Can Do to Saints (Moody Publishers: Chicago, 1991), 32.

^[7] J. Oswald Sanders, Satan is No Myth (Chicago, IL: Moody, 1975), 74.

^[8] J. Oswald Sanders, Satan is No Myth (Chicago, IL: Moody, 1975), 37.

^[9] J. Oswald Sanders, Satan is No Myth (Chicago, IL: Moody, 1975), 82.

[10] Dennis McCallum, Satan and His Kingdom: What the Bible Says and How It Matters to You (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2009), 87.

[11] Dennis McCallum, Satan and His Kingdom: What the Bible Says and How It Matters to You (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2009), 88.

[12] Dennis McCallum, Satan and His Kingdom: What the Bible Says and How It Matters to You (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2009), 196.

[13] Dennis McCallum, Satan and His Kingdom: What the Bible Says and How It Matters to You (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2009), 91.

[14] Chuck Smith, Effective Prayer Life (Costa Mesa, CA: Word For Today, 1980), 14.

^[15] Ole Hallesby, Under His Wings (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Publishing House, 1932), 141.

[16] Dennis McCallum, Satan and His Kingdom: What the Bible Says and How It Matters to You (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2009), 95.

^[17] Dennis McCallum, Satan and His Kingdom: What the Bible Says and How It Matters to You (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2009), 52.

[18] Dennis McCallum, Satan and His Kingdom: What the Bible Says and How It Matters to You (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2009), 108.

[19] Dennis McCallum, Satan and His Kingdom: What the Bible Says and How It Matters to You (Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2009), 82.