Spiritual WarfareUzorak

How Satan Usually Works

Most of the time, Satan and his demons don’t use a direct attack. What we experience most of the time is much more subtle than that. Satan doesn’t usually tip his hand. He likes to use trickery and subterfuge, as he has done since the beginning (Genesis 3:1).

Klyne Snodgrass puts it well: “Evil rarely looks evil until it accomplishes its goal; it gains entrance by appearing attractive, desirable, and perfectly legitimate. It is a baited and camouflaged trap.”[1]

Let’s say that again:

“Evil rarely looks evil until it accomplishes its goal; it gains entrance by appearing attractive, desirable, and perfectly legitimate. It is a baited and camouflaged trap.”

In other words, Satan’s greatest weapon is simple and effective: he lies. He tells us that God isn’t good and can’t be trusted. He tells us that our sinful desires are good, and we should follow them. He tricks us into believing bad things about ourselves and others. He gets us to believe things that are not only untrue but dangerous to our souls.

We may never experience an obvious Satanic manifestation, but all of us will experience his treacherous lies.

We fight back against lies with God’s truth, revealed in His Word. We ground ourselves in His truth so that we can recognize the lies when we see them. We need God’s truth so we can live.

Prayer: Lord, I need Your help so I don’t believe Satan’s lies. May Your truth expose the lies for what they are. Amen.

Reflection: What are some of Satan’s lies that you’ve been tempted to believe?

[1] Klyne Snodgrass, Ephesians, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 339.