“Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” Ephesians 6:11

I have been inspired to write this post after reading, “False Guilt and the Sympathy Card,” written by Christopher S. Esty. In his article, Esty explained in detail one of the tricks of the evil one which is to render your work ineffective, particularly when it comes to calling out sin.

Finding the article turned out to be providential as it served to remind me that spiritual warfare is intensifying as we near the return of Jesus Christ. I won’t repeat what Esty wrote, but I will share six schemes used by satan to thwart the Christian.

1. Tolerance – Similar to what Etsy shared, there is a strong movement in the world today which says that we are to be tolerant of others. In effect, if you criticize or express an opinion opposite of what others are saying, you’re considered intolerant or worse. Look closer and you will see that those who espouse this viewpoint are often the most intolerant of all: they would reject the prostitute, sexually deviant, murderer, thief or other sinner if that person’s sin came to their attention. “…and such were some of you.” (1 Corinthians 6:11)

2. Fellowship – Our time with God is very important. Through prayer and Bible reading we speak to God and He speaks to us. But God hasn’t left us alone in this world. Importantly, He has given us brothers and sisters, people who are on the same journey as we are. Satan loves to divide believers and he’ll often erect some of the stupidest barriers to keep us from fellowshipping with each other. Sadly, we often fall for these schemes. (I John 1:7)

3. Fatigue – Our bodies need rest, something God permitted to help keep our pride in check. Yes, physical replenishment is the obvious thing here, but needing rest requires us to lay down our pride. How so? By realizing that we can’t and shouldn’t do everything by ourselves. Fatigue can come from illness, diet and overwork; the latter can be quickly remedied by allowing God to work through others to help you accomplish what needs to get done for Him. (Matthew 11:28)

4. Knowledge – I enjoy acquiring knowledge though I am in agreement with “…knowledge puffs up but love builds up.” Some believers are adverse to learning new things, considering knowledge to be the exclusive realm of the devil or this world. This thinking is wrong. Even Daniel and his friends learned the Babylonian system (see Daniel 10 and were “…trained for three years, and after that they were to enter the king’s service.” Most definitely, Christians need to be rooted and grounded in God’s word first before learning the world’s nonsense. Okay, not everything is nonsense but as Paul put into perspective in Philippians 3:8, “…everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”

5. Love – Satan frequently reminds of us of our sins and tells us that God doesn’t love us. This argument should be obviously false to us, but we often find ourselves laden down with guilt and shame. God’s Bible is a Love Story, demonstrating to what great lengths He has gone and will be going to redeem fallen man to Himself. Once we confess our sins, we need to stand on that forgiveness. In fact, God will forgive and purify you from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

6. Pathways – Recently, I was watching cable news and the person interviewed was a bishop of influence, someone whose name would be recognized by the religious community. I am not sure how the question came up, but when asked if Jesus was the only way to heaven, he first skirted the question then answered emphatically, no. Liar! Jesus is the way…. (John 14:6)

These are only a handful of schemes the nefarious one uses to stumble, confuse or otherwise render the Christian impotent. Your personal awareness of these devices can help you become much more effective in your walk, waging war against principalities by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Popularity: 4% [?]