Know Your Enemy Pt.2

Recap:

1. The Reality of the Enemy - A very real deception in our world today is to believe that the devil is not real.

2. Deception: Twisting Truth - A great example of the twisting of the truth is in our terminology today. I had a friend talk about “conversion therapy”. I thought about the term and realized that the name itself is twisted because, while it is therapy, it creates the idea that the person was born homosexual and is being converted to liking the opposite sex. Do you see how truth is twisted using words we would not catch right away.

reverse racism - racism

polyamorous - adultery

gender fluid - confused

“God is working on this with me” to excuse sinful behavior

“But All things are Permissible, Right?”

3. Doubt: Undermining Faith - Causing you to question your faith and God’s voice

4. Temptation: Appealing to Flesh - Your sinful and rebellious desires are easy for the devil to exploit and turn against you.

5. Fear: Paralyzing Purpose - If the devil can make you afraid, he can keep you from obedience and victory.

6. Complacency: Numbing the Spirit - Apathy is when we just don’t care anymore. Complacency in our lives causes us to grow insensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Final Charge: Stay Alert & Armed - This is the area we are going to dig deeper in today.

Three Kinds of Attacks:

1. Attack of Opportunity

The devil is an opportunist. He looks for areas to attack you.

1 Peter 5:8 NKJV

8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

If you are not battle ready, he will wait for hardships to come. He can be patient.

If you ARE battle ready, he will look for an opportunity in your marriage, your flesh, your kids, you mother in law, ANY OPEN OPPORTUNITY.

Response:

Pray

Call out Soft Targets in your life

Surrender them to God

Surround yourself with God’s people

2. Attack of Retaliation

Ephesians 6:11–13 NKJV

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

**I hope you are not tired of this passage yet. I hope you have memorized it.

The devil has no need to attack those who pose no threat.

If you are complacent, confused, conceited, comfortable, conforming, and compliant, you are where the devil wants you.

You are no threat when you are not in the fight. But the purpose God has for you involves you rejecting your flesh and relying on God to fight these battles for you. When you are following God, you will see

Temptation to sin before big spiritual victories to minimize the affect

Attacks during your walk of obedience to distract and discourage you

Attacks after victories to hurl accusations and condemnation at you

But you are called to stand. You are called to keep your eyes on Jesus.

He fights the battles and will carry you through them.

Surrender to Him and He will lead you to victory - just don’t get complacent.

3. Attack of Sifting

Luke 22:31–32 NKJV

31 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

Our first example is Jesus speaking to Peter.

He tells Peter Satan asked to sift Peter.

This is a picture of separating the wheat (the good part), from the chaff (the weeds).

What is so encouraging, is the hope Jesus gives by telling Peter that He has prayed for him - that his faith should not fail. That is so encouraging!

Then we see the next line, which should give us equal hope.

Jesus tells Peter that when he returns to Jesus, to strengthen his brethren.

This suggests that Peter would at some point fail in this sifting process, but that he would return to Jesus.

Do you feel like you are being sifted? Do you feel like you have failed? There is hope in returning to Jesus.

Jesus was also sifted in preparation for His ministry. This was, in part to fulfill prophecy, but also to

Matthew 4:1–17 NKJV

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” 5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” 7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ” 8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” 11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. 12 Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. 13 And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14 that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles: 16 The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.” 17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

Deuteronomy 8:3 NKJV

3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 6:16 NKJV

16 “You shall not tempt the Lord your God as you tempted Him in Massah.

Deuteronomy 6:13 NKJV

13 You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name.