SPIRITUAL WARFARE 3.1

Satan’s Schemes For Individuals

*** Satan Has Plans And Schemes For Each And Every Believer ***

SECTION 3-1:

*** Satan Uses The Sinful Nature Within Us ***

Question:
Who is the worst enemy of a believer?
    – Most would say its Satan, but is it?

(James 1:14-15)
    – The process of how people are led into sin.
      Note:
          James’ primary concern was not the devil,
          but the person’s own internal desires;
          he was more concerned with the evil in
          a person’s heart than he was with the devil.

(Romans 7:15-23)
    – Paul identified our inner struggle.
      Note:
          The bible teaches that a consequence of “the fall” was
          corruption; we have a nature that inherently sins.
          We have a nature that doesn’t want to do right
          and will eventually do wrong.
          Note:
              When Christ saved us, He freed us from the slavery of sin,
              but that sinful nature remains present for the rest of our lives.

Note:
    One of the greatest threats to a Christian’s walk with God. is to
    underestimate the ability and power of our sinful nature to defeat us.

Examples where this sinful nature affected men in the bible
(look at the outcome of when they gave in to their sinful nature):
    – (Numbers 20:9-12) Moses, was a most humble man.
    – (Judges 16:16-21) Samson, was the strongest man.
    – (1 Kings 11:9-11) Solomon, was the wisest man.
    – (2 Samuel 11:1-5) David, was a man after God’s own heart.

    Note:
        Look at the power of this sinful nature:
            – Samson’s great strength was no match for his internal enemy.
            – The humility of Moses eventually failed.
            – David had a sincere desire for God,
              but abandoned it in a moment of passion.
            – Solomon’s great wisdom meant he knew better, but he did not
              have the moral strength to resist the temptations around him.

Note:
    Our sinful nature can be more dangerous than Satan;
    it defeated these men even with their outstanding qualities.
    It’s no surprise that Paul looked at this reality and praised God
    for the freedom only Jesus can give (Romans 7:15-25).

*** The Sinful Nature Seeks Self First ***

Sin springs from a desire to satisfy self first, regardless of God’s Will.
This nature focuses on pleasing self,
exalting self, and meeting the needs of self.
It puts God and others second.
It willingly compromises integrity, justice, honor, faithfulness to God,
and any other virtue that stands in the way of pleasing self.

*** Satan Stirs Up Our Natural Desires Against Us ***

Question:
What is the relationship between Satan and our sin nature?
    – He uses circumstances (good or bad),
      persuasion (pleasant or unpleasant),
      suggestions at our point of weakness (or strength),
      and any other means to awaken desires in us
      that will lead us to sin.

      Example: Peter
          Question:
          What was it that led him to deny Christ?

          Question:
          How could he have been with Jesus three years
          and forsaken Him on the night of His greatest trial?

          Question:
          Was it fear, or something else?

          Question:
          Could it have been a result of Peter’s desire for status and prestige?

          – Several times Jesus tried to teach His disciples that
            greatness in the kingdom comes through humility and service;
            not in being a ruler and lording it over people
            (Example: Matthew 20:26-28).
            Note:
                The disciples never argued over who was going to be
                the greatest until they believed Jesus was the Christ.

                Question:
                Why?
                     – It could have been that it dawned on them that
                       the Messiah (the King) would need a cabinet
                       with different ranks of importance.

                At any rate, they were known to jockey for position,
                even at the supper table the night the Lord was betrayed
                (Luke 22:24).

    – (Luke 22:25-34)
          – Jesus corrected them again.

          – For the first time, He talked about their position
            in the kingdom.
            (they would sit with Him on thrones, judging Israel).

          – The disciples were probably glad to hear this from Jesus,
            but what He said next (for all to hear) must have been
            discouraging to Peter.
                “when you have turned back”
                (implied is, Peter will fail the test).

          Note:
               With his future aspirations threatened
              (and possibly slipping through his fingers),
              Peter’s response seems to be an effort to regain his status
              (Luke 22:33).

