#S2-044: How You Can Overcome the Tools of Satan [Podcast]

The Believers Authority in Christ

by

Writing in Moody Monthly, Carl Armerding recounted his experience of watching a wildcat in a zoo. “As I stood there,” he said, “an attendant entered the cage through a door on the opposite side. He had nothing in his hands but a broom. Carefully closing the door, he proceeded to sweep the floor of the cage.” He observed that the worker had no weapon to ward off an attack by the beast. In fact, when he got to the corner of the cage where the wildcat was lying, he poked the animal with the broom. The wildcat hissed at him and then lay down in another corner of the enclosure. Armerding remarked to the attendant, “You certainly are a brave man.” “No, I ain’t brave,” he replied as he continued to sweep. “Well, then that cat must be tame.” “No,” came the reply, “he ain’t tame.” “If you aren’t brave and the wildcat isn’t tame, then I can’t understand why he doesn’t attack you.” Armerding said the man chuckled, then replied with an air of confidence, “Mister, he’s old—and he ain’t got no teeth.” 1 That’s an accurate description of Satan the roaring lion who seeks to devour (1 Peter 5:8). He is a defeated lion with no teeth. But, that doesn’t stop him from making a bunch of noise. In order to enforce his defeat, and to shut his mouth, you have to learn to call his bluff. You can do it if you know his devices.

This is part three of the Series entitled, ‘The Believer’s Authority in Christ’. You can find Part One ‘How to Terrorize the Terrorist Encore [Podcast]‘ here and Part Two ‘How to Stop Satan from Pushing You Around‘ here.

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The Devices of Satan

2 Corinthians 2:11 (KJV)
11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

  • The Greek word ‘devices’ means the content of what a person is thinking of.
    • It means mind, thought or purpose.
  • So right off the bat, the believer in Christ has an advantage against Satan because we know what’s in his mind. We know his purposes and his thinking.
  • Even though he tries to slither around and keep his activities hidden in the darkness, yet we know ahead of time what’s in his mind.
  • We know how he operates.
  • Now, take look at the Greek word ‘ignorant’ in the phrase “we are not ignorant of his devices.”
  • The word ignorant means to be lacking in knowledge or information.
  • The scripture says this is not true about us.
  • We are not lacking in knowledge and information of what is in Satan’s mind because the Word declares it to us and the Spirit helps us to know it.
  • Finally, the third Greek word we want to define is the word ‘advantage’ in the phrase ‘lest Satan should get an advantage.’
  • The word ‘advantage’ means to be cheated or to take advantage of someone with fraudulent intent 2
  • Putting these three words together builds this idea.
    • The believer in Christ does not have to be cheated or defrauded by Satan out of the good things of God because of a lack of knowledge of what’s on the enemies’ mind.
  • The information is available; all we have to do is access it.
  • So let’s do just that. Let’s look into the Word for the devices or mindset of Satan.

[Tweet “The believer doesn’t have to be defrauded by Satan because we are not ignorant of his devices.”]

Tool Number One: Slander

  • The word ‘Devil’ comes from the Greek word diabolos and it means slanderer.
  • Satan lives up to this name.
  • What is slander?
  • Slander is words falsely spoken which damage the reputation of another.
  • Slander is an abusive attack on a person’s character or good name.
  • Slandering is a big bad evil thing, a satanic thing.
  • If you want to know what’s on the devil’s mind concerning you, it is to slander your good name every chance he gets.
  • Why does the enemy use this tool?

Proverbs 22:1 (KJV)
1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, And loving favour rather than silver and gold.

Ecclesiastes 7:1 (KJV)
1 A good name is better than precious ointment…

  • According to the Bible, money is not the most important thing in life.
  • This might be shocking news to those who barter in the ways of capitalism.
  • There are, simply, some things which are higher, better, more far-reaching, and way more important than money.
  • The wisest man on the earth endued with wisdom from God on High said…
    • A good name is better than bank accounts.
    • Reputation is better than riches.
    • Character is king over cash, and godly stature is superior to stocks.
  • Knowing this, Satan sets out to slaughter a man’s good name through slander and false accusation.
  • Mark it down. Satan would rather you just be rich than righteous.
  • Anything but righteous.
  • Anything but have a heart for God.
  • Anything but a spiritual force for good and God.
  • But here’s an embarrassing truth the enemy never wants you to know.
  • For all the bluster, for all the pride and arrogance which is Satan, at his core he is darkly afraid of you.

