Sermon Tone Analysis

Series Introduction

`Four persons in the Old Testament had a direct confrontation with Satan.

From their experiences we will learn:

the targets Satan aims at in your life;

the weapons he uses to attack you;

the purposes that he wants to achieve; and

the defenses God has provided for you

WEEK 1 WILL LOOK his tactic as The Deceiver

Week 2 - The Detroyer

Week 3 - The Ruler

Week 4 - The Accuser

`No doubt Satan will do everything he can to keep you from benefiting from this series.

He will distract you and detour you.

He will seek to confuse you, or perhaps make you critical.

He will arrange interruptions.

I suggest you ask the Lord for his help and protection as we go through this series.

Remember:

“Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” ().

Positionally, you are in Christ and delivered from the power of Satan so it is within your power to focus on this series and glean all that God has for you.

Week 1 - Under Siege

Wayne Blank (online author of “Daily Bible Study” wrote - “The English word siege is derived from the Latin word meaning to sit.

To besiege a city, an armed force surrounds and isolates it, while usually continuing its attacks upon it.

In general, siege warfare involves bombardment (anything from, in ancient times, arrows or flaming arrows, catapulted rocks, or even catapulted corpses of plague victims to cause epidemics among the defenders, to, in modern times, artillery and "smart bombs") and cut off of supply, which causes starvation and deprivation.

It was usually only after the city surrendered, or was greatly weakened, that infantry entered.”

In other words, a siege was used to make one’s enemies so weak that they could not fight.

Spiritually, the same thing occurs today:

There is an all out attack by the enemy to lay siege to believers in Christ. he knows the end time is coming and his hour is almost up and so what he wants to do is cause as many as he can to fall away from the faith and become ineffective to promoting the plan of God.

And, he is not just attacking the pews but is also attacking the pulpits:

It's no secret that pastors and other spiritual leaders live with continual pressure.

Leaders often have tougher paths to walk than those who follow them.

The harvest fields they work in are booby-trapped with spiritual and emotional land mines hidden there by the enemy.

The statistics should disturb us.

For example, did you know that hundreds of pastors in North America leave the ministry every month because of stress, burnout and failure?

The numbers also reveal that:

97 percent of pastors say they were inadequately trained for the challenges they face

80 percent say pastoral ministry has had a negative effect on their children

70 percent say they constantly fight depression

70 percent say they feel underpaid

71 percent say they are in financial trouble

65 percent say they have thought about quitting the ministry within the last 30 days

70 percent say they do not have someone they consider a close friend.

If these figures are correct, we have a crisis on our hands.

If these terrible trends hold true over time, the damage will be devastating.

So, the first question of the day is HOW DOES he LAY SIEGE TO THE CHRISTIAN’S LIFE?

In other words, how do you know when you are under a spiritual attack?

KNOWING WHEN YOUR UNDER A SPIRITUAL SIEGE

1. Lack of spiritual passion.

The enemy comes to steal your tenacity for the things of God.

Suddenly your prayer life seems stalled.

Your commitment is tested and you can't seem to push though.

You feel as though you are just going through the motions.

2. Extreme frustration.

During a spiritual attack the enemy uses a variety of circumstances to oppress the mind and bring great frustration.

A person who is under siege finds themselves on edge and anxious.

3. Confusion about purpose.

During a spiritual attack there is often great confusion about spiritual direction.

This is one of the chief goals of an attack, to get a believer out of destiny.

That wrong move begins by bringing confusion.

4. Lack of peace.

The enemy bombards the mind with various thoughts and ongoing temptation in order to rob peace.

The mind becomes irritated and exhausted.

The enemy does all that he can to bring mental fatigue.

5. Unusually sluggish and tired.

A lack of energy and vitality are often the result of an extended attack.

Certainly these issues can occur with natural problems, lack of sleep or health battles.

In this case though, the root cause is the effect of prolonged spiritual battles.

6.

Strong urge to quit assignment.

Every believer is born with unique purpose.

As God created a purpose for each believer, He also gave unique gifts and grace to fulfill that plan.

When a person is living in the high calling, they will prosper in various areas: They will receive financial blessing by excelling in the area that God has called them to.

They will feel satisfied and fulfilled living out their destiny.

Simply put, the enemy hates when a believer is boldly walking out their purpose and plan.

He does all that he can to MOVE the Christian away from their destiny.

During an attack he will overwhelm them with thoughts and desires to give up and abandon their post!

This is one of his greatest purposes behind spiritual attacks.

7. Drawn back towards old bondages.

In a long spiritual battle a person is often pulled back towards negative cycles that they broke free from.

The enemy wants to enslave them once again in the same old bondages.

If he can discourage them bad enough to give into sin that they were free from then he can loose shame and condemnation upon them causing them to spiral down into deeper defeat.

8. Questioning direction and call that was once so clear.

As the enemy attacks the life of a believer he begins to give them reasons to give up on the very thing that God called them to.

This is one of his master tools.

He releases confusion, shame, intimidation and a variety of vile schemes to create a cloud of uncertainty.

Again, his ultimate goal is to get a believer off the pathway of destiny, A person who is under attack may find themselves deeply questioning the road that they are traveling.

Usually, they begin to reexamine decisions that were once crystal clear.

Oftentimes a person in the midst of an attack will question prophetic words, spiritual breakthroughs and significant experiences that they had.

This is a step towards moving backwards in the Spirit.

LEAD-IN TO THE TEXT

Many people are facing spiritual struggles as they attempt to advance in the things of God.

One of the primary tricks of the enemy is to get a person deceived and not realizing the depth of what is taking place in their lives.

and so, today we look at satan as THE DECIEVER

TEXT

satan’s TARGET - your mind

1. SATAN’S TARGET—YOUR MIND

When Satan wanted to lead the first man and woman into sin, he started by attacking the woman’s mind.

This is made clear in 2 Corinthians 11:3.

satan’s WEAPONS - LIES

`It is important that you notice the steps Satan took in getting Eve to believe his lie.

(1) He questioned God’s Word.

“Indeed, has God said…?”