Do you ever get sick and tired of being "ripped off" by the Devil?

In your Christian walk, does it ever seem like you take one step forward and two steps back?

Have you ever felt condemned in your sin and wanted to just give up the fight?

If you said "yes" to any of the above, then I have good news for you: your life does not have to continue on this way! The Bible gives us a plan of action to overcome the Devil and his tactics. First, however, you need to be able to identify his strategy.

The Devil first tries to bring us down by trapping us in some sin. If he is successful, he then attempts his "double whammy" accusation. The Bible actually refers to him as "the accuser ofthe brethren" (Revelation 12:1O).

Satan does not just lead a Christian into sin and leave him or her to suffer the consequences. He wants the disobedient Christian to be doubly defeated.

Consider this account in Zechariah chapter three:

"Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose [accuse] him. And the LORD said to Satan, 'The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?'" (Zechariah 3:1-2).

The setting is that of a courtroom:

God is the judge.
Joshua the high priest is the defendant.
Satan is the prosecutor trying to prove Joshua's guilt.

Satan still uses this tactic with great effect. When you and I have disobeyed God, he moves in for that finishing stroke.

"You call yourself a Christian?"
"Do you really think that God will hear your prayer?"
"You're not worthy to approach God after what you've done."

Before we sin, while he is tempting us, the Devil whispers, "You can get away with this." After we sin, he shouts, "You will never get away with this!"

Does this mean that every time we feel a sense of guilt or shame, it comes from the Devil? Of course not. We simply must learn to distinguish between Satan's accusations and the Spirit's conviction. If those feelings drive us to despair and hopelessness, then we've listened to the wrong voice.

He uses the Word of God in love.

He seeks to bring you back into fellowship with your heavenly Father.

He gets you to focus upon God and His forgiveness. He draws you to the Cross of Christ.

He leads you to repentance.

He moves you closer to the Lord.

He uses your own sins in a hateful way.

He seeks to make you feel helpless and hopeless.

He gets you to focus your attention upon yourself and your sins.

He drives you away from the Cross of Christ.

He wants you to experience regret and remorse, but not repentance.

He moves you farther and farther away from the Lord.

True conviction from the Spirit will move you closer to the Lord.
Judas listened to the Devil and went out and hanged himself in complete despair. Peter looked in the face of Jesus and wept bitterly, but later came back into fellowship with Christ. Don't let anything keep you from coming to the Cross and repenting of your sin and experiencing the wonderful, cleansing work of forgiveness in your life!

Our Defense

Our access to God's throne has nothing to do with what we've done, but everything to do with what Christ has done and is doing. Returning to the courtroom scene in Zechariah, Joshua stands condemned, Satan goes in for the kill and is suddenly stopped in his tracks. Why? God says that Joshua is His, "a brand plucked from the fire."

Our defense against the Devil is the interceding Son of God.

Jesus told Peter, "Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you..." (Luke 22:31).

"My little children, these things I write to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1 John 2:1).
"Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who raised to life is at the right hand
of God and is also interceding for us" (Romans 8:33).

What if I don't feel worthy of God's forgiveness?

To be quite blunt, you never were even on your best day "worthy" of anything God offers to you—and you never will be. Therefore, do not approach God on the basis of what you've done, but rather on the basis of what He has done for you. Scripture tells us, "...having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Ephesians 1:5-6).

The Devil does not want you to know this one thing: he was soundly defeated at the Cross. Prior to His crucifixion on the Cross, Jesus said, "Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out" (John 12:31).

Satan is still at work because God has allowed it. This is not a "cop-out," but simply a recognition of a temporary situation. Satan knows well his future judgment is imminent.

In addition, as I mentioned in the previous lesson, Satan can do nothing in the life of the Christian without the permission of God. No one can take you out of His hand, and absolutely nothing can separate you from His love for you (see John 10:29; Romans 8:38-39).

Armed & Ready for the Battle

When Jesus died upon the Cross, Satan once and for all lost his "death-clutch" on humanity (see Colossians 2: 14). Therefore, as we also learned in the last lesson, we are not fighting to obtain victory; we are resting in the victory He has obtained! We don't fight for victory, but rather from it. This is the Lord's battle, and not our own personal war. And God has given us the weapons to fight temptation's pull.

Read Ephesians 6:11-17

This passage details each piece of the "armor of God." Note that it is essential that we implement all of it. We are not told to "pick and choose" what we think is important. Every article plays a significant part.

The "armor of God" is composed of six pieces:

The first three (the belt, the breastplate, and the shoes) were designed for long-range preparation and protection. They were never taken off on the battlefield.

The second three (the shield, the helmet, and the sword) were kept in readiness for use when the actual fighting began.

All of these articles largely represent defensive gear, with the exception of one: the sword. The "sword of the Spirit" is the "Word of God" (v. l7). During His temptation in the wilderness, Jesus modeled exactly how we are to use this weapon. Every time Satan came to Jesus with a temptation, Jesus "rightly divided the word of truth" and came back with a Scripture to counter Satan's enticements.

Here are some key verses to keep in mind as you prepare to battle Satan's lies and accusations:

"Go ahead and sin, no one will know."

Hebrews 4:13,"All things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."

Galatians 6:7,"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked..."

Numbers 32:23,"...Be sure your sin will find you out."

"God will not forgive you."

1 John 1:9,"If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

"God condemns you!"

Romans 8:1,"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus..."

"You're not going to make it. I'll get you. You'll fall again!"

John 10:2,"And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand."

Philippians 1:6,"Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. "

As you can see, this is why we must commit Scripture to memory.

"Thy Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You" (Psalm 119:11).

"The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip" (Psalm 37:31).

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success" (Joshua 1:8).

Remember these three things:

1. The enemy tries to drive us away from the Cross through accusations, but the Spirit of God always brings us back to the Cross.
   
2. The enemy has been soundly defeated, and his days are numbered. He can do nothing in the life of the Christian without God's permission.
   
3. God has given us His word to deflect attacks and to strike blows for his Kingdom.