            Note:
                We can see from the condition of his heart, that Satan
                had succeeded in attacking Peter in his weak spot of
                having a desire for status.
                Peter shows no sign of grasping what Jesus taught about
                humility and servanthood; his desire was his own interest
                (this prevented him from responding correctly when tempted).

          Note:
              Look at the contrast of Jesus (John 14:30-31).
                  – The reason Satan couldn’t defeat Jesus was
                    because he had nothing in Jesus to work with.
                        – Jesus didn’t have a lust for position or status.
                        – He wasn’t motivated by materialism.
                        – He wasn’t concerned about saving His own life.
                        – His only desire was to obey the Will of the Father.

Satan knows the sinful areas in our lives that we have
not mastered, and he stirs up those areas in order to defeat us.
    – If it is materialism, we’ll have plenty of opportunities
      to get entangled by money or things.
    – If we are preoccupied with sex, temptation will continue
      to be present and we will look at others differently than
      we should (never observing their inner qualities).
    – If we like to gossip, there will be ample opportunities to
      pry into the lives of others and share these findings with
      other people (and even distort the things we have learned).

Question:
Do you think each Christian knows his area of weakness?

Question:
Can you name some potential areas for Satan to attack?
    – Pride                 – Unbelief               – Unforgiving spirit
    – Gossip               – Alcohol/drugs     – Discouragement
    – Critical spirit     – Worry                   – Self-pity
    – Lust                   – Anger                   – Procrastination
    – Laziness            – Envy
    – Feelings of unworthiness

Question:
Since Satan rarely has success in areas that we have mastered,
why would God allow Satan to test us in areas where we will
probably fail? Wouldn’t He want to protect us in those areas?

Four possible reasons why God would allow Satan to test us:

1.  God wants to give us freedom from the dominion of sin.
    Note:
        Peter’s denial freed him from wanting to exalt himself.
        Apparently he was so glad to be forgiven that he
        no longer had a need to focus on himself; instead,
        he just wanted to serve Jesus out of a heart of gratitude.

2.  God wants to develop character in our area of temptation
     so that we can be more like Christ.
     Note:
         After his bout with status seeking, Peter finally understood
         servanthood and grew in his likeness of the Lord
         (1 Peter 2:16 – “live as servants of God”).

3.  God wants to prepare us for greater service.
     Note:
         Some time before his denial, Jesus had told Peter that He would
         give him the keys to the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 16:13-19).
         However, Peter didn’t become the leader of the early church
         until God changed him.
         He wasn’t ready for this responsibility until
         he learned to lay down his life as Jesus did.

         Question:
         What would have been wrong with Peter
         becoming the leader of the church before being changed?
             – He probably would have looked at the position
                as a status symbol, instead of being a servant.

4.  God wants to remind us of our dependence on Him.
     Note:
         Peter’s denial broke him from depending on himself.
         Before, he was so sure his way was right
         that he actually rebuked Jesus for
         prophesying His death on the cross.
         When the soldiers came for Jesus,
         Peter asked if he should strike with the sword,
         but didn’t wait for an answer;
         instead, he took matters into his own hands.

         Note:
             After his change following the denial,
             Peter’s life was characterized by relying on God
             (Acts 4:18-22; 5:40-41).
             Peter could have been imprisoned for his faith,
             but he courageously placed his life in God’s care.

Summary:
    – Satan will use circumstances and opportunities
      to stir up desires in us that are contrary to the Lord’s will.

    – The key to victory is to be aware and to be armed with the
      Word of God, so that when we are tempted, we can resist.

    – We need to recognize our area of weakness
      and turn to the Lord in dependence (pray for His Spirit
      to defeat Satan’s attempts to lure you away from God).

    – We need to trust Him to deliver us from the attraction
      of a particular sin and to give us the power to overcome it;
      we should pray for an increase of our desire for Him.

    – Memorizing scriptures can remind us of what God has said;
      praying them back to the Lord when tempted,
      can help us in achieving victory over the evil one
      (scriptures like – 1 Corinthians 10:13, and Philippians 4:13).

Hope you all have committed to the “20 Days In 2 Hours”
challenge (and are enjoying it). All the feedback I have
received thus far has been very favorable, and people in
several foreign countries are participating.