10 Strategies Satan Uses that Work

If you have walked as a Christian believer* for any length of time, then you know that you [we], have a fierce enemy. This enemy is a fallen angel named, Satan. Satan was not always known by that name. Before he sinned and fell, his name was Lucifer. He held a very high rank in Heaven, but his pride caused him to make the wrong decision which resulted in his fall.
_{[*believer - a person who has confessed Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Romans 10:9-10]}

_{Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,[Satan] son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: ...14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.}

The name Satan, means, "an adversary, one who opposes or resists". He is the adversary of man and he is in direct opposition to almighty God. Satan hates God and Satan hates all mankind. His primary goal is to take over the kingdom of God and enslave the people of God.

He was around before mankind was created. His power is in his ability to deceive. He DOES NOT know the thoughts of man, but he knows and understands the nature of man. It is this knowledge that he uses against us.

Let's look at the strategies he uses against us that work.....

Throughout the Word of God, we find that Satan does everything he can to have his own way.

Satan never gives up... He is determined to make you stumble, lose faith in God, and turn your heart from God. We [believers], should be just as determined to stand faithful to God until the end.

_{Ephesians 6:13 Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place].Amplified}

Satan tempted Eve to doubt. She doubted God, she doubted Adam and she doubted herself. Does he tempt you to doubt?

The Word of God records that the first things Satan speaks to mankind begin with the words, " Yea, hath God said....?" That is just another way of saying, "Are you sure God said....." Eve should have been sure. She shouldn't have had to think about it... she should not have wondered about it, but unfortunately, she did. _{Genesis 3:1}

If God said something, we need to rest assured that He meant it, that it will not change and that i will surely come to pass.

How sure are you of what God has said?

You become convinced that you are delivered enough to go back to the old neighborhood, back to the old habits, or back to the old activity and that nothing will happen to you.

Satan and his demon forces are like dogs who want to play fetch. Through the name and the blood of Jesus, you cast off the chains that had you bound. You throw them far from you, but like dogs, Satan, and his crew fetch them and bring them right back to you. Only when they bring them back, they are dirtier than when you cast them off.

_{John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.}

The way I see it, feel it, and understand it is the way that it is.

Deception begins with the seed of doubt or the seed of unbelief and the desire to be "right"... It makes you question the intellectual possibilities of things based on the natural knowledge that you already possess. This is the problem... we don't know anything as it should be known. There will always be more to learn in both the spirit and in the natural realms.

_{Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.}

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me....

Satan finds out what area we are weak in; be it self-consciousness, low self-esteem, insecurity etc. He then takes that lie and works it, he feeds it to us over and over and over. These are the thoughts that put us into a mental coma. We are temporarily paralyzed, our minds have been taken captive and locked down by whatever lie he has told. Only the truth of the Word of God can break us free.

_{Hebrews 4:11 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.[Living Bible]}

The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and, the pride of life...

Some of us deny that we can be tricked by the devil. But, the truth is that we know we can be tricked by the devil and, we know that it is in the same area over, and over, and over....... (need I go on??). We lie to ourselves because lust enters and we enjoy the pleasure of the trick, that is until the consequences kick in. When the consequences hit us we suddenly remember the Word of God. After the fact may be poor timing, but at least the Word is remembered.

_{1 John 2:16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. [Living Bible]}

If he can keep you in unforgiveness, then he can keep you in bondage

This is the most subtle and effective weapon the enemy uses against us1 How so? Because it can be hidden within us for years without us being consciously aware of it. And, unforgiveness stops everything. It is like a time machine... whenever that offense happened, a part of us remains in that spot, not being able to go forward until that offense has been reconciled.

_{Luke 17: 3-4 3Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. 4And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.}

_{Matthew 18:21 21Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.}

Arguments, hatred and confusion all pre-occupy your mind

When we are in strife with others or about situations, our guard is down and Satan comes in and robs us of our peace, our joy, and our thanksgiving toward God.

_{Matthew 5:22-24 22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 23Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;24Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.}

You know you did it and, you did it on purpose....

The enemy tries to keep us in the condemnation of our past sins. He will remind is of what we did and how terrible it was. And, instead of our reminding him that all sin is forgiven under and through the Blood of Jesus, we agree with the condemnation.

_{Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.}

Jealousy will consume your soul and destroy your life

Lucifer was jealous of God and was driven to start a rebellion in Heaven. The results did not go in his favor and so now, bitter and angry, disgusted and deceived, he now tries to weave the lies that lead to jealousy into our souls. There is not evidence to this next statement, but perhaps his desire to destroy mankind could be summed up in these words... "If I can't have Heaven then they [mankind] can't either!"

_{Revelations 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.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.}

_{Luke 10:18 "I [Jesus] saw Satan fall from heaven like lightening."}

When we recognize the entrapments of the devil, we will wage a more victorious warfare. Paul asked us in the book of Romans:

_{Romans 8:35-37
35Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? 36(As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.) 37No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.}

Jesus loves all and forgives all. Believers we need to be at the ready to war a good warfare, but that warfare should not overshadow our praise and worship or our peace and personal fellowship with the Father.

We need to be consciously aware of the devices of the devil just as we are consciously aware of traffic signals. When we obey the law that governs the traffic signal, the signal loses any power over us. When we obey the Word of God, the devils devices lose any power over us.

Like the traffic signal, his devices simply become a sign that we pass by on the way to our God given destiny.