My pastor recently gave a sermon about Jesus the great shepherd from John 10. He emphasized how Jesus loves us, pursues us (even leaving the 99 to come after us), and saves us. Then he emphasized how important it is for us to listen and recognize the voice of our shepherd. Thank God we have this wonderful shepherd in Jesus.
In this same passage, Jesus says that there is a thief. This thief’s motives are to steal, kill, and destroy. The apostle Peter makes a similar reference in his letter to the church.
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8 NIV)
If our enemy is on the prowl and seeking to devour and destroy us, it behooves us to understand his tactics, and then to be sober-minded and alert. Deception, division and distraction are his best and most-often-used tools.
Deceit
The apostle John, who identifies the devil as a thief, gives us more insight.
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. 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. (John 8:44 NIV)
The devil is a liar and deceiver. In the garden of Eden, he beguiled Eve and caused her to doubt God. Satan embedded the notion that God is holding back and cannot be trusted, when in fact he is the one who cannot be trusted. He is the liar who twists God’s words.
He continues to gaslight humanity by planting the seeds of disbelief. How can there be a good, loving God when there is so much evil in the world? Why would an invisible, distant God be concerned about my personal choices and moral behavior, when self-expression and personal happiness are the higher good for me? Why did a good God let my loved one die when he could have intervened? The emotional doubt and moral dilemmas have worked well to keep many people in a state of disbelief.
Division
For those of us who have tasted and seen that God is good and live as believers, we are still at risk to the devil’s tactics. One he loves to use is division — separation by differences of opinion or feeling, disagreement, dissension, contention. In other words, the opposite of unity.
At the root of division is the presence of sinful pride. This wrongful, self-centered, sense of superiority is what caused the archangel Lucifer to fall and to become Satan.
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! … For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne … I will sit also upon the mount … I will ascend above the heights…I will be like the most High. (Isaiah 14:12-14 NIV)
It is the seed of pride that causes us to esteem ourselves above others and to think more highly of ourselves than we should. (Lucifer, drunk with pride, thought he could displace God.) It is this arrogance that alienates us and erodes the communities of our families, neighborhoods, and churches. It is the handiwork of the destroyer.
Distraction
Unified believers are prey to the devious tool of distraction. We live in an age where “busyness” is given an elevated status. You must be important because you are so busy. Full calendars and constant action have been the primary metrics for success.
Jesus imparted words of wisdom throughout his brilliant Sermon on the Mount that give us timely knowledge that can help us in the 21st century.
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? (Matthew 6:24-25 NIV)
In essence, he is saying that being overly anxious about our physical existence and physical needs can easily dominate our life. Our time and attention can be fully occupied with the pursuit of money and goods, which chokes out the flow of our relationship to our God and Savior. Serving God, seeking his kingdom and righteousness, is the chief master we attend to, and then we can rest assured that all the physical needs will be met.
Conclusion
I very seldom talk about the devil. I believe the advice given in the book of James that tells me when I submit myself to God, the devil’s only option is to flee far from me. However, I find it helpful to know that the tools of deceit, division and distraction are the methods by which the enemy can gain a foothold. So as Peter exhorts, let’s be alert and sober-minded, and as my pastor says, let’s listen to the true voice of the good shepherd.
It’s true, we don’t talk much about the devil, but this powerful powerful message helps us be more aware of his tactics. His goal is to destroy and he uses our own pride to do it. Thank you!
Thanks, Greg! I appreciate your helpful insights. We must resist the devil’s influence in our lives which destroy the unity which is in Jesus. Focusing on Jesus in us empowers us to love one another as He loves us!
It’s good that we don’t talk much about the devil, because most of the problems we wrestle with come not from outside, but from within ourselves.
The words of Jesus, Mark 7:20-23:
“What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Great comment Michael. I know of no place in scripture where the devil or demons have forced anyone to sin. James 1:12-15 I believe is important in this discussion. And 1 Cor. 10:6-13 reminds us that our only hope is our faith in the One who loves us so deeply He became one of us, paid for us, and showed us the Way and the Truth and the Life,
Thank you Dr Williams for a clear warning about Satan. I heard this 60 years ago from God’s Apostle Herbert Armstrong. In recent years little has been spoke of Satan but his anger is increasing as we see in this present evil world.
Another church leader and I had a doctrinal disagreement at a recent church leaders meeting. It was tense and left a bad taste. Believing it could be worked out and resisting the temptation to avoid each other we did what Jesus said to do. We came together, prayerfully. Both of us are willing to admit it when we are wrong and so we did. We accepted one another’s apologies, forgave each other, and experienced a closer walk with our Good Shepherd and each other. The doctrinal error was corrected.
As Christians, while not being naive, we can always walk in the certainty and spiritual reality of 2 Kings 6:15-17 (emphasis on vs.16) 16 “Fear not, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
Thanks Greg for reminding us of the tactics of evil, that seeks to disunite us from our unity in Jesus and His Spirit presence in us. Thanks be to God Our Father who has gathered us now together in One!, to share in the faith of Jesus, Who is our Victory over all evil! 1 Jn 5:4
Thank you, Greg. Much needed reminder.
Excellent reminder for all of us.
Thank you so much for reminding us that God is GOOD… and all we need!!
It’s true, we don’t talk much about the devil, but this powerful powerful message helps us be more aware of his tactics. His goal is to destroy and he uses our own pride to do it. Thank you!
Thanks, Greg! I appreciate your helpful insights. We must resist the devil’s influence in our lives which destroy the unity which is in Jesus. Focusing on Jesus in us empowers us to love one another as He loves us!
It’s good that we don’t talk much about the devil, because most of the problems we wrestle with come not from outside, but from within ourselves.
The words of Jesus, Mark 7:20-23:
“What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
Great comment Michael. I know of no place in scripture where the devil or demons have forced anyone to sin. James 1:12-15 I believe is important in this discussion. And 1 Cor. 10:6-13 reminds us that our only hope is our faith in the One who loves us so deeply He became one of us, paid for us, and showed us the Way and the Truth and the Life,
Thank you Dr Williams for a clear warning about Satan. I heard this 60 years ago from God’s Apostle Herbert Armstrong. In recent years little has been spoke of Satan but his anger is increasing as we see in this present evil world.
Another church leader and I had a doctrinal disagreement at a recent church leaders meeting. It was tense and left a bad taste. Believing it could be worked out and resisting the temptation to avoid each other we did what Jesus said to do. We came together, prayerfully. Both of us are willing to admit it when we are wrong and so we did. We accepted one another’s apologies, forgave each other, and experienced a closer walk with our Good Shepherd and each other. The doctrinal error was corrected.
As Christians, while not being naive, we can always walk in the certainty and spiritual reality of 2 Kings 6:15-17 (emphasis on vs.16) 16 “Fear not, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
Thanks Greg for reminding us of the tactics of evil, that seeks to disunite us from our unity in Jesus and His Spirit presence in us. Thanks be to God Our Father who has gathered us now together in One!, to share in the faith of Jesus, Who is our Victory over all evil! 1 Jn 5:4