How to Overcome Satan's Tactics

Satan disguises himself as an angle of light but he is the thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy. He steals the word of God from our heart, which kills God's blessing in your life and in turn leads to destruction through lack or poverty. It can be through the lack of health, finances, fruitful relationships and joy. Learn how to defeat your spiritual adversary, because the spirit is higher than the nature. In other words, the condition of your spirit will manifest itself in the condition of your natural or physical realm.

Jesus came so that we may have life and have it to the full. By going to the cross, Jesus defeated Satan's works once & for all. He also opened the door of salvation for us. What's more, Jesus gave us the tools to defeat Satan at his own game.

Listen, Satan wants to separate you from fellowship with the one true and living God of creation by any means he can. His ultimate goal is to set his throne above his creator's throne and be worshiped, he is a master rebel,counterfeiter and liar.

Following are tactics that Satan (the evil one) or one of his fallen angles will use in order to separate you from the promises of God. Learn to discern a lie from the truth and how to defend yourself from his temptations.

“And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world.” Revelation 12:9

Satan caused the fall of man, how did he do this? By his craftiness, he knows us better than we know ourselves.

Satan deceived Eve who in turn convinced Adam that they could be like God by eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge. Instead, their eyes were opened and they knew that they were naked, so they hid from God. From that moment on, humanity became slaves to sin through Adam's seed, our flesh became corrupt.

Throughout the ages man has been deceived into believing that indeed he can be like God. What is Satan's purpose in this? It's to make man independent of God's will. It is to make ourselves the Creator instead of the creature. This deception is prevalent today in the "New Age Movement". This movement is tolerant of almost any theological position. However, it is opposed to the "narrow-mindedness" of Christianity, which teaches the truth (there can only be one truth, everything else is a lie).

The truth of the matter is this, Jesus is the only way to heaven (Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. John 14:6). "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it" (Matthew 7:13).

A major element of the "New Age Movement" is global unity, which consists of three major divisions: Man with Man, Man with Nature, and Man with God. This is the type of religion, which is perfect for introducing the "New World Order" (they go hand in hand), which in turn will bring about the final conflict between Jesus and Satan (Armageddon).

Satan's tactics are designed to destroy a Christian's life and rob them of God the Father's blessing of abundance in this life but the light of the Holy Spirit overcomes darkness, because light always has and always will displace darkness. The same can be said about truth, it displaces a lie and the truth is revealed through the Holy Spirit.

Frustration has got to be one of his best tactics. If you become frustrated enough, that is to say that you begin to believe you can't serve any purpose, you'll give up the fight, right? After all, this is spiritual warfare we are talking about.

Envy (personified as one of the deadly sins) is another tool Satan uses, once it enters the heart envy leads to hatefulness and with hatefulness comes strife.

Non-believers in Jesus Christ are already in his back pocket so they are not as juicy of a target. Satan won’t kick a dead horse, so to speak. His attacks come on four fronts. Don't be ignorant of Satan's lies lest he should gain an advantage over you. Satan’s power is the power of deception.

• Satan targets our mind through lies, when you believe his lies, you become ignorant of God's word. The Lord has given us great and precious promises so that we may share in his divine nature and escape the corruption of this world.
• If Satan can't deceive your mind, he'll target the body through suffering. This can breed impatience and doubt of God's word. If you own a bible, read the book of Job as it shows us a good example of this tactic.
• Ultimately Satan will target your will and try to controll it with self-pride to make you feel independent of God's will and rebell against God.
• Last but not least is your heart and conscience, which Satan will attack through accusations. You've probably heard someone say, "I'm too far gone, the Lord will never forgive me, my sins are too great." You can be sure that Satan is accusing them. He wants to put these people to shame. To the point of committing suicide!

Satan Goes Fishing With Temptation

Satan uses temptation as bait to appeal to our natuarl weaknesses. He hopes to set his hook into us when we start focusing on what we feel we don't have. When we focus on our lack of things, it undermines our faith in God as our source of all provisions.

The Lord does not tempt us with evil, we are tempted by evil when we are drawn to it by our own lusts. Our lust is our weakness. We are not to meditate on our weaknesses, just be aware of them so you can take steps so as not to position yourselves in the subtle snare of temptation.

