by Angela Moreno
(To view the previous parts of Know your Opponent, click the links at the end of the blog.)
Satan uses many tactics to distort the truth. Although he is known as the Father of lies (John 8:44), he does at times tell the truth or the partial truth. One of his favorite tactics is to distort the truth or to tell half-truths.
He uses this very tactic in the Garden of Eden when he tempts Eve. In Genesis 3:1, we see the serpent, also known as Satan, distort the truth and question Eve about the trees in the Garden.
He said to the woman,“Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
Satan likes to question and test our memories of an event so that we fall into his next trap. If Satan can put enough mistrust or doubt in our minds, we start to question God and whether or not He will meet our needs. Satan has then pushed us to the next stage in his tactics.
Satan puts doubt and confusion into our minds. In my opinion, this is the area where Satan does the most damage. He knows that if he can get us to doubt God and the goodness of the Father, Satan has a foot inside our minds and can do the most damage. He can lead us into relying on ourselves and not relying on God to provide for us. Satan also knows that he can delay any blessings that God may have for us if we begin to doubt God.
As we continue the story in Genesis, Eve responds to Satan with her memory of what God has said.
And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” Genesis 3:2-3
Let’s back this story up to what God said to Adam and Eve about the fruits of the garden. We know from Genesis 2:16-17 that God had told them they could eat from any tree in the Garden, but to stay away from the tree in the middle of the garden. Eve added her own stipulation, words that God never commanded. Did you catch that she added “neither shall you touch it” to her declaration of what God said? Satan catches that too and uses that to reel her in. He starts to put doubt and confusion in Eve’s mind. She starts to think maybe she’s wrong and he didn’t say those things.
But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”Genesis 3:4-5
This is the next tactic he uses. Satan offers to give us the desires of our heart.
The idea of being like God appealed to Eve. The wheels started to turn in her head that the fruit looked good, so she reached up and touched it. When she didn’t die from touching the fruit, she began to question why the fruit was being withheld. It seemed to Eve that maybe God wasn’t being truthful with her and was withholding something from her that she deserved. So she took a bite. In that moment, she still didn’t die, but she was awakened to a whole new world that she wasn’t prepared for.
For us the forbidden fruit may be a relationship that we shouldn’t have started. Satan whispered in our ear that we weren’t getting the attention we deserved so we looked elsewhere for the attention we wanted. Maybe it’s living a lifestyle beyond our means, spending money like it grows on a tree and buying fancy items that we can’t afford. Satan tries to make us think that God isn’t meeting our needs, we aren’t getting what we deserve, and that we need to meet those needs on our own. Leaving God out of the picture and out of our decisions can have devastating consequences.
Once we are drowning in sin and the consequences of bad choices, Satan then tries to isolate us. He wants us to believe that we are completely alone with no one in the world to rely on, wallowing in self-pity and sorrow. At this point, we are so self-focused that we can’t do anything to help our situation.
This is where we have to make a bold choice to change from a “me” mindset to a “Christ” mindset.
We have to make the choice to face the consequences, repent, and make things right with God. This may be offering forgiveness to someone we’ve hurt or forgiving someone who hurt us. This may mean speaking to a trusted friend, pushing the embarrassment you may feel aside, and let him or her help you walk you through the pain of your situation. This may mean calling out to God and asking Him to take your hand and walk with you through the consequences. Remember you are never alone. God is always with you.
Even though he was thrown out of Heaven, Satan still has access to God. He is constantly in God’s ear accusing us and making every sin known to God. If you have made a mistake or chose to sin, Satan is the first to tattle to God about what you have done. Luckily for us, God sees Jesus in us and knows that we belong to him. There is no condemnation for those who have Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
Satan uses many other tactics to achieve his goals. We just have to be ready to fight him and know when he’s trying to speak into our hearts and minds.
Next week will be our final blog on Knowing your opponent! We will learn how to fight such a daunting opponent.
If you need to catch up on part 1 or part 2, click the links below.
Tony on the Border 