Satans Battleplan(NIV)
These last few weeks we have been talking about the battle between God and Satan, and the role we play in it. In every war, both sides go into battle with a plan or a strategy. If you dont have a plan you are usually defeated. Satan has a plan against the Church and all Christians.
Satans main strategy is a 5 fold plan.
1 Doubt-Makes you question Gods Word and his existence.
2 Discouragement-Makes you look at your problems with hopelessness.
3 Diversion-Makes the wrong things seem attractive and important so you will want them more than the right things.
4 Defeat-Makes you feel like a failure so that you don’t even want to try anymore.
5 Delay-Makes you put off doing what you need to do so that it never gets done.
Satans plan is one of deception. Both with Christians, The Church, and the world. Same as it was with Eve, it is the same today.
John 8:44
44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Satan accomplishes his strategy through his lies. There are 7 great lies of Satan. These lies will destroy you, your family, and your hopes and dreams. Why do we believe these lies when we know exactly what/who Satan is. Satan is the Father of lies and when we lie we have kinship with him.
The church of today needs to stand up and speak up to combat these lies.
What are the 7 biggest lies of Satan?
1 “The Word of God isn’t true”
God told Adam and Eve not to eat the forbidden fruit. Satan tricked them into not believing what God said and disobeying him. The result-Sin and expulsion from paradise.
Sin comes about by a process
Part 1-Fascination/Conceived-thinking about it
Part 2-The Form/Avenue-The apple, Adultery, murder
Part 3-Fulfillment/Commitment-Completing the action
Part 4-Conviction-Understanding the severity of your action or actions.
Some people go back and forth between 1 and 2. Most cant resist the temptation and fulfill or satisfy their fascination.
Some people never reach part 4. They just keep going 1,2,3,1,2,3..
Adam and Eve rejected Gods Word and brought about the end of mans dream. Adam didn’t eat the whole apple. Just 1 bite. He could have used the defense “It was only a little sin!” There is no such thing as small sin.
It only takes
-1 small bullet to kill you
-1 small blood clot to stop your heart
-1 small virus to infect and kill you
Gods solution is to separate the sinful from the righteous so they cannot infect them.
The Devil doesn’t want you to believe the Word saying you can be set free-alcohol, drugs, depression.
John 8:32
32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
2 “God will make and exception for my sin”
God will not make any exception to sin. To do so would be against his character. God always judges sin (Sodom and Gommorah, Noahs generation for evil deeds, Israel for disobedience and idolatry)
3 “I cant be happy in a Christian life”
Are you happy now? Drunk, Depressed? If you die as a non-Christian, you will wake up in Hell where you will be tormented forever. Does that sound like happy?
The Bible says that God can give you joy that surpasses all understanding.
Is the music you listen to happy? (I hate my parents, life is terrible, I’m miserable and want to die, I’d rather feel pain than nothing at all) Is that happy?
Your body is worn down and out. Is that happy? Consult the great Physician.
America-the most prescribed drugs are anti-anxiety, anti-depressants, hight blood pressure medications. Does that sound happy?
4 “There are many ways to get to God”
“Religion” is a man made way to get to God. There are many religions, but only way way to God. Noah’s Ark which represents Jesus Christ/Salvation only had 1 door. Any religion that denies Jesus Christ as the Son of God is a cult.
“New Age Religion”- says you can get to God without Jesus. You can become God yourself. Just be good and try hard enough and you’ll get there or that there is no Heaven but a “higher plane of existence”. Either you believe the Word or you don’t.
John 14:6
JN 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
5 “My sin affects only me and it’s my business”
Make no mistake, sin will destroy you sons, your daughters for generations. The Book of Joshua tells the story of Aiken who disobeyed Joshua’s orders not to take any plunder form the city of Jericho. Aiken disobeyed and Israel was later defeated in battle. Aiken, his wife, and his children were stoned. Did Aikens sin affect only himself?
-A father in jail destroys his family.
-A drug addicts addiction destroys his family.
-Children follow the example of their parents. Where are you leading them?
ILLUS-Smoking, Pornography, Alcohol “you’re too young”
6 “There is no Judgment Day or consequences for my sin”
-Whether you believe in Hell or not you can still go there. Whether you believe in gravity or not you can still fall 5 stories off a building and die. What you believe to be true has no bearing on what is really true.
-There are some ministers who preach that Hell doesn’t exist. There is no judement to fear. Bishop Carlton Pearson, New Dimensions Church in Tulsa Oklahoma. Declared a heretic by World Bishops Council and the Joint College of African-American Pentecostal Bishops. Most of his original congregation left him. But his church is on the rise again. Why? “Everybody is ok” He calls it the “Inclusion Gospel”. This is false doctrine. The Apostle Paul warned the Colossians about steering clear of false doctrine.
Colossians 2:8,23
COL 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence.
-Everyone, believer and unbeliever alike will be judged.
-Your soul will live forever somewhere whether it be in Heaven or in Hell.
ILLUS-Scientific principle of energy
7 “I have plenty of time”
-Satans most powerful lie. Even if yo don’t believe the other 6 lies, this single one can defeat you.
-“I’ll go next week to Church”
-God doesn’t delay in writing your name down in the Lamb’s Book of Life, don’t delay in asking for it to be written there!
-You could die any day or anytime. No one knows the day or the hour of their death. Nor does anyone know the day or the hour of Christ’s return.
ILLUS-The preacher and the biker
When you open your eyes in eternity, where will you be?
Where do you want to be? Heaven?
Let’s make that a certainty today!