Getting to know the enemy is the first step towards victory. I'd like to suggest a book that you can both learn from and apply inorder to win the battle in your mind, it's called... Everyone's Guide to Demons & Spiritual Warfare: Simple, Powerful Tools for Outmaneuvering Satan in Your Daily Life

No doubt Satan will do everything he can to lead you away from Christ and the will of God. Whether or not you realize this, we as mortals are engaged in spiritual warfare with an adversary who was created superior to man. How can we defend ourselves against these attacks? Fear not, for it is your faith in Christ that is the secret of victory!

2 Timothy 2:3-4 describes every Christian as a soldier at war. The best snare of the enemy lays in perverting or denying the truth of God's Word. Where are we going to find the truth? In the Word of God (Holy Bible).

We must rest our faith and battle strategy on three unchanging biblical and spiritual foundations.

The finished work of Christ:

• He settled the sin question (Romans 5:1-5).
• Jesus came into this world to make you acceptable (Ephesians 1:6).
• He came to conquer the Devil (Hebrews 2:14-15).

The believer's union with Christ:

• Our death with Christ (Galatians 2:20).
• Our burial and resurrection with Christ (Romans 6:).
• Our enthronement with Christ (Ephesians 2:5-6).

The present work of the Spirit of Christ in the believer:

• The Holy Spirit alone makes answered prayer possible (Romans 8:26).
• The Holy Spirit alone gives understanding of God's Word (Ephesians 1:15-18).
• His Holy Spirit strengthens our inner man or spirit (Ephesians 3:16).
• The Holy Spirit wants to fill every Christian (Ephesians 5:18).

Put on the full armor of God

The bible is a comprehensive tool for the Christian to use for deliverance in spiritual warfare. It speaks the truth, so ask the Lord to help you understand the scriptures through His Spirit.

Ephesians 6:10-18 explains the spiritual armor that God has provided for us in defense of Satan's attacks. The Holy Spirit is our power! Remember, "He that is in you (Holy Spirit) is greater than he who is in the world."

• The Belt of Truth; in ancient times people wore a belt to bind up their flowing garments. This held it all together. It's God's truth that holds everything together in our lives, so walk in the truth.
• The Breastplate of Righteousness; this is a piece of armor that covered the front of a soldier. From the neck down to the waist, protecting the vital organs, particularly the heart. When a sinner turns to trust in Christ and is born again (of the Spirit), the righteousness of Christ is credited to his/her account. God's righteousness when credited to you will never be removed.
• The Shoes of Peace; Roman soldiers wore hobnailed shoes (cleats) for stability. If you lose your footing during a fight, you're suddenly at a serious disadvantage. Our feet should be fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• The Shield of Faith; soldiers used shields as a moveable wall to duck behind during a battle when the opposing archers rained fiery arrows down upon them. Satan's fiery darts may come in the form of doubts, fears, worries or terrible thoughts. We won't quench the arrows by faith in ourselves but only by our faith in Christ, we know that the Word of God is reliable and true. These fiery darts can make you impatient, you might lash out and do or say something that you'll later regret. Turn to the Lord in faith, ask for patience and you'll experience a sense of control or calmness that will extinguish the flame.
• The Helmet of Salvation; see 1 Thessalonians 5:8, the hope a believer has in the return of Christ. The blessed hope of Christ's return is a defense against Satan's use of discouragement and despair. When others forsake you, become encouraged with this hope.
• The Sword of the Spirit; the spiritual sword has life and power in it. Our Lord used this sword to defeat Satan when He was tempted in the wilderness, by quoting Old Testament Scriptures. It's the word of God! He will again use this sword to smite the nations upon His return.

Unless you know how to put on the Armor of God, all of the above will just be Christian symbolism. Ephesians 6:18 has the answer, I hope that you'll practice and learn from what this scripture has to say.

This may come as a shock to some people. Yes, Satan does go to church. Not to worship, he goes to work in the church. No one outside the local church can hinder the ministry, that's why Satan must get on the inside!

The parable of the weeds (Matthew 13:24) teaches us that Satan sows his seed wherever Christ sows true believers. What happens when children of the devil hold a position of authority in the church? It should come as no surprise as to why a church falls away from the true faith and begins to practice "doctrines of demons" (1 Timothy 4:1).

A couple of not so recent examples come to mind. Jim Jones and the "People's Temple" or David Koresh and the "Branch Davidians". These men did profess that they themselves had the knowledge of good and evil and set their own minds above the God who created them (Lacking respect for God). Therefore they formed opinions on what is beyond the limit of understanding and fell into Satan's trap which ended in their self-destruction.

