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Scripture on “Satan and his deceptions” 

Day One - Ephesians 6:12 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.

If we are to have health and vibrancy in every area of our life, we must be aware that there are forces at play against us every day that are bigger than we are; many of them unseen. As we focus this week on the spiritual forces that affect us daily, we need to be aware that the battlefield on which this war is waged is in our mind. We will be focusing on how the thoughts that we feed on have a dramatic impact on the life that we lead. Begin this week by submitting your thoughts, through prayer, to God. Begin asking him to expose faulty, dysfunctional, and sinful thought patterns that create an opening for the enemy to gain control over areas of your life. The result, this week, will be a stronger walk with God on the journey of life and healthier thoughts and attitudes which produce the wholeness  we all desire.

 

Day Two - 2Corinthians 11:14b  Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

As we see in today’s passage, Satan does not always appear to be evil, corrupt, or overtly sinful. When Scripture says he masquerades as an “angel of light” it is referring to the ability to present opportunities that appear appealing to us which will ultimately bring us death. The religious leaders of Jesus day in an effort to make themselves as holy and pure as they possibly could, which on the outside looks like a righteous and good thing, prompted Jesus to refer to them as children of the devil. In their quest to be righteous and good Satan used it to create the opportunity for pride and arrogance to creep in and the result was ungodliness, even though their deeds in many cases were godly. We need to be aware that the enemy will even try to use healthy things in a way that brings death. It is when we have the proper heart and attitude that God can expose these areas.

 

Day Three - Ephesians 4: 26 "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 

In today’s passage we see that even an attitude like anger can be the tool the enemy uses to gain control over our life. It says “in your anger do not sin” the important point here is that anger, in and of itself, is not sin. What we do with our anger can be sin. Our enemy wants to find an opportunity such as our anger and use it as a way to gain control over us. If he can get us to feed on an attitude like anger and draw our thoughts into dysfunction, then he can gain control over our lives and it will translate into our actions. This is why we have to be aware that even our thoughts and attitudes create an opening to give control to the enemy. We will see in the scriptures following this week that God is well able to expose these areas, so that we do not become victims of the enemy’s schemes. Use this week as an opportunity to grow in awareness and gain the tools to overcome the enemy’s schemes.

 

Day Four - 1Peter 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 

The key words in today’s passage are “self-controlled” and “alert”. As we mentioned yesterday, the enemy is looking for any opportunity even through good things to create havoc in our lives. But, when we are “self-controlled” seeking God’s heart and obeying his commands, and alert looking for the areas they contradict God’s heart, the enemy will have a much more difficult time finding a place to devour us. Continue praying for God to open your eyes to any area that would make you vulnerable to improper attitudes.

 

Day Five - James 4:7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

While Satan has great power, it is nothing in comparison with the power of God that is at work within every one of us who believes. If we leave this week with fear or feeling overwhelmed, we have not understood the power of God that is within us. When we submit our thoughts, will, and emotions to God we gain strength that far supersedes anything the enemy can bring into our life. It is when we submit ourselves to God in this way that we can resist the devil and he will flee from us. Because, Scripture declares that greater is the one (God) who is in us than the one (Satan) who is in the world.