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"To whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also: for if I forgive any thing, to whom I forgave it, for
your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ; Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are
not ignorant of his devices" (2 Corinthians 2:10-11).
The Christian has many enemies in this world. At times they oppose the church collective,
while at other times the resistence comes against us individually. Those of us who love democracy,
are constantly threatened by enemies within and abroad. If we love that which is good, we battle
those who promote evil. The list of enemies could go on and on. Yet there is one enemy who is
often unrecognized, for he constantly disguises himself. The enemy to which I refer, is an enemy of
the soul and he is our chief adversary. Peter said, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the
devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may destroy" (1 Peter 5:8). Here Peter has
identified our enemy, referring to him as the devil. According to Revelation 12:9, the devil and satan
are one and the same being. He is set for the destruction of our souls and seeks to devour us like a
hungry lion devours its prey. In addition to the warnings of Peter, Paul called our attention to the fact
that satan will also take advantage of us.
Satan takes advantage of us through the many devices which are at this disposal. The sad fact
is that many are ignorant of his devices, some even ignoring the existence of the devil. If a person
does not believe that he exists, obviously, they will not make an effort to resist him. Those who
accept the teachings of the Bible with regard to satan's presence, must then guard themselves by
becoming better informed about his devices. The reassurance which Peter gives is simply this,
"Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
Obviously, there are many people who do not resist satan. They yield to his temptations and
live their lives in a manner that pleases him. Often they do not even recognize that they are yielding
their lives to his control, because he comes as he did in the Garden of Eden, in a most subtle way
(Genesis 3:1). Satan is a crafty being; he does not appear ugly and evil, but transforms himself into
an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). Therefore many who follow his sinful ways, have become
so completely deceived, that they do not recognize their wrong doing. Satan has certainly taken
advantage of such people.
Satan takes advantage of people in a variety of ways. Sometimes he gently leads into
temptation, while at other times, he violently opposes our good endeavors. He is also said to hurl
fiery darts at us (Ephesians 6:11). Regardless of how he comes, Paul warns us not to allow satan to
take advantage of us, and he also informs us that our best protection is to be properly informed about
his devices. The better we understand satan's tactics, the more successfully we can guard ourselves
against them. Because satan confronts the saints in many different ways, Paul referred to his devices
(plural). Satan certainly has far more devices than I can detect or declare; however, there are three
that I shall present for your consideration. These devices are as follows: (1) deception, (2) dilution
and (3) doubt.
Let us look at these devices by first considering the oldest and most widespread device,
deception. Shortly after the world was divinely created, satan tempted Eve. The purpose of that
temptation was simple, he wanted her to break the commandment which God had given to Adam.
Genesis 2:16-17 states both the commandment and a warning, if it was violated! "And the Lord God
commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou
shalt surely die." Satan wanted Adam to break God's law and he took advantage of him through Eve.
He also wants us to break God's laws and he will use any avenue available to deceive us. In order
for satan to get Adam to sin, he deceived Eve. He deceived her by saying "Ye shall not surely die"
(Genesis 3:4). Because of that act of deception, Jesus called him a liar saying, "He was a murderer
from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh
a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it" (John 8:44). Throughout the ages
satan has continued his deceptions. I believe that he lied to our Saviour as he tried to deceive Him.
Satan took Jesus "up into an exceeding high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the
world, and the glory of them; And said unto him, all these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall
down and worship me" (Matthew 4:8-9). Even if all the kingdoms of this world were satan's to give,
he would not have done so; he only intended to deceive. Jesus was not deceived, for He knew the
truth which He so powerfully stated when He responded "Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written,
Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve"(Matthew 4:10). If only people
knew more about the teachings of the Bible, they would not be so easily deceived.
Even though a knowledge of scripture reduces our probability of being deceived, it does not
preclude that no deception can take place. Remember that Eve knew what God said, yet she believed
satan, even though he contradicted God. The sad reality is that we believe what we want to believe.
I have known professed Christians to commit sins they knew the Bible clearly condemned, but
somehow satan deceived them in believing they were an exception to that rule. Some have known
that God warned against a strong love for money (1 Timothy 6:10) but they grow to love it so much
they disobey God and become dishonest. Others choose to ignore the warning with regard to alcohol
or other addictive drugs. Rather than trusting God, they rely upon them hoping to solve their
problems, only to discover that their solution became their problem. Why do people insist on
ignoring the teachings of the Bible? One answer is obvious, satan’s deception.