James 2:19 (KJV)
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

  • The word ‘tremble’ in the Greek means to quake convulsively. It means to be extremely afraid.
  • When God shows up the devil wets in his pants.
  • So, don’t ever side with Satan.
  • Don’t ever become involved with slander.
  • Do not allow your words to mar other people’s reputation.
  • Guard your mouth.
  • Marring other people’s reputation to gain advantage is the way of demons.
  • The Bible strictly warns against it.

Leviticus 19:16 (TNIV)
16 Do not go about spreading slander among your people. Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.

  • Can you see what the Word is saying? Slandering is a heinous and nasty affair.
  • Zip your lip, no matter how mad people make you.
  • Love them, forgive them, and never use your mouth against them.

Psalm 15:1–3 (TNIV)
1 Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy mountain? 2 Those whose walk is blameless, who do what is righteous, who speak the truth from their hearts; 3 who have no slander on their tongues, who do their neighbors no wrong, who cast no slur on others;

Tool Number Two: Deception

  • Satan is a deceiver, the scriptures inform us.

Revelation 12:9 (KJV)
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

  • Satan deceives the whole world by first slandering and telling lies on God.
  • Then, he substitutes his own version of truth and peppers people to believe it.

“A lie unanswered becomes the truth within 24 hours.” — Willie Brown, California political leader

  • The Greek word ‘deceive’, found in Revelation 12:9, means to cause someone to believe an untruth. It means to lead astray, to cause someone to wander about aimlessly.
  • That’s why truth is your friend.

John 8:31–32 (AMP)
31 So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples. 32 And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.

  • Not abiding, not holding fast to the truth of God’s Word is what got man into the mess we are in from the very beginning.

1 Timothy 2:13–14 (KJV)
13 For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

  • Hasn’t mankind been wandering aimlessly since Eve, the mother of all living, was deceived?

Genesis 3:1,4-5 (KJV)
1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

  • “Yea has God said”, is the vital truth Adam and Eve should have clung to.
  • Had they abided in, or continued in that truth, we would have avoided all that we see and know today as evil.
  • Satan pulled all this off with what the Bible calls ‘subtlety’.
    • “The serpent was more subtle”, the scriptures state.
  • The Hebrew word ‘subtle’ means crafty or marked by skill in deception.
  • Eve was hoodwinked with misinformation about God at the hands of one highly skilled in the art of deception.
  • Satan was so good at it, that planet earth has been digging out of Satan’s successful use of this tool ever since the garden of Eden.
  • So, deception is seen at the beginning of it all.
  • But, it is also seen near the end of it all.
  • In the book of Revelation, we see a great angel come and bind Satan with a great chain and imprison him for a thousand-years.
  • That thousand-year period is known as the Millennial Reign of Jesus.
  • After the thousand-years is up, Satan is let loose for a season.
  • What does he do with this time?

Revelation 20:7–8 (AMP)
7 And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his place of confinement, 8 And he will go forth to deceive and seduce and lead astray the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth—Gog and Magog—to muster them for war; their number is like the sand of the sea.

  • Now, you would think after a 1000 years in a smoking furnace of a jail cell that a fella would learn.
  • But not Satan. He steps out of his incarceration and does what he has always done.
  • He deceives the nations yet once again.
  • This time into fighting the losing battle of Armageddon.
  • Mark it down, mankind has no friend in Satan.
  • He’s a loser and he’ll turn you into one if you listen to him.

[Tweet “You’d think after a 1000 years in a smoking furnace of a jail cell that a fella would learn, not Satan.”]

Call to Action:

Resist the devil and he will flee from you is good Bible order (James 4:7). Once the enemy is uncovered, go to work by using your authority in Christ. Do not tolerate his works in your life for one second.

Episode Resources

You can find more information on the subject of Authority see the following posts by clicking on the links.
  1. Are You Flowing In God Given Authority?
  2. Exercising Authority Over Demonic Influences
  3. Terrorizing the Terrorist Encore [Podcast]
  4. How to Stop Satan from Pushing You Around [Podcast]
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If you have a suggestion for a Bible topic you would like to see taught, or if you have a question, please e-mail me at energized1@outlook.com.

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Question: What other tools of Satan have you had to deal with in your walk with God? Please leave your comment in the comments section below.

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References:

  1.  Galaxie Software, 10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Biblical Studies Press, 2002) ↩
  2. Victor Paul Furnish, II Corinthians: Translated with Introduction, Notes, and Commentary, vol. 32A, Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2008), 158 ↩

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Categories: Authority of the Believer, Podcast