STRATEGIES OF SATAN AND HIS DEMONS

INTRODUCTION:
1. On one Halloween night, a little boy in a Devil costume knocked on my door wanting
candy. When I saw him, I thought to myself how sad it is that our society encourages
children to dress up as Satan, and other evil personalities. Don't people realize that Satan
is real and not some sort of Halloween character? We characterize Satan as some
fictitious person.
2. Unfortunately, many people don't believe that the Devil really exists.
ILLUSTRATION:
Once there was a boxer who was being badly beaten. Battered and bruised, he leaned
over the ropes and said to his trainer, “Throw in the towel! This guy is killing me!” The
Trainer said, “Oh, no he’s not. He’s not even hitting you. He hasn’t laid a glove on you!”
At that point the boxer wiped the blood away from his eye and said, “Well, then, I wish
you’d watch that referee. He sure is tough!” Some people are like that trainer, they deny
the obvious.
3. Do you believe that Satan and his demons are real?
4. Jesus sure did.
And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, "Every kingdom divided against
itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not
stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his
kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast
them out? therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God,
then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Every kingdom divided against itself will be
ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives
out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive
out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be
your judges. But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has
come upon you" (Matthew 12:25-28).
5. Jesus tells us two things about Satan and his demons.
a. First, Jesus believed in them. For He personally recognized them by name.
b. Second, Jesus recognized that Satan has a kingdom. His kingdom is this world (1 John
5:19).
6. Jesus not only believed in Satan and his troops, but He fought against them. Jesus
spent a fourth of His ministry casting out evil spirits and demons. Seventy-five times in
the synoptic gospels Jesus casted out evil spirits in ordinary people. Jesus realized how
real Satan and his demons are, and we better as well.
7. Over the years, some Christians have had the misconception that Satan and his demons
are no longer active today.
8. They say that they were active when Christ was on the earth, but their activity is no
longer in existence because Jesus defeated them on the cross.
9. While it's true that Jesus defeated and disarmed Satan on the cross (Colossians 2:15),
however, the Bible teaches in (Revelations 20:7-10) that Satan will not be completely
bound up or destroyed until after the second coming of Jesus. So this means that Satan
and his demons are still active today.
10. In the Bible, we are warned time and time again to be aware of our enemy.
"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the
devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in
high places." (Ephesians 6:11-12)
a. Paul is telling us that we have a fight on our hands. Our enemy is not against flesh and
blood but our enemy is the “rulers, authorities, and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
realm.” Our enemy is Satan and his demons.
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about,
seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
b. A lion is a predator. It's constantly roaming around looking for helpless animals to
attack and kill. In a similar way, the Devil roams around the earth looking for Christians
and non-Christians to attack.
11. Have you ever wondered how Satan can attack so many people all around the world
virtually at the same time? We must understand that Satan does not have the same
qualities as God. He is a created being; a fallen angel. Since he is a created being, he is
not omnipresent. He cannot be everywhere at the same time. He is finite. So he sends his
demons to do some of his dirty work.
12. What are demons? Demons are simple evil spirits who try to take people away from
God and His truths. Demons are fallen angels who have rebelled against God. In (Mark
3:22) Jesus calls Satan “the prince of demons." Satan is the ruler of the demons, who are
his agents. And they work together.
13. People who say that Satan and demons are not active today are being deceived by
Satan who according to (John 8:44) is the father of lies. He wants people to believe that
he is not active today.
14. Brethren, we need to open our eyes and realize that we are in spiritual warfare with
Satan and his troops. We must take our heads out of the sand and stand up and fight. We
must fight in the power and authority of the Lamb of God, the Lion of Judah, and the
King of Kings. It's time we fight in the name and power of Jesus Christ. Amen!
SOME STRATEGIES AND TACTICS THAT SATAN USES TO ATTACK US.
THE TWO TACTICS THAT SATAN USES TO ATTACK US.