We may at times, be deceived by other people, as Paul cautioned in Ephesians 5:6. He said,
"Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon
the children of disobedience." At other times we may even be guilty of self-deception. James wrote,
"Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (James 1:22). If we
choose to ignore and disobey God, it seems that deception in some form has already taken place.
Remember that deception in its various forms, all originated with satan. He is at work today
deceiving the whole world (Revelation 12:9). Even now many are being deceived into believing that
the Bible is not inerrant. Satan wants you to think that this world was not divinely created, but
evolved instead. He loves it when theologians deny the miracles of the Bible, preachers fail to preach
the sovereign saving grace of God and mortals refuse the Bible as a guide for daily living. He
deceives, that he might rob us of peace and steal away the joy of our hearts. Satan will surely do so
to you, unless you are extremely careful to guard against his devise of deception.
The second device which Satan frequently uses is dilution. To dilute a substance means that
its strength has been weakened by the addition of something less potent. Some medicines must be
diluted with water, milk or juices. There are cleaning chemicals and insecticides that are too strong
in their pure form, for they have been made with dilution in mind and directions are given with
regard to the additives and their amounts. Since we are familiar with dilution within the natural
realm, let us now apply that principle to the spiritual in order to understand this second device of
satan.
There are some people who are well enough informed about the scriptures, that satan cannot
completely deceive them. Since his first device of deception cannot be successfully employed alone,
he adds to it dilution. What he does is this, he mixes error with truth to create half-truths. Half-truths
are not as easily recognized as are lies. When God said," Thou shalt surely die (Genesis 2:17) and
Satan later said "Ye shall not surely die" (Genesis 3:4), those who know and believe the truth of God
are able to easily recognize satan's lie. But almost immediately satan added the device of dilution in
tempting mother Eve. First he used a lie, then added some truth to make it plausible. He added, "For
God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods,
knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5). There were many truths in that statement, even though the
father of lies spoke it. It is true that God had a knowledge of what would happen and it was also true
that their eyes would be opened to perceive both good and evil. Until then, there was no evil to
perceive; it would happen as they fell into sin. Then, their eyes were opened, as saran had said
(Genesis 3:7).
He had successfully used the device of dilution by mixing in enough truth to hide the error.
Satan also tried to use this device in His temptations of Christ. He carried Jesus to the pinnacle of
the Temple in the holy city of Jerusalem. There he tempted Jesus saying, "If thou be the Son of God,
cast thyself down"; then satan immediately added some scripture, saying, "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" (Matthew 4:6). Satan quoted from Psalm 91:11-12 and I believe
that he intentionally left out the statement “to keep thee in all thy ways." He knew that the scripture
truth was right, but the application of truth was wrong. Jesus responded by saying "It is written again,
Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God" (Matthew 4:7). Therefore, we must not only believe the
scriptures, but be careful in our efforts to understand their meaning. Only when we “rightly divide”
the truth (2 Timothy 2:15), can we rightly apply it. Some who cannot be deceived into ignoring the
teachings of the Bible, are deceived by having them diluted with error, which satan freely and
willingly gives.
Most likely, satan has a greater knowledge of the letter of the word, than the majority of
professed Christians. He may consent to the letter of it, then mislead people to misunderstand the
spirit of the word. Satan knows that he can take the correct letter of the word and dilute minds with
an enormous spirit or application, and thereby effectively use the device of dilution. An example of
this is Revelation 3:20, which says, "Behold I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my
voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Satan tries
to rob God of glory, by the wrong use of this verse. Have you ever heard it explained this way, "Jesus
stands knocking at the door of your heart, knocking, wanting to come in and save you. If you will
open the door of your heart, He will come into you and save you." My understanding of the scripture
is vastly different from the erroneous interpretation I have just quoted. First of all, salvation is not
the subject under consideration. Second, the door was not the door of the heart, it was a church. The
truth is that God has the power to open hearts, as evident from Acts 16:14. There the Bible tells us
that He opened Lydia’s heart. Third, the Lord was not seeking to come into (one word) a heart, but
in to (two words) a church for fellowship. Churches as bodies of saints, already saved by grace;
enjoy fellowship with Jesus as they have a desire to do so. Thus Revelation 3:20, diluted with error,
presents the sovereign Son of God as weak and unable to save those He desires. Rightly applied,
encourages the saved to seek the fellowship of Jesus and thereby be edified.
