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The Strategy of Satan


In 1 Peter 5:8, the haunting Scripture passage reads, “Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 
Were you aware that the Greek word (verb) for “devour” means to “drink down,” “gulp entire” or “swallow”….in other words, we are talking “total consumption” or “complete annihilation” of a person’s life.
The reality is that Satan cannot stand the work of an active Christian. Satan is willing to do anything and everything, at any cost, to destroy the work of God in this world. Part of that plan is to destroy you physically, mentally, and spiritually.
One of the ways he strategically tries to dismantle us is to keep us busy and too preoccupied with our own agendas, calendars, families, dreams and ambitions. 
It is hard to comprehend just how many baptized Christians have succumbed to this ploy of Satan and have become totally caught up in the mad, mindless pursuit of the so-called American dream, the endless chase after success, status, comfort, pleasure, money, sex, power, and all those other things that have no value whatsoever in the sight of Almighty God.
During the First Gulf War, an American general described the American strategy against the Iraqi Army like this: “First we are going to cut it off, and then we are going to kill it.” That is exactly the strategy Satan uses against God's people. 
First, he tries to cut them off from attending and being active in the Church. Then he tries to get them to live habitually in sin by justifying their behavior, lifestyle and actions. And once he has done that and has lured them far enough away from their faith and has them suckered into a position of being vulnerable, he “goes in for the kill” because he knows they’ve become a prime-target where he can attack and destroy them (devour them) easily.
So, it is time for a “self check” and examination of sorts. I have to ask myself, “what worldly things are competing for my attention and distracting me from the things God values?” Where am I slipping in terms of morality, spirituality, and the teachings of Scripture and the Church?
In the parable of the “Sower” (Mark 4:18-19) may we guard our lives so that we do not meet the same fate as the seeds sewn “amongst the thorns” where we hear God’s word; but the “worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.”
Stay on guard! Stay on the alert! Stay grounded in prayer, obedience, worship, service, giving, and learning. Add to that, staying near your Church family. 
Don’t just attend Sunday services and nothing more….get involved, volunteer, serve and attend to things in the life of the Church throughout the week. 
Don’t let your spiritual life dwindle and for your “spiritual safety” don’t wander too far from the Church or your faith. Satan stands ready for those who do!!

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