There has been a truth from scripture that has been an absolute delight to my soul lately. Every single time I think of it I smile and praise God. This verse reminds me that the devices of the devil won’t last forever, and spiritual warfare, as brutal as it can be sometimes, is just temporary. Maybe you need to be reminded of this certainty as well…
Revelation 20:10 KJV ~ And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Hallelujah and Amen! The Deceiver will be rendered powerless and put to shame, and I can’t wait to see it. I imagine there will be a huge celebration in heaven as the one who caused tremendous hurt and heartache on earth finally gets what he deserves.
But in the meantime, we are subject to his taunting and temptations, so how do we avoid getting sidelined from our race of faith? It starts by recognizing that when there is condemnation, confusion, and chaos, the devil is at work. Here are 7 devices of the devil and 7 practices to put on during spiritual warfare.
About our Adversary the Devil
1Peter 5:8 KJV ~ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.
Our adversary goes by many names- Lucifer, the serpent, Satan, the god of this world, the king over all the children of pride, and the accuser of the brethren, for example.
He has many tactics, and he targets our relationships, ministries, finances, health, and our family with his fiery darts.
Satan slanders us and accuses us before God day and night. (Revelation 12:10) Meaning he never stops spewing lies about us, because he is the father of them. (John 8:44)
The devices of the devil are designed to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10) But we don’t have to let him have his way with us. God has given us everything we need to recognize and resist that traitor’s tactics, in His word, His Spirit, and His people.
7 Devices of the Devil
2Corinthians 2:11 KJV ~ Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
In order to stand strong in spiritual warfare, we have to recognize the devices of the devil.
Our adversary is pretty predictable. He doesn’t really have any new tricks up his sleeve to draw us away from fellowship with Christ. That’s his goal, of course, to get us focused on ourselves, our what-ifs, worries, and woes, and forget our first Love.
As a pastor’s wife and Bible teacher, I’ve had my fair share of spiritual warfare. From those experiences, I’ve noticed that there are some devices of the devil that consistently show up.
- Doubt
- Discontentment
- Discouragement
- Distractions
- Division
- Depression
- Disabilities
Satan uses each one of those tactics to bring God’s children under a cloud of confusion and crush them with circumstances that are beyond their control.
But he only succeeds if we let him. We are not powerless against the enemy!
7 Practices to put on and put the devil in his place
Each attack of the evil one has a counterattack straight from God’s word. When we recognize the devices of the devil coming against us, then we can put to practice these 7 things.
- Put in truth to defeat doubt. John 17:17. Reading the Bible transforms our thinking and fortifies our faith.
- Put your praises on paper to counter discontentment. Phil.4:8. When we take the time to write down what we are thankful for, what we have seen God do, instead of focusing on our grievances, we have peace and a grateful heart.
- Put on your spiritual armor listed in Ephesians 6:10-18 to shake off discouragement. The devil wants to steal our courage, confidence, and hope. But we are emboldened and operating by faith when we get battle-ready.
- Put your eyes on Jesus when you are distracted. Hebrews 12:2. When we fix our eyes on Jesus, then all the things that are vying for our attention and causing us anxiety melt away.
- Put on charity to guard against division. Col. 3:12-17. Choosing to obey the word of God and forgive each other, forbear with one another, and forget the wrongs, brings unity in our relationships, homes, and churches. And we are far more effective together, than apart.
- Put prayers up when depression threatens to drown you. 1Thessalonians 5:17, Luke 18:1-8. I’ve been in that pit, and what helps me out of it most is prayer. I pray even when I don’t feel like it, even when I don’t see immediate results, and even when it seems like I’m just talking to myself. I also reach out to my trusted prayer partners and ask them to intercede for me. Prayer is powerful!!
- Put your hope in Jesus when disabilities drag you down. 2 Cor. 12:9-10. The definition of disability is a physical or mental condition that limits a person’s movements, senses, or activities. When we’re a threat to the Adversary’s agenda, he uses infirmities to isolate us. But by placing our hope in Jesus, we can see past our current circumstances and look forward to what God is going to do in us and through us, despite our weaknesses.
We can sum these practices up in one phrase, abide in Christ. When we stay in fellowship with Jesus, we are safe from Satan’s schemes.
Recognize, remember, resist
If you were going to play the game Survivor, you would want to study the strategies of those who succeeded at outwitting, outplaying, and outlasting the other contestants. Well, Jesus is the Victor, and we have His playbook, but we have to choose to take His advice and do life His way.
Our opponent is insidious and invisible. He knows our weaknesses and carefully crafts plans to trip us up and trap us in sin. Even though he’s fierce, we don’t need to fear him, we just need to resist his attempts to beguile us.
The devil won’t outwit us when we recognize his devices, remember to put to practice basic spiritual disciplines and resist him.
Don’t let Satan get you down today. His days are numbered, and because of Jesus, you win!
James 4:7 KJV ~ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Get a Jesus Journal to stay strong in spiritual warfare!
The more we learn about Jesus, the more we will be like Him! I designed and published a tool to help Christian women do just that. My Jesus Journal focuses your time in the word on Jesus and helps you cultivate a closer relationship with Him.
My Jesus Journal has space to record the date, the scriptures you read, and lined spaces to write your observations about Jesus. There is a verse from the KJV Bible at the bottom of those pages. The next page is for writing your prayers related to what you discovered in your reading. And there are extra prayer pages in the back.
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If you are looking for a tool to help you grow in your knowledge of Jesus, build intimacy into your relationship with Him, and deepen your love for the Lord, then My Jesus Journal is just what you need!
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Recommended reading about spiritual warfare:
More posts to help you stand strong in spiritual warfare:
The Importance of a Sober Mind for Spiritual Stability
Jesus is The Way ~ Guest post for One Determined Life
24 Uplifting Bible Verses on Confidence in Christ ~ Guest post for Rock Solid Faith
(If you are looking for someone to contribute articles to your website, you can view my portfolio and my beliefs to see if I would be a good fit for your readers. If so, please email me at dailyhisdisciple@gmail.com with what you are looking for, and I will get back to you as soon as possible.)
Free Devotional in my Resource Library
On my “Resources” page, I added several new tools for spiritual growth. The most recent being the “7 Days to More Peace of Mind” devotional bundle! It includes 7 devotions, scripture lists, quotes, and poems, all on the topic of worry. I’m selling 7 Days to More Peace of Mind as an eBook on Amazon, but I’m offering it to my email subscribers for FREE!
There is also a “How to Study the Bible” handbook in that resource library. It is a 17-page guide with step-by-step instructions, study sheets, study guidelines, and more! If you would like to dig deeper into the Bible for yourself, then this free resource is for you!
I have also included other bible study worksheets, beautiful graphics, printables (like scriptures for a sober mind), bookmarks, and more. To tap into all the goodies, just enter your email address in the “subscribe” section of this page. When you do that, you will get a confirmation email with the password to my Resource Library. Then you will also receive my blog posts in your email inbox as well.
(If you are already subscribed to Daily His Disciple, just email me and I will send you the link and password!)
Pray With Confidence
Prayer helps us to stand strong in spiritual warfare. If you would like to grow in your prayer life, then check out Pray with Confidence. It’s a website for helping women overcome prayer obstacles, and I am one of the monthly contributors. Here are some links I think will be a blessing to you:
3 Short Prayers for Spiritual Stability
19 Bible Verses that Reveal the Will of God
Check out the prayer resources, Bible verses, and tough questions tabs as well. There are many great options for your spiritual growth!