Not only does satan dilute the truth to rob us of joy and peace, but it should be said, that he
also robs the saints of truth and thereby impedes their spiritual progress. If he can dilute the truth,
he may even convince us that it is not important enough to demand our complete and undivided
attention. "Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian " (Acts 26:28). Satan
probably admitted to Agrippa that what Paul said was right, just not right for him. How many times
do you suppose satan whispers, "It is in the Bible, but it doesn't apply to you." Another example of
this dilution is when Peter followed Jesus afar off (Luke 22:54). Perhaps Peter recalled the words
of Jesus, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me"
(Matthew 16:24), but I can almost hear satan respond, "Sure He said that, but don't follow too close
or they will arrest you too." When Ananias and his wife Sapphira brought only part of what they had
promised, it was likely satan who told them they were giving too much (Acts 5:1-2). Many know
they should attend church (Hebrews 10:25), but satan tells them Sunday morning twice a month is
enough. The Bible calls upon believers to be baptized (Acts 2:38) but satan convinces many that they
don't need it, because they are better than some who have been baptized - so why? Again and again
satan uses the device of dilution and multitudes remain ignorant of his devices.
Thirdly, satan uses the device of doubt. As with the two previously mentioned devices, he
also used this device in the Garden of Eden. He cast doubt against the integrity of God by accusing
God of having a selfish motive, when He gave His commandment. Doubt evidently crept into the
mind of Eve and remained there long enough for sin to enter. Since it worked so well on Eve, satan
also tried it on Jesus. He had tried the other two devices, why not this one as well? Twice satan cast
doubt, saying to Jesus, "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread ... If
thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down" (Matthew 4:3 & 6). Satan even used the voices of others
to cast doubt while Jesus was on the cross. They said, "If thou be the Son of God, come down from
the cross" (Matthew 27:40). I feel sure that satan also cast doubt into the mind of Job. Can't you hear
him say, "Job, if God really appreciates your good life, why is he allowing all this evil to come upon
you?" Satan continues to cast doubt against millions of suffering saints. He causes them to doubt the
love of God because they are sick or racked with pain. He cast doubts about the value of serving God
because troubles touch the lives of the faithful and indifferent alike. What he does not know is that
we are not serving God to buy His favors, we are doing it because we love Him that much. We do
not want others to doubt our love for them and neither should we doubt His love for us. He proved
it once and for all times! "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his
Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10). He loves us amidst all life's trials even as He
loved Lazarus when he was sick (John 11:5-6), so don't allow satan to cause you to doubt God's love.
Remember that satan will use the device of doubt on you, if you let him; but I admonish you to trust
God and believe His promises.
In closing, we need to recognize that these devices of satan have been around for a long, long
time. Satan has much practice in the skillful use of them, for he has used them against so many. He
has not only already used them against us, but I am confident that he will continue to do so. When
he does, think about these words, "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to
man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with
the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13). We
are not now ignorant of satan’s devices of deception, dilution and doubt. Thank God, there is
something we can do to defend ourselves against them. James tells us the secret, "Submit yourselves
therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw
nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded" (James
4:7-8). The closer we live to God, the easier it will be to resist temptation and overcome satan's
devices. Don't let satan get the advantage, but rather yield yourself to Jesus as an instrument of
righteousness (Romans 6:13). Oppose satan by warning others of his devices and encourage them
to serve Christ, our Lord.
Jesus is the Son of God and the only Saviour of sinners. Peter said, "Neither is there salvation
in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved" (Acts 4:12). His name is exalted above all others, because He is so great and glorious. He is
worthy of our deepest love and devotion; therefore, let us become good soldiers by following our
Captain (Hebrews 2:10) and fight unceasingly against satan and his devices. The more profound our
love for Jesus, the more profusely we battle His enemy and ours. Our Lord overcame the devices of
satan and gained the victory over death and the grave. He gave us the victory (1 Corinthians 15:57)
and even now is bestowing the necessary grace for us to overcome the devices of satan (2
Corinthians 12:9). Guided by His perfect example, let us give to Jesus all praise, glory and honor.
Amen.
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