Satan has promoted false teaching in the church, he seeks to be worshiped as God

Christians, be aware of idolatry (a material object representing a deity to which religious worship is directed) in worship as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 10:19-20, we tend to assign this warning to the heathen people who live in the dark jungles of Africa or South America. This warning also applies to the fashionable denominational church as well as the simple neighborhood church. 2 Corinthians 6:14, states the incompatibility of Jesus Christ and Satan.

There is wisdom from above also wisdom from beneath. How can we recognize which is which? James 3:13, gives us a clue. Wisdom from beneath is earthly, natural and demonic. It will gradually infect a life and has caused division through an unforgiving spirit. If this wisdom doesn't concur or fall in line with the Word of God beware! That's why it is so important to know and meditate on the Word of God.

There are people who are on the church roll call but their names are not in the book of life. They have been deceived into believing that their religion is enough to save them from the Great White Throne Judgment. They might be good people but are not saved because they haven't accepted Jesus in their heart as their Lord and savior.

Selfish ambition, jealousy and arrogance are usually the root of wisdom from below. Where as wisdom from above is pure, reasonable, full of mercy and sown in peace by those who make peace. In other words, wisdom from above glorifies God by good behavior and righteousness.

Listen, There is a very real spiritual battle that is going on in the life of every Christian, and it revolves around your spiritual “garden,” which is the fertile soil of your heart. Would you like to have a revelation concerning the matter of guarding your heart, then you should read...

"The Battle for Your Garden"

Satan is not necessarily conserned about driving you backward as he is in keeping you where you are. He works to keep you from carrying out the will of God in your life, that is to say living life abundantly.

Satan builds a wall of containment around christian believers, it can be spirituly, financially or emotionally. In order for a believer to break out of restraint, there must be consistancy in learning the truth, which is in the word of God. This should be an everyday exercise. Otherwise a believer will only experience a mere penetration into the wall of containment.

Here are three ways Satan will prevent a person from obtaining abundant life.

1. Ignorance; One can't do better if they don't know any better. If you don't know to how to get healed, saved or walk in the favor of God Almighty, there is no hope. Listen, the Lord God wants to empower you to be successful in every area of your life . Jesus said, "I have come so that you may have life abundantly". If you don't seek the knowledge of God's word, your christian life will not improve.

2. Deception; It's important to know the whole truth, partial truths lead to deception. For example, you've likely heard that the truth will set you free, right? That statement is deceiving because it is a partial truth. The whole truth to that statement is this... "If you hold to the teaching of Jesus, the truth will set you free". John 8:31-32

I would encourage you to look at Galations 6:7-10, this is comprehensive spiritual truth. "Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap distruction. The one who sows to please the Spirit (Holy Spirit), from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

Note: You cannot sow something good just because you expect to get something in return, it doesn't work that way! You sow good things whether it is money, food, wisdom or your precious time out of your love for the Lord God Almighty, then you will reap a harvest.

3. Distraction; It's an encroachment on the mind in order to cause confusion. Try to focus on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Or perhaps communicate with Him through prayer. Try to do this for 5 minutes, 10 minutes or possibly 15 minutes without your mind becoming distracted by an onslot of mixed thoughts or the phone ringing. Pretty difficult to do, isn't it? Is Satan at work here? You be the judge.

Satan works to contain you by ignorance, distraction and deception, he is very good at what he does. Listen folks, the battle is won or lost in your head and mind. A man is what he thinks! If you want to bring down the walls of restraint and experience life abundantly or receive the blessing, you must feed on the word of God. The word of God is your spiritual nourishment.

Deuteronomy 8:18 - "But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob), as it is today." Don't be ignorant of this fact.

Lets face it. As believers in Christ Jesus we have been grafted into the vine (family) so, spirituly Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are our forefathers and we have the God given ability to gain wealth.

If there is one area where Satan wants to restrain you, this is it! Because if Christian believers ever understand how to work this, the devil's kingdom is in trouble. Suddenly this world will have to bow down to the will of God because who ever has the gold, makes the rules, right?

Looking at Genesis 12: God told Abraham, "I will make you a great nation and I will bless you. I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you, I will curse. All the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you." Satan does not want all the peoples of the earth blessed and works to restrain us from becoming a blessing to others.

There is much more to know about the subject of living a blessed life, visit Dr. Creflo Dollar at http://creflodollarministries.org

Breaking the chains of Satan is a topic worth learning and Dr. Creflo Dollar is an expert on this subject. The word of God has the answer, you just need to know where to find it and how to put this knowledge into practice. Become blessed and be a blessing to others.