How do we deal with Satan? Because he’s doing his best to deal with us. We have power over him through Jesus Christ.
Get Behind Me Satan
What the Satan Does
– Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8 NET)
Is he talking to people who don’t have Christ? NO. Satan already has those people. He is after Christians!!
– For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. (Ephesians 6:12 NET)
How the Satan Works
– You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I am telling you the truth, you do not believe me. (John 8:44-45 NET)
Primarily, Satan is in the business of trying to deceive us—trying to make something look like the truth but it’s a lie; it’s a deception.
How the Satan Works
He Tempts us: “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After he fasted forty days and forty nights he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.’” (Matthew 4:1-3 NET)
He Accuses us: “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, ‘The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the ruling authority of his Christ, have now come, because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, the one who accuses them day and night before our God, has been thrown down.’” (Revelation 12:10 NET)
He Lies to us: “But I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by his treachery, your minds may be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3 NET)
“If I were to tempt you, you would know it. If I were to accuse you, you would know it. But if I were to deceive you, you wouldn’t know it. The power of Satan is in the lie. If you remove the lie you remove the power.” - Dr. Neil Anderson, Freedom in Christ Ministries
Confronting the Satan
– Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour. Resist him, strong in your faith, because you know that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are enduring the same kinds of suffering. And, after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him belongs the power forever. Amen. (1 Peter 5:8-11 NET)
How do we Resist his lies?
We turn to truth. God’s word is truth (John 17:17). We look at what God says, because He cannot lie.
– From Paul, a slave of God and apostle of Jesus Christ, to further the faith of Godʼs chosen ones and the knowledge of the truth that is in keeping with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the ages began. (Titus 1:1-2 NET)
Confronting the lies
The Lie: “God must be so disappointed in me, He’s likely to just give up on me.”
The Truth: “For I am sure of this very thing, that the one who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:6 NET)
The Truth: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1 NET_FL)
The Lie: “God doesn’t really love me. If God loved me, I wouldn’t be having all of these problems.”
The Truth: “Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you; remain in my love.” (John 15:9 NET)
The Truth: “In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:10 NET)
The Truth: “See what sort of love the Father has given to us: that we should be called Godʼs children- and indeed we are! For this reason the world does not know us: because it did not know him. (1 John 3:1 NET)
The Lie: “I can’t get over this sin. Surely God will not forgive me again.”
The Truth: “But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9 NET_FL)
The Truth: “Then Peter came to him and asked, ‘Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?’
“No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!” …
“Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?”
(Matthew 18:21-22,33 NLT)
We don’t let our feelings or thoughts or Satan’s lies dictate what is true. God’s word is truer than anything we feel, think or see. Satan tries to cloud our thinking, tries to make us think that God is depriving us from something. But it is God who created us and loves us enough to die for us. In dealing with Satan’s lies, you have to know the truth.
Weapons of War
– The God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. (Romans 16:20 NET)
– Resist him, strong in faith! (1 Peter 5:9a NET)
– and in all of this, by taking up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. (Ephesians 6:16 NET)
What flaming arrows are flying your way? Take up arms!
– So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you. (James 4:7 NET)
– No trial has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13 NET)
Capture Your Thoughts
– For though we live a as human beings, we do not wage war according to human standards, for the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons, but are made powerful by God for tearing down strongholds. We tear down arguments and every arrogant obstacle that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obey Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NET)
Thoughts can become actions; actions can become habits. And it all starts with a thought. God wants us to trust His Word more than we trust our feelings, more than we trust how things appear.
– So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him: “God forbid, Lord! This must not happen to you!” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you are not setting your mind on Godʼs interests, but on manʼs.” (Matthew 16:22-23 NET)
Stand Together
– So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness. (James 5:16 NET)
Brothers and sisters, if a person is discovered in some sin, you who are spiritual restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness. Pay close attention to yourselves, so that you are not tempted too. Carry one anotherʼs burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
(Galatians 6:1-2 NET)
– And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works, not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day a drawing near.
(Hebrews 10:24-25 NET_FL)
The Lord, my protector, deserves praise- the one who trains my hands for battle, and my fingers for war, who loves me and is my stronghold, my refuge and my deliverer, my shield and the one in whom I take shelter, who makes nations submit to me.
(Psalms 144:1-2 NET)