01-30-24-ENG.

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth.

1 Timothy 4:1–3

Being aware of Satan’s opposition to our reflection of God as kingdom disciples is an important part of successfully living out kingdom values. While Satan may come at you like your friend promising you pleasure, notoriety, fame, family, or friends, there is one thing you need to realize from the start: Satan is not on your side. Satan is your enemy. He hates you. He is the opponent. And the reason he hates you so much is because you are made in the image of the One he hates the most: God. Sure, Satan may sweet-talk you and act like your friend sometimes, but Satan’s strategy is always to take you out. Like a football team preparing to face an opponent, Satan has studied you. He has studied your game film. He has dug through the clips to discover what motivates you, triggers you, causes you to act or react in a way that he wants.

In studying you—and in studying each of us—the devil and his demons know which strings to pull or which buttons to push. It’s not the same strategy for every believer. No, he’s got your specific number and uniquely zeroes in on what it takes to trip you up from living a life marked by kingdom character. And because Satan and his minions have studied you and know you so well, they will be consistent with bringing to you that which you are most apt to fall into. Sometimes this comes through creating false doctrines, or false rules. Other times it comes through raising up something inside of someone to oppose true doctrine and truth-based virtues.

Whatever the approach, Satan does all he can to get you off-track from fleshing out the kingdom values in your everyday experience. This prevents you from modeling to a lost world what it looks like to reflect the glory of God and His character. 

One way to overcome Satan’s strategies is by being aware of his strategies. Another way is through consistent prayer. As you go to God each day, ask Him to keep you from the Evil One. In doing so, you are asking God to keep you from the wiles of the devil and his attempts to get you off-track. This concept is modeled for us in the Lord’s Prayer and should be a daily routine in our lives. A third way to overcome Satan’s schemes is through living an authentic life before the Lord.

 Being honest with God about your own sins and shortcomings and being raw with God regarding your own heart will give you a closer relationship with Him. Deceitful spirits and demons prey on those who live inauthentic, hypocritical lives. They prey on those who have had their own conscience seared as with a branding iron through denying their own sins, justifying them, or downplaying them. They prey on those who have lived far enough away from the truth that they no longer even recognize it. And the way they get those who still discern the truth into a position where their conscience no longer works is through subtly steering them away in small increments, like Satan did to Eve when he questioned, “Has God said?”

Reaction:
In what ways do you feel that you are successfully overcoming Satan’s schemes in your life? Is there anything you can do to make yourself more aware of Satan’s approaches in getting you to live outside of God’s character and values? If yes, what would that be? How does one person reflecting God’s glory and values impact society? Can one person really make a difference? If yes, can you give an example?

Prayer:
Jesus, help me live with open eyes and an open heart to the deceptive schemes of Satan. Your kingdom values are rooted in truth, which is why the devil seeks to distort the truth in my own life. Show me how to overcome my own areas of weakness and sin so that I can live a holier, purer, and more committed life to You. I pray this all in Your name, amen.