“¹Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be temptedby the devil. ² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”

⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”

¹¹ Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.” Matthew 4:1-11 (NIV) 2010

“The Six Demonic Strategies of Satan”

II. The Devil Uses His Boldness to Execute His Attacks

“The tempter came to him…”

Demons tremble at the presence of Jesus; even when Jesus was not addressing them, demons would cry out as Jesus would pass by. We can’t confuse demons with Satan. I must make clear the fact that the devil is bold. Though that does not mean that he is even a threat to God; we must point out that when the devil came at Jesus; he did without fear. It took great courage to do a face-off with the Son of God. Chapter forty-one of Job is a description of the devil; in verse thirty-three we read: “Nothing on earth is its equal—a creature without fear.” Satan, formally known as Lucifer, planned a conspiracy against God. Lucifer convinced one-third of the angels in heaven. My friends; boldness is needed to even try a plan like that. Satan was also bold enough to come and contaminate God’s creation by seducing Adam and Eve into sin. I am believing that Satan is convinced that he can beat God. Satan did not run from Jesus, he came after Jesus!

The same way he came after Jesus, he is coming after you and me, personally, when we become a threat to his plan. If he is not scared of Jesus, do you think that he is scared of you and me? If you think that your shout, the fancy suit, a few years of seminary and a millions titles before your name will scare him away, you are up to a very rude awakening.

TO BE CONTINUED…

One response

Dennis Owen

01/13/2011

There is no question that even a once-through reading of the New Testanent portrays a powerful battle between light and darkness. VIn Colossians 1:16 Paul tells us clearly that not only were “all things” created by Jesus Christ but also things “visible and invisible” were created by him — whether they are thrones and dominions or principalities and powers.

We also learn from Colossians 2:15 that the “principalities and powers” were disarmed by Christ in his death and resurrection. Disarmed! Because of Calvary they were made a public spectacle. Paul uses the image of a Roman triumph. He visualizes the victorious commander parading down the streets of the city as the crowds cheer. Chained to his chariot are the warriors whom he has taken captive in war. Thus Christ has triumphed over Satan and all of his “principalities and powers.”

We can’t scare the devil away with our shoutsWhen we pray, it is not just our little prayers that are coming against any given situation. We can’twill scare him away, you are up to a very rude awakening.Therefore, it is the power of Jesus’ Name that carries the weight of authority and He has given us His Name by which we might join Him in preserving the world. We do not know what is ahead of us, but we do know that we can pray that the forces of the enemy are kept at bay, and that God brings forth good out of everything the enemy attempts to do.

We can pray that believers everywhere are strengthened and clear minded so as to stay confident in the Lord at all times and to be a light in the midst of any darkness. We can pray for determination to maintain morality against any onslaught of filth, and that our children not succumb to the worldly lusts and enticements but that God put an angel between them and the world to keep them from the evil one. We can pray God rescue this next generation to make them militant in prayer for Him.

Our weapons are mighty to pulling down of strongholds. Those strongholds are often media-manipulated and materialistically-fueled, but we know that the spirit world drives the physical/natural world so that we can do battle where the battle really is in the assurance that God’s Spirit is mightier than anything the enemy has to offer. We also know that God has already told us that at some point He would shake the world in such a way that that which is not of Him would fall to the ground. Will we feel it? Probably. Will it scare us? Perhaps. That’s why we can begin praying now that if and when changes come, we can interpret the changes correctly and discern what the Lord is doing in the midst of them. Surely it may look to many like chaos is prevailing, but to those of us who know the Lord, we know that God will work all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. We can pray now that when challenges come, we stand firm in Him and confident in His Lordship.

Loading…

Reply

Unmasking the Ancient Ways of Satan Part 4

Share this:

Like this:

One response

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Discover more from thepropheticlens.com