Stand Against The Schemes Of Satan Luke 4:1-13 1 Peter 5:8-9 1 Thessalonians 5:5-8 James 4:7-10 1 Corinthians 10:13 Ephesians 6:10-18 06.24.20

STAND AGAINST THE SCHEMES OF SATAN

BREAD

¹ Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, ² where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. ³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”  ⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone.’”  ⁵ The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶ And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. ⁷ So if you worship me, it will all be yours.”  ⁸ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”  ⁹ The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. ¹⁰ For it is written:  ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; ¹¹ they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” ¹² Jesus answered, “It says: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”  ¹³ When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. Luke 4:1-13 (NIV)

⁸ Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.  1 Peter 5:8-9 (NIV)

⁵ You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. ⁶ So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. ⁷ For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. ⁸ But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 1 Thessalonians 5:5-8 (NIV)

⁷ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.  James 4:7-10 (NIV)

¹³ No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.  1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)

¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.   Ephesians 6:10-18 (NIV)

BUTTER

“Satan woos us with pleasantness to seek our bondage (as if self wasn’t enough) and then bites us with guilt and shame.  Indeed, his desire is to entice us towards a conduct that would ruin us.  He is our enemy not our friend.  God, on the other hand, lovingly woos us from “the jaws of distress” - which is every form of sin and captivity holding us tightly, to seek our freedom.  Christ came to set us free.  We are not to be yoked again to slavery.  Make no mistake about it – sin harm’s.  Indeed, it is a death sentence.  Satan wants us to believe that God is holding out on us, that He does not have our best interest at heart while all the while, through the blood of Jesus, all God seeks to hold out on us is death and destruction.”  BHY

“Consider the parallels between Pharaoh and Satan.  Both are unyielding enemies, coveting the power of God for themselves.  Both have been plundered by the Almighty, and both are enraged beyond endurance.  Both have assembled vast armies for the destruction of God’s people – yet neither seems to realize how utterly defeated he already was and is.”  Robert J. Morgan

“Satan has, in fact, a plan against the saints of the Most High, which is to wear them out.  What is meant by this phrase, ‘wear out’?  It has in it the idea of reducing this minute, then reducing a little further the next minute.  Reduce a little today, reduce a little tomorrow.  Thus, the wearing out is almost imperceptible; nevertheless, it is reducing.  The wearing down is scarcely an activity of which one is conscious, yet the end result is that there is nothing left.  He will take away your prayer life little by little and cause you to trust God less and less and yourself more and more, a little at a time.  He will make you feel somewhat cleverer than before.  Step by step, you are misled to rely more on your own gift, and step by step, your heart is enticed away from the Lord.  Now, were Satan to strike the children of God with great force at one time, they would know exactly how to resist the enemy since they would immediately recognize his work.  He uses the method of gradualism to wear down the people of God.”   Watchman Nee

“Prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge to Satan.”   John Bunyan

“Satan watches for those vessels that sail without convoy.”    George Swinnock

“The best protection against Satan’s lies is to know God’s truth.”  Anonymous

“Anyone who witnesses to the grace of God revealed in Christ is undertaking a direct assault against Satan’s dominion.”   Thomas Cosmades

“Satan strikes either at the root of faith or at the root of diligence.”   John Livingstone

“No matter how many pleasures Satan offers you, his ultimate purpose is to ruin you.  Your destruction is his highest priority.”    Erwin Lutzer

“The only fear a Christian should entertain is the fear of sin.  All other fears are from Satan sent to confuse and weaken us.  How often the Lord reiterated to His disciples, ‘Be not afraid!’”  Isobel Kuhn

“The more public your position and the more eminent your service for God, the more dangerous is Satan’s design against you.”  William Gurnall

“Satan doesn’t surrender his prey without a fight.  He comes racing after the converted soul, chariot wheels churning the dust, seeking to discourage you, to defeat you.  He pursues you with the intensity of Pharaoh.  He may use your old friends, a spot of persecution, or discouraging responses by your family.  He may show you a hypocrite in the church or afflict you with a general slacking of zeal.  He may launch a missile of temptation right at your heart or fire a volley of trials and TRIBULATIONS into your life.”  Robert J. Morgan

“Satan has been seeking to get us to question God since our original parent’s.  He subtly  implies that God is holding out on us, that He doesn’t have our best interest at heart, that He is a cruel task master bent on having us serve Him, that He doesn’t really love us or care for us.  Yet, God’s actions throughout Scripture proves differently.  He has loved us with an everlasting love.  He rejoices over us with singing.   He came to seek and to save us in our desperately lost condition.  Look at the cross if you question His love.”  BHY

“Are you fighting with the adversary today?  Are Satan, the world, and the flesh, all against you?  Be not discouraged nor dismayed.  Fight on!  For God Himself is with you; Jehovah Nissi is your banner, and Jehovah Rophi is the healer of your wounds.  Fear not, you shall overcome, for who can defeat Omnipotence?  Fight on, ‘looking unto Jesus;’ and though long and stern be the conflict, sweet will be the victory, and glorious the promised reward.”   Charles H. Spurgeon

HEART SAVOR

• ·         The best defense against Satan’s lies is the truth of God’s Word.
• ·         Don’t toy with temptation – it’s akin to playing in a viper’s nest.
• ·         Satan hates you and seeks your ruin.  God loves you and sought your redemption.