Pretend for a moment that you believe both God
and Satan are real beings. And that God is
omnipresent, while Satan is a fallen angel who
can only be in one place at one time. God of
course being the Creator, and Satan being the
created being.
and Satan are real beings. And that God is
omnipresent, while Satan is a fallen angel who
can only be in one place at one time. God of
course being the Creator, and Satan being the
created being.
OK, next. Pretend that Satan's heart became
proud and he tried to usurp God's authority,
and was quickly kicked out of heaven. This would
have made him angry and confused, but
certainly very focused. Pretend his hatred
drives Him to oppose the purposes of God.
Next. Pretend that man, like Satan, has fallen
from a place of safety in God's kingdom. And
that man needs the blood which the Son of God
comes to shed on a cross for the sins of the
world. Pretend it's the only way for man to be
forgiven and brought into a right relationship
with God. Got it? Great.
proud and he tried to usurp God's authority,
and was quickly kicked out of heaven. This would
have made him angry and confused, but
certainly very focused. Pretend his hatred
drives Him to oppose the purposes of God.
Next. Pretend that man, like Satan, has fallen
from a place of safety in God's kingdom. And
that man needs the blood which the Son of God
comes to shed on a cross for the sins of the
world. Pretend it's the only way for man to be
forgiven and brought into a right relationship
with God. Got it? Great.
Now in that scenario, what strategies might an
intelligent evil angel devise to assail God's
purposes and oppose His kingdom? Imagine
Satan coming up with a worldwide plot, and
utilizing other fallen angels who now serve him
and his diabolical purposes. Imagine each of
them being assigned a particular geographical
territory in which to carry out their master's
orders.
Can you picture it? Well then, just imagine
Satan giving the following instructions to his
army of fallen angels.
Strategy #1 - Convince man he is his own god.
Trick man into believing he is not accountable to
a Creator. In other words, get man to think the
world revolves around him. Make man think
others are either extremely impressed with him;
or they think he is a loser. But either way, it
must be all about man. We must turn his eyes
inward rather than upward. Strategy #2 - Raise up a bevy of false prophets
who propose a variety of alternative religions.
Any religion is OK, as long as it isn't
Christianity. Any religious practices are fine, as
long as they don't involve trusting Jesus and
following Him as Lord of all. In fact, use false
religion as a weapon against Christianity by
convincing man that as long as the religion box is
checked in his life, it will all turn out fine in the
end.
Strategy #3 - Fan into flame man's sinful
desires. Tempt him to give into those desires so
that these habits become addictions driving man
further from God. Place things in man's path
which prompt him to compromise any allegiance
to God's Word, and any commitment to holy
living. Get man to hate others, hold grudges,
and live with bitterness and resentment. Use
lust, greed, jealousy, and every weapon at your
disposal. Hold nothing back. And realize that
your greatest opportunities will occur the
moment man steps across any one of God's
boundary lines.
Strategy #4 - Speaking of God's Word, do
whatever it takes to convince man that
Scripture is nothing but a bunch of myths. It is
not to be taken literally. Convince man that only
"fundamentalists" are naive enough to believe
such a thing. Since pride is our specialty, use it
to incite man to think highly of his knowledge, as
long as it doesn't involve true knowledge of
Christ, and a reliance upon God's Word. We must
undermine any confidence man places in the
Word of God.
Strategy #5 - Use science against man. Lead
man to think science provides all the answers he
needs in life, and to reject any belief in the
supernatural. This includes rejecting the notion
of Satan, angels, miracles, and even God
Himself.
Strategy #6 - Convince man that no one can
really know whether or not there is life after
death. Keep man so busy with activities in this
world that he barely has time to think about
deeper issues, such as eternity, and the
immortality of the soul. Get man to view himself
the way he views animals. He lives, and dies, and
that's it.
Strategy #7 - Realize that many human beings
will choose to believe heaven and hell exist. For
those people, do anything necessary to convince
them they must earn their way into heaven.
Above all else, distract man from considering
the message of salvation by grace through faith
in Christ. No matter what, man must not hear
that message. Do anything which distracts
believers from spreading the message of
salvation in your territory.
Well there you have it. Can you imagine Satan
devising such a plan? That is, if he is real, and
God is real, and the cross is man's only hope for
salvation. It seems like it would be an effective
plan. Many human beings would become ensnared
by such enticing distractions.
If such strategies were actually being carried
out, there would be plenty of evidence right
before our eyes, right? Well, look carefully in
the world today. What does the evidence suggest
to you? Are these 7 strategies for distraction
just an imaginative myth, or reality?
If you are too blind to see the Savior today, you
probably don't even recognize the very things
which are being used to confuse and distract
you. Such is the nature of spiritual warfare.
Or did you think the devil was going to show up
in a red suit with a pitchfork?
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