Bible Text: 1 Peter 5:8-11 | Preacher: Pastor Joe Ricchuiti | Series: 1 Peter, Cross Training

 

Why does Satan war against believers? He wants to destroy our faith, to ruin our testimony, to discredit us, and to destroy our value to God.
“Satan does not tempt us to do wrong things; he tempts us in order to make us lose what God has put in to us by regeneration, viz., the possibility of being of value to God. He does not come on the line of tempting us to sin, but on the line of shifting the point of view, and only the Spirit of God can detect this as a temptation of the devil.” (Oswald Chambers).
“…the devil will always give misleading information because his goal is to destroy you. The safest course of action is always to confirm the voice by the written Word of God. God will never speak or lead contrary to His inspired Book.” (Burton Murdock)
Satan’s motives can be expressed this way:

-to discredit the work of Christ

-to defeat believers and destroy their testimony

-to interfere with their fellowship with God

-to frustrate the will of God for the believer

-to hinder the purposes of God

The methods and tactics of Satan against believers (sources: A Compact Guide to the Christian Life; Your Mean the Bible Teaches That…):

-he throws up roadblocks

-he counterfeits or distorts spiritual gifts

-he uses deception

-he uses distractions from what is important, from right priorities; choosing the good instead of the best.

-he tempts to deny the Word of God, to renounce Christ, to illicit desire, to despair, anger, discouragement, an unforgiving attitude.

-he uses subtlety (appealing to our pride, our need for significance, acceptance, security)

Temptation is not sin. Yielding to temptation is sin. 1 Cor. 10:13