I. FIRST, SATAN IS A DECEIVER WHO IS OUT TO MISLEAD US.
1. In the Garden of Eden, God told Adam that he could eat from any tree in the garden
except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
2. But Satan, the mighty deceiver, came along and told Eve that it was alright to eat from
the tree of knowledge because if she did, her eyes would be opened, and she would be
like God, knowing good and evil. And so the woman ate and gave some to her husband
and he ate as well.
“And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the
woman said, The serpent beguiled (deceived) me, and I did eat.” (Genesis 3:13)
3. Satan is the master deceiver. A deceiver is someone who persuades people to believe
in something that is not true. Satan and his troops are out to mislead us; and to persuade
us to believe in something that is not true.
4. How does Satan mislead us? One way he misleads us is by planting misleading
thoughts in our minds.
In (1 Chronicles), David took a census of Israel even though God did not advise him to
do so. And because he did that, God sent a plague on Israel and 70,000 men died. Why
did David take an unauthorized census? Where did he get the idea to do that?
"And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked (incited) David to number Israel."
Incited means to "stimulate or entice.” (1 Chronicles 21:1)
5. In other words, Satan planted a thought in David’s mind to do something that God did
not approve of.
6. In (Matthew 16:22), Peter rebuked Jesus for revealing that He must go to Jerusalem
and be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Who incited Peter to discourage Jesus
from going to the cross? Satan!
(Matthew 16:23) And he (Jesus) turned and said to Peter, “Get thee behind me, Satan:
thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those
that be of men.”
a. Jesus knew that Satan was the one who planted the thought in Peter’s mind, which was
designed to hinder Jesus from fulfilling His mission on the cross.
7. Ananias and Sapphira, who were believers (Acts 5:2), sold a piece of property to give
to the apostles. However, before they gave the money, they decided to keep some of it for
themselves. Because they lied to Spirit, and kept some of the money, they died. Where in
the world did they get the idea to lie to the Spirit and keep some of the money? Satan!
(Acts 5:3) But Peter said, "Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy
Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?”
8. It's obvious from examining these passages that Satan can plant misleading thoughts in
our minds. He entices us to do things that are contrary to the will of God.
9. Here are some random thoughts that Satan darts at people.
a. You don't need to go to church in order to be saved. All church people are hypocrites
anyhow.
b. You don't need to be baptized to be saved.
c. It's all right to cheat on your spouse; no one will ever find out.
d. During our anger, Satan tells us, "Go ahead get revenge."
e. Your not a good Christian, look at all of the evil thoughts you have; you might as well
give up on your faith, for God will never save a person like you.
f. To the teenagers, Satan plants these thoughts: It's all right to drink alcohol and do
drugs; everyone else is doing it. It won't harm you. person like you.
g. Go ahead and have sex before marriage; God doesn’t care. He wants you to have fun.
10. Satan hurls all kinds of misleading thoughts in our minds.
ILLUSTRATION:
In August of 1993, Jerry Simon, a minister in Huntsville Alabama, was sitting in his
office doing his normal duties when all of a sudden Eileen Janeciz walked in and shot
him in the chest and back for no apparent reason. Mr. Simon was murdered. Before her
arrest, Janeciz held police at bay for 8 hours, reading passages from Anton LeVay’s
Satanic Bible. Did Satan have something to do with Jerry Simon’s death? I believe so.
We should never underestimate the influence that Satan and his demons have. They are
powerful and have brought many good people down.
11. Brethren, Satan is the mighty deceiver. He's after our souls. He wants us to commit
sin after sin so that we will alienate ourselves from God.
12. He is good at what he does. He can plant thoughts in our minds, so beware, and do
not get taken in by his deceitful ways. Don't follow his misleading thoughts. Stand strong
in God's ways and not Satan's ways.
13. Even a Minister, someone who is aware of his tactics, still receives or has planted evil
thoughts into his mind. He does the same to you. He's after us all. We must be prepared
and alert (1 Peter 5:8) and recognize when we are under attack. He is a deceiver.
