Episode 98 The Wiles of the Devil

Paul admonishes us in one place to put on the whole armor of God that we may stand against the wiles (or schemes) of the devil. What are those schemes? Do we know? Are we aware of his crafty and deceptive ways?  In warfare, military men study the enemy to know his tactics. Business men study their competition so they can know how to compete more effectively. God does not want us to be ignorant of our enemy’s ways either. We should not become “devil conscience” where we see a devil under every rock and behind every tree, but as wise stewards of the grace of God, we do need to know how the enemy is working against God and His purpose that we may not be taken unawares but rather stand unmoved in the full provision of God. (Eph. 6:10-20)

• The devil is the enemy of God and seeks to destroy (John 10:10)
• He is a murderer, a liar, and the father of lies (John 8:44)
• He seeks to sow discord, bring division, and confusion  (James 3:13-15)
• His angels are angels of light and ministers of righteousness (2 Cor. 11:14)
• He is religious and promotes religious activity filled with compromise
• He is deceptive, mixing truth with error (2 John 7, Matt. 24:24)
• He counterfeits the Holy Spirit as much as possible (I John 4:1)
• His access to men is to the soul (lust of the flesh, eyes, pride of life, I John 2:16)
• His power over death was broken at Calvary (Heb. 2:14)
• He has supernatural power, but not greater than Christ (Col. 1:13)
• He performs lying wonders (2 Thes. 2:9-10, Matt. 24:24)
• Our only power against Him is to stand in the victory of Christ  (I Cor. 15:57)
• The warfare is spiritual and requires spiritual weapons (2 Cor. 10:4)
• The full armor of God is collective (Eph. 6:10-20)

 

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• Theme song “Will Your Anchor Hold” sung by J. Ashley Milne
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