SATAN S DEVICES (How Satan Conquers The World His Battle Plans) 2 Cor 2:11 lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices (i.e. overcome with the sorrow or grief of our sins, 2:7) 2 Cor 11:14-15 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. 3. And, of course, WE understand that many legally married couples may not have been joined together by God, for their failure to submit to His law regarding marriage. 4. We as Christians are clearly at war for our souls as our nation slowly caves-in to the immoral influences of evil men & women. A. Many of us could not have foreseen, because maybe our heads were in the sand, a time of such moral depravity in our nation. 1. Every moral fault of man (which God defines as SIN against His Law) is either widely accepted today or excused. 2. For example a same-gender couple may not be considered a marriage, but slowly states are granting them the same legal rights as married couples. 5. May we continue to pray for the moral strength of our nation, & that its leaders will have moral fortitude to stand up for principles taught in the Word of God. B. Satan is behind all wickedness & evil; he is the Father of all lies (Jn 8:44), & he wants to change the world by advancing as many lies as he can. 1. He also has a battle plan, a pattern of attack, that we can readily see if we would allow the Word of God to educate us regarding our Ancient Foe who seeks to work us woe! 1
2. Knowing the Word of God will aid us in the war over morals standards in our nation, our schools, in our homes & in our hearts. [WHEN the citizens of our nation & its leaders stopped using the Scriptures to mark the difference between good & evil, & to establish our laws by God s standards.] C. What is Satan s battle plan; his plan of attack? Before I answer that question let me ask several other questions? 1. When did decent people in polite society have to stop using the word gay, because it was no longer understood to mean happy but rather homosexual? 2. When did we lose the right to pray to God in Jesus name in our public schools? 3. When did divorce become so widely accepted & practiced? 4. When did it become necessary for us to turn off the TV & to stop going to the Cinema? In the movie Patton, before the Battle of El Gattar, General Patton is shown reading a book on tank warfare, supposedly written by the German Field Marshall Rommel, in order to predict Rommel s tank movements. Actually Rommel never wrote a book on tank combat. His book was on infantry fighting & tactics based on his experiences in WW! www.moviemistakes.com/film960. But this makes a good point for us. If we know what to expect from our enemy, then we will be in a better position to defend ourselves against him. The Book of God exposes every tactic that Satan can use against us. Let s see what we can learn.] I. SATAN S BATTLE PLAN HAS FOUR POINTS 2
A. Point One: Make Evil Seem Good 1. Emphasize the supposed advantages of evil while concealing what God has said about it. 2 Cor 11:14-15 and no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. Rom 1:25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, & worshiped & served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. C. Point Three: Accuse Those Who Oppose Evil With Doing Evil 1. Blame the problems of society not on those who do evil but on those who do good. 1 Kings 18:17 Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, Is that you, O troubler of Israel? Jer 28:10-17 Hananiah charged Jeremiah with misleading the nation. Acts 7:59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God & saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. B. Point Two: Change The Meaning Of Words That Identify Evil & Good 1. Redefine the words that identify what is evil & good by God s definition. D. Final Point: Always Point To The Greater Evil 1. Give a rating to evil, rating it from low to high, & then only be concerned with what you consider to be the greater evil. Isa 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good, & good evil; Who put darkness for light, & light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, & sweet for bitter! 2. In other words, overlook in yourself & others the sins that carry lesser consequences. 3
II. SATAN S DEVICES, PLANS, METHODS APPLIED A. Abortion: a. Population control. b. Baby will be addicted to drugs. c. Mother incapable of proper care. d. Mother s health. e. Rape, incest (less than 5%). a. Abortion is a procedure performed on a fetus, or an unviable tissue mass. b. Abortion is about a Woman s right to choose her rights of reproduction. 3. Accuse Those Who Oppose Evil With a. Pro-life ers are all religious fanatics who blow-up health clinics & kill folks. B. Fornication: a. Late stage or partial birth abortion. b. Human cloning. a. An expression of love. a. Consenting adults, Cohabitation. 4
3. Accuse Those Who Oppose Evil With a. Puritanical values, i.e., the suppression of natural human desires, have led to sexual crimes. C. Homosexuality: a. At least its not homosexuality or murder. a. God made me this way. b. She is Gay. c. He found his gender orientation. d. Tolerance is peaceful. e. Diversity is good. 3. Accuse Those Who Oppose Evil With a. Homophobia. b. Intolerant, narrow-minded bigot. a. War, famine, disease b. Hollywood loves to emphasize the natural evils, but the moral evils are off limits. a. It is an alternate lifestyle. 5
D. Pornography: CLOSING a. It s a form of art. b. It s a practical career choice. a. Adult bookstores & entertainment. b. Exercising right to free speech. 3. Accuse Those Who Oppose Evil With a. Censorship is unconstitutional. A. Satan s devices, his battle plans to conquer our faith in God have always been the same. 1. Many people, due to their ignorance of God s word or their lack of faith in it, have become workers of Satan by advancing His plans. 2. But we, as members of Christ, must not allow ourselves to be taken in by the devils deceptive battle tactics. a. We must stay educated & trained by the word of God. b. We must reject any attempt made by men to redefine what is evil & good. c. We must stand up for truth, the word of God, & expect to be ridiculed for it. a. Child pornography. Matt 5:11-12 Blessed are you when they revile & persecute you, & say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 Rejoice & be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 6