HOW SATAN ATTACKS 

I PETER 5:8 

            Christians are to be self-controlled and constantly alert because our enemy, the Devil is always sneaking about actively seeking an opportunity for a vicious attack.  He is rarely open with his initial approach.  He like a lion lays in wait for unsuspecting prey.  Once he has spotted his prey and waited for it to walk into unsuspecting danger, he give a loud roar to terrify the prey, hoping to gain an advantage.  This is how our enemy is waiting to attack us and prey on any area of our lives that we open up to him.  I want to speak today about four ways in which Satan attacks us.  I also want to talk about God's way of escape when we are being attacked. 

JAMES 1:13 - 15 - Through Our Desires

            Temptation is defined as internal excitement or solicitation to sin.  Though the desire to sin might be motivated by an outside source, it is what one does with the darts or thoughts that determines if one will be tempted to sin.  Here James is saying that the root cause of sin is lust.  The word lust itself means an excessive or consuming desire; a strong craving.  Now we can lust after Godly things like spiritual knowledge and gifts.  This however, is normally considered a strong desire.  The lust that James is speaking of here is a consuming desire or craving for that which is forbidden.

            Before we got saved we spent much of our time gratifying the lust of our flesh.  John 8:44 says that during that time the Devil was our father and we carried out the lust of our father.  In doing so we built up strong cravings in our flesh and now as Christians we must war against those cravings.  James says that this excessive craving for that which is forbidden is the root cause of man's sin.  He reminds us that God does not tempt man to sin.  It is our own lust that pulls us towards sin.  The devil uses those cravings that we build up as unsaved people to entice us into sinning.  When we yield to those cravings then we commit sin which brings forth death.

            Satan attacks through legitimate as well as illegitimate desires.  He attempts to drive us to extremes or to do the right things in the wrong  way.  Sometimes the things that we desire are good, but they may not be for us at that time or they may not come to pass in the way that we would like.  He tries to get us to take our focus off of God and put it on our desires whether good or bad.  He hits us with darts of discontentment and tries to convince us that we could and should go out and get what we want.  We might want a new job or a better paying job.  When we have to wait a period of time for the desire to be met, that little demon of frustration, of discontent, of anger, etc. start sitting on our shoulder and whispering in our ear.  If we are not alert we will find ourselves agreeing with those little impish voices and soon becoming frustrated with God, discontent with our current position and even angry at God for not moving on our behalf.

PSALMS 37:4 - 5

            To assist us when we are being attacked through our desires God says that we should delight ourselves in Him and commit our way unto Him.  In other word we are to stop focusing on ourselves and rather to focus on His will for us and the desire that He has for us.  We are to deny our own will and commit to following after His will.  We are to trust in Him and watch as He brings to past those desires that He places within our hearts.  We must exercise self-discipline, and through prayer, faith and patience defeat the satanic attacks.  Satan attacks with desire, God responds with  delight in me.

            The second way that Satan attacks us is THROUGH OUR DEFECTS.

II COR. 12:7 - 10

            Satan harassed the apostle Paul  through his thorn in the flesh.  We are not told exactly what this thorn is, but whatever it is it was sent by Satan.  Satan attacks us also through our afflictions, infirmities and sicknesses.  He will attack through any defect no matter how small; whether it be a physical, mental, emotional or character defect.  He does not care whether it is a defect arising from our own action or from the actions of others directed at us.  No defect is too small, too personal or off limits.  He attacked Abraham through his fear, Joseph through the jealously of others, Moses through his anger, and Peter through his impulsiveness.

            When Paul asked for assistance against the attack of Satan, God answered "my grace is sufficient, my strength is made perfect in weakness".  What this boils down to, is that when I have no choice but to depend on God, the strength that he give me is matured.  God's strength is always the same.  In every facet He is as strong today as He was yesterday and will be tomorrow.  But His strength manifested in my life is made perfect and better seen when I am at my weakest.  When I am at my weakest, I have no choice but to depend on God, who is always strong.  Proverbs 29:25 says who ever puts his trust in the Lord shall be safe.

PROVERBS 37:39-40

            Whatever the defect that the enemy is using against us to bring about trouble in our lives, we can depend on God to help us.  He has promised to deliver us from the wicked one and save us because we trust in Him.  The Devil attacks us through our defects, but God strengthens us  through our dependence on Him.

            The third way that Satan attacks us is THROUGH OUR DEFEATS.

            Everyone becomes discouraged and feels defeated at times.

JOB 3:1 - 11

            Job was so discouraged that he cursed the day that he was born.  His situation  was beating him down, causing him to feel defeated.  There are times in many of our lives where we feel as Job did.  We are trying to live holy, yet falling and struggling along the way.  We are trying to be a good steward and yet getting further behind in bill paying each day.  We are trying to walk with God and sometimes feeling that for every step forward we take we also take two steps backward.  But when Job reached his lowest state;  ready to accept defeat, God stepped in and delivered him.

2 PETER 2:9

            God knows how to deliver us out of the snare of the enemy.  Even as travel along the way, sometimes stumbling and even sometimes falling, if we keep our hand to the plow and continue to press towards the mark for the prize, one day God will deliver us from this world.

The Devils tries to keep us focusing on our defeats, but God directs our attention to our coming deliverance purchased through the victory of Christ.

            Finally, the Devil attacks us THROUGH HIS DECEITS.

II COR. 11:14

            Satan will try to deceive us using any means possible and he will do this up until the very end.  Revelation 20:8 says that even after being bound for 1000 years he will still go forth to deceive the nations, bringing them to war against Christ.  Satan is constantly trying to deceive and defeat God's people.  He is the accuser of the brethren, and according to 2 Cor. 11:3  he sneakily tries to trick us and draw us away from the simplicity of the Gospel.  He tries to keep the church in disarray; whether it be arguments between individual members or between churches.  He deceived Eve into thinking she would become like God.  He deceived Cain into believing life would be better for him without Abel.  He deceived Judas into betraying Jesus.  He has deceived me and you and all who have at one time and who continue to follow him.

            But God, to counteract Satan's deception, promises to give us directions.

PROVERBS 3:5 - 6

            When we acknowledge God and seek His insight in all of our affairs, He promises to direct our path.  In Psalms 32:8 God says that He will instruct us and teach us in the way that we should go.  He promises to guide us with His own eyes.  Oftentimes we can not see the traps that the enemy is laying for us.  If we for one moment take our spiritual eyes off of Christ, or close our spiritual ears to the Spirit of God, we fall prey to the Devil's deception.  But if we walk in the Spirit; keeping our spiritual senses tuned in on God, we will neither fulfill the lust of the flesh nor will we be caught in the web of deception spun by the Devil.

            I Peter 5:8 says that our enemy is a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.  Though we are all capable of being devoured, we serve a God who is well able to keep us from being destroyed in the vicious attacks of our enemy.  When Daniel was in the lions den, God sent an angel to clamp the mouth of the lion so that he could not eat Daniel.  But there are other ways for a lion to kill a man.  Yet in no way was Daniel harmed by the lion.  Likewise when we delight ourselves in God, putting our trust in Him and depending on Him as our source of deliverance; when we follow His prescribed way of living and commit to seeking His will for our lives, our enemy becomes a roaring, harmless lion, starving because he can find no one to devour.