II. SECOND, SATAN IS A TEMPTER WHO TEMPTS US TO SIN.
1. Satan will come at us with every weapon he has. He doesn’t care who we are or how
much power and influence we have. He goes after every man, woman and child. We are
his enemy and he is after our souls. He will not stop until Jesus comes again.
2. Satan is so bold and brave that he tempted Jesus Christ Himself, the Son of God.
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And
when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. And when
the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones
be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, "Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Then the devil taketh
him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto
him, "If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his
angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time
thou dash thy foot against a stone." Jesus said unto him, "It is written again, Thou shalt
not tempt the Lord thy God." Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high
mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And
saith unto him, "All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me."
Then saith Jesus unto him, "Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship
the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." Then the devil leaveth him, and,
behold, angels came and ministered unto him. (Matthew 4:1-11)
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world,
the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and
the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the
world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for
ever." (1 John 2:15-17)
3. If Satan will come after Jesus, he will certainly come after us. So be prepared.
4. Satan entices us to commit an unwise or immoral act. Usually the temptation that is
thrown our way is something very pleasurable, something that we want, but yet is against
God’s will.
5. He and his troops know our weak points. They know exactly what to tempt us with.
ILLUSTRATION:
Satan could drive up in a Budweiser truck full of beer, get out and pour me a tall glass of
suds. I would not be tempted to drink it. However, if he drove up in a truck full of Pepsi, I
would be done.
6. He knows what to tempt us with.
a. If lust is what you struggle with, then Satan will tempt you to look at women (or men),
pornography or X-rated videos.
b. If gossip is your downfall, then Satan will entice you to talk about others. He will
convince you that it is the all right to do so.
c. If addiction is what you struggle with, then Satan will bombard you with opportunities
to indulge in alcohol and drugs.
7. Until we are willing to say “NO” to those temptations, then Satan and his companions
will not stop. They will bombard us with tempting desires. Everyday they will tempt us
hoping that we will stumble.
8. Parents, Satan is even after your children.
9. No one is safe from his attacks.
ILLUSTRATION:
Dr. Neil Anderson, who holds a doctorate from Pepperdine University, told this story in
his book “The Bondage Breaker:” One day a student of his told him that their little boy
was caught lying and stealing. They asked their son why he did it and he said, “Daddy, I
had to do it. Satan said he would kill you if I didn’t.” Instead of spanking him for blaming
Satan for his actions, he confronted the enemy’s lie and hugged his son for trying to save
his life. I told you earlier that Satan plants thoughts in our minds. Can he at times do that
to children? Absolutely! Before you discipline your children for bad behavior, ask them if
they were having thoughts, which provoked them to misbehave. And assess their answer
to see whether or not Satan may be heavily influencing them. Of course children like
adults are still responsible for their actions, however, it is helpful to determine if Satan
has a reign in your children's life.
10. How can your children get tangled up with Satan?
a. When you give your children money to buy heavy metal rock and roll tapes and money
to go to a rock concert, you are sending them to Satan's church.
ILLUSTRATION:
Several years ago, a Michigan teenager shot his older brother in the head. When the
Police arrived he was arrested. While they were searching the boys room for evidence,
they found a (hood, black robe, an upside down cross, black candle, card 666) and (11
cassette tapes of Motley Crew, Black Sabbath, and other heavy medal tapes). They also
found a book that was given to him at a rock concert that listed step-by-step procedures
on how to perform a satanic ritual.
b. Parents this is a very real Devil and if you expose your children to him, you may lose
them.
c. Get rid of those satanic music tapes from your house and do not send them to rock
concerts.
d. Don’t buy them occult toys such as (Dungeons and Dragons; Ouija Board; or Tarot
Cards). These are of the Devil.
e. Don’t send your children to occult movies such as (Exorcist; Omen). The Devil is
working through these movies and could influence your children to seek satanic power.
11. Parents if you love your children, and I know that you do, please beware that Satan
and his demons are after your children. Protect them in the power and blood of Jesus
Christ.
CONCLUSION:
1. Brethren, Satan and his demons are real! In fact they are so real they are probably
working in this church this morning. How many of you received negative thoughts about
today's sermon? Satan may have given you these thoughts.
