by Angela Moreno

(This is the conclusion to Know your opponent. To catch up on the previous parts, click on the links at the end of the blog.)

How do we fight Satan? How do we make sure that he isn’t tempting us into sin or turning our hearts from God?

Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44). God is the Father of the truth (John 17:7). Truth always defeats lies! God’s word is the truth (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

As we read the story of Jesus’s temptation in the desert, we learn that Satan KNOWS scripture. Not only does he know scripture, he was there for the majority of the events. We know he was in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, he was in the dessert to tempt Jesus, and he had a front row seat for the crucifixion of Jesus. Satan knows the stories of rebellion and war, death and deceit. HE WAS THERE.

We have to dig into God’s word EVERY single day!
We have to know scripture just as good as Satan does, if not better than he does. He loves to tell half-truths and misconstrue scripture. We have to be able to identify the times when he is doing this or when he is using scripture to mislead us.

We have to open our Bibles!

Here is where I’m probably going to step on some toes. I’ve noticed an alarming trend in churches and in some Bible studies I have attended over the past couple of years. And I too have been guilty of this same thing. A cell phone, a tablet, and an I-pad are not Bibles. Yes we can get a copy of the Bible on our phone or tablets, but we need to have a printed word of God open in front of our eyes. We need to look at scripture as a whole and not just as one verse or passage that can easily be taken out of context if not read in its entirety. Opening a Bible on your cell phone is not enough! We need to actually open a Bible, an actual book of scripture up every day.

When I grew up, you never went to church without your Bible. I know technology was not as advanced as it is now, but the Word of God was revered. The pastor would tell you to go to a certain passage and wait for you to find it. Nothing sounds more beautiful than onion-skin pages being turned in God’s Word. We followed along with the Word, we took notes, and we highlighted passages we wanted to remember or visit later.

Over the years things have changed. We’ve become overly reliant on technology. When is the last time you searched for your Bible because you couldn’t find it? Now compare that to the last time you looked for your phone because you couldn’t find it.

I made the change too. I quit bringing a Bible to church and quit opening my Bible to follow along. The church I was attending didn’t even ask the congregation to turn to the passage. I was getting nothing out of church and the sermons weren’t doing a whole lot for me either. Instead of getting filled with God’s Word each Sunday, I was just being a “good” Christian, making my weekly trip to my church, and living my life how I wanted the rest of the week.

I was also falling into Satan’s traps a little easier because I wasn’t as well versed as I used to be on the scriptures.

I knew what I was doing wasn’t enough and I was hungry for more. I consciously decided to make a change. I brought my Bible, and even though the pastor never once told us to turn to a passage, I looked up every scripture and took notes. Something started to happen. The Holy Spirit started to speak to me while I was looking at the passages. He would show me something on an adjoining page that I needed to pay attention to or direct me to a footnote that would explain the passage I had just read in a little more detail.

I started doing this same thing at Bible studies I attended. I followed along in my Bible to the videos, or the speaker, and took notes. Again, the Holy Spirit would show me passages that I would follow-up on later. None of this could happen if I wasn’t opening my Bible, and it sure is difficult to see other passages on your cell phone or tablet.

The only way we can fight Satan on a daily basis is to immerse ourselves in God’s word. If you are not currently digging into a Bible daily, I urge you to find a program that will fit with your schedule. If you aren’t great at deciding what to read or you need a little help being diligent in your Bible reading, find and app that will allow you to track what you are reading.

I currently use the First 5 app from Proverbs 31 Ministries. I know I talked about not using your phone so much, but this is a combination of your phone and your Bible. Each day, they have a blog on a chapter in the Bible that gives great insight into what you are getting ready to read in your Bible. I then switch over to my Bible to read the passage and to record any notes that I wanted to remember from the blog. They also offer a study guide to go along with this and to give you a deeper study into the word.

So in closing, to fight Satan and his deceptions, I urge you to open your Bible every day. Memorize scripture and pray scripture. Nothing is more powerful at fighting Satan than God’s word. Your prayers are more powerful when you pray scripture into them. Immerse yourself in God’s word.

As James 4:7 says, “submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Know your opponent- part 1

Know your opponent- part 2

Know your opponent- part 3