2. Satan is a deceiver and a tempter. He can plant false thoughts in our minds. He is a
roaring lion looking to devour us.
3. Of course as Christians, Satan and demons cannot possess us or over power us.
However, they can harass us and do everything they can to cause us to stumble. We need
to be informed in the strategies of our enemy, so that we can defeat them. So be alert and
prayerful at all times. Often Satan plagues our minds with evil thoughts yet the armor of
God can save us from destruction.
PARTING THOUGHTS AND STRATEGIES
Many of the problems that we see today in society and in the church can be traced back to
three fundamental strategies. The three secret Satanic strategies are: All opinions are
equal, never judge anyone and never step on anybody's toes. Firstly, only God's opinion
matters in all things. Secondly, His word is from what a Christian judges others and
himself by; and not with his own sight, rather by faith. And thirdly, we are told to rebuke
sin and renounce it where it's found, regardless of the circumstances. It's Satan's plan to
stop the Church of Jesus Christ from moving out in power and victory. Before we can
launch a victorious offensive attack against Satan, we must know our enemy, his
characteristics, and his strategies.
SATAN'S STRATEGIES:
Temptation
Deception
Unbelief
Worry
Disobedience
Rebellion
Hardening of the hearts
Using circumstances to defeat you
Sowing Lies
Fear
To gain access to our minds
Apathy with lack of emotion or feeling
To accuse and slander
To war against God's people
"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If
ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if ye refuse and rebel, ye
shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it." (Isaiah
1:18-20)
YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE POWER TO OBEY
Through the power of the Holy Spirit living within you, you are set free from the power
of sin. You have been given POWER TO OBEY. Sin no longer has power over you.
Satan cannot make you rebel against God. He cannot make you disobey God and His
Word to yield to temptation. He has absolutely NO POWER over you, EXCEPT WHAT
YOU ALLOW HIM TO HAVE. It is impossible for man to walk in 100 percent in
obedience to God and His Word IN his OWN STRENGTH. Under the Old Covenant,
man was required to walk in obedience to the Law God had set forth on Mount Sinai.
Yet, he was unable to do it, and he lived under the curses that were pronounced upon
those who were disobedient. Under the New Covenant, however, God HAS made it
possible. The New Covenant is not based upon YOUR ABILITY to live your life in 100
percent obedience to God. God has placed His Spirit within you, giving you the POWER
TO OBEY Him and keep His commandments. Satan's strategy is to deceive and lead
Christians into REBELLION against God and His Word. Rebellion is opposing or
disobeying designated authority. When an individual rebels against God or His Word, he
asserts his will above the will of God. God gave us specific commandments throughout
His Word in addition to the ten commandments. Whenever we fail or refuse to act on any
of the things God instructed us to do in His Word, or fail to act when He speaks directly
to us giving us specific direction, we are REBELLING against God...AND IT IS SIN.
The law that God set forth to us in His Word is an expression of HIS WILL. To disobey
even one commandment is to be guilty of breaking the whole law. Every act of
disobedience, regardless of how small or insignificant it may seem to you, in God's sight
is as great as idolatry or great wickedness. There is NO substitute for obedience. None of
the sacrifices we make of ourselves...our time, talents, money...are accepted by God as a
substitute for full and single-minded obedience to the clear commands He has laid out for
us in His Word.
Remember to be saved one must call upon the name of the Lord Jesus in all things. A
person must repent of their sins, and then by belief become baptized in the name of the
Lord Jesus. And then continue in the word of God along with prayer and fellowship, with
other saints of God. Baptism is a commandment for every believer to follow, and all the
apostles baptized into the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission (forgiveness) or
washing away of sins. Water without belief in His grace and the operation of God is
worthless. Baptism without true readiness to follow the word is useless. And unbelievers
will not obey the word. But real disciples of Christ will do as he told us. Read the book of
Acts and apply it, then you will find out the truth that sets a person from all sin and Satan.