Schemes and Tactics

Paul, the great missionary and Early Church planter, wrote, “We are not unaware of his schemes” (2 Corinthians 2:11). Like good soldiers, we must learn how Satan attacks us so we can be ready.

About Satan, Jesus said, “There is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and is the father of lies” (John 8:44). The Bible gives us an intelligence report so we know what we’re up against. Satan, the author of lies, uses two primary weapons of deceit to trip us up: accusation and condemnation.

Accusation

Satan’s chief weapon against us is accusation. His goal is to create just enough doubt so you will agree with his lie or half-truth. His voice will make accusations against God, against people around you, and against you. For instance:

  Satan will accuse God of holding out on you. Satan deceived Adam and Eve when he told them God didn’t want them to eat the fruit because it would make them as smart as Him.

We know, for example, that God wants us to remain virgins until we are married. So Satan will say, “God is holding out on you. He doesn’t want you to have fun. He knows sex is pleasurable and won’t let you enjoy it.” The truth is that God does want you to experience the wonder and beauty of sexual relations. In fact, He invented it for our pleasure. But it isn’t just for our pleasure. It is also so we can enjoy a greater degree of intimacy with our wife than with any other person in the world. Sex is a gift to be shared with her and her alone. Intimacy with her allows you to conceive and raise children in the ideal setting of a home with a loving mother and father who are committed to God, each other, and their children for a lifetime together. But the devil won’t tell you all that. In fact, he will try to make the very word virgin something to be mocked. He’s just trying to create enough doubt in God that you’ll buy into his lie. When you agree with him, he’s got you. And when you act on his lie, you deteriorate the foundations of your life.

  Satan will accuse authority figures in your life of holding out on you too. “If your mom and dad just understood you better, they’d let you do that,” Satan might say. All he needs is some agreement, some doubt, and he can nudge your attitude and behaviors off course just enough to change your life path. And that will change your destination to a place you don’t ever want to reach. Satan’s the mastermind of dead ends.

This is why the Bible places such emphasis on honoring your parents. The godly authority figures in your life usually know what’s best and want the best for you. But if Satan can get you to believe the lie that those over you have it in for you, he can create a rebellious spirit that will separate you from those who care about you most. We have seen this from watching nature. What happens to an animal that is alone in the wild? He is an easy kill. Don’t let Satan separate you from those who love you and want the best for you when you need them most.

  Satan will accuse you. “You’re just faking it. You sinned yesterday, and now you are raising your hands to praise God? You hypocrite!” Again, all he needs is some self-doubt, some agreement with the lie, and he can misdirect you. It might be true; you might have sinned yesterday. As soon as you realize you have sinned, confess it to the Lord and ask His forgiveness, God will forgive you. Then, when Satan accuses you, just keep on praising the Lord because you know God has forgiven you. Never stop doing what is right just because you made a mistake in the past.

God will never point you in the wrong direction. Satan is a broken compass, but God always shows you the right path. So when you hear a voice, you can determine it is God if the outcome will be wholesome. If the outcome will harm you, it is not God who speaks.

The truth will always benefit you, a lie never will. So if you are tempted, “Go ahead, push the envelope with your girlfriend. She’ll like it, and the guys will know you are a man.” Stop in that moment and fast-forward to the consequences. In this case, we know that going too far will hurt you, her, and many others. This is clearly not God speaking. Don’t agree with Satan’s lie! It won’t be easy. You’ll have to fight back your primal impulses, but you can do it. God’s way is good and perfect. Choose His way. When you do, you will discover God never holds out on you. He reserves the best for those who live life His way. Have faith in that fact.

Condemnation

Satan’s next big weapon is condemnation. Condemnation is the shame and guilt you feel after sinning. It’s that voice that puts you down. There’s a very important difference between condemnation and conviction.

Condemnation is the voice of Satan while conviction is the voice of God’s Holy Spirit. Conviction is the voice you most often hear before you sin, perhaps while you are being tempted, calling you to choose what is best—what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy (see Philippians 4:8). When you listen, conviction will give you a battle plan to fight back the temptation and win.

Condemnation, on the other hand, is the voice that comes after you have sinned. The very one who convinced you how fun and harmless the sin is pounces on you after you commit it. Satan is two-faced. Before you sin, Satan’s seductive voice urges you to go full throttle, “It will be okay. Your actions won’t hurt anyone. No one will ever know. It will feel good.” But then, his condemning voice immediately pounds you over and over after the fact, “You’re a loser. Everyone knows it, too. You are weak. You’ll never amount to anything in God’s eyes.”

Satan is two-faced: he offers sweets before you sin and shoves sand and gravel down your throat afterwards. (See Proverbs 20:17.)

Many times Satan uses his condemning voice when you have not sinned at all and tries to impersonate the voice of God. “You didn’t read your Bible today,” he might say, “I’m so disappointed!” See how he tries to cloak his evil voice and make it appear like God is speaking?

Romans 8:1 says, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” God does not condemn His sons; He convicts them. Conviction calls you upward; it invites you to choose what is best. In His loving kindness, God invites you to try again and succeed after failing and sinning. Condemnation tears you down with shame and guilt and tries to keep you pinned down. God will never beat you down.

Accusation and condemnation are Satan’s dual weapons he wields to trip you up. How do you fight back and win? That’s next.

In My Experience:

Like most every other boy in human history, I had an eye for spotting pretty girls, at least after I got through the stage of thinking they all had cooties. And, of course, being attracted to the opposite sex is natural and good.

God put a piece of His own beauty in girls—physically and emotionally they reflect His grace, tenderness, and mercy. For that reason few things will capture a guy’s attention more quickly. God also put a big chunk of His own drive, strength, and protective instincts into guys, and that’s what catches a girl’s attention. The two sexes reflect God’s beauty. When you notice a girl, you are literally seeing a reflection of God’s glory and beauty, and when she notices you, she sees the same.

So what does this have to do with Satan’s schemes and tactics? Everything! One of the most common struggles guys face is how to glorify God in their sexuality. You can do what is right. You really can! Our society tells boys and men that faithfulness is not possible, but that’s Satan’s lie. Young man, from personal experience I can tell you it is possible to remain faithful. On my wedding night, my wife and I exchanged our greatest gift, our virginity. We saved ourselves for that special someone and never regretted it.

But saving that gift for her wasn’t easy. As a teen I struggled with my thought life and with lust, and never really learned to distinguish the difference between God’s voice of conviction and Satan’s voice of condemnation. I interpreted both as God’s voice of condemnation, which doesn’t exist, but I attributed what Satan was feeding me as God’s disapproval.

I begged forgiveness only to fail repeatedly, to feel the shame and guilt over and over. The biggest mistake I made was to keep it silent too long. Satan convinced me my dad would think less of me if he knew, and that God wouldn’t accept me until I got it right. So I kept it a secret from both and struggled quietly.

Sin thrives in the darkness of silence but withers in the light of openness. I should have talked with my dad or a godly mentor much sooner than I did. As for God, He knew all along what I was going through and was simply waiting for me to invite Him into it. Once I did, God, my dad, and a close friend helped me. Though it wasn’t easy, I discovered I had the inside stuff it takes to please God. And so do you.

Let me close with some advice based on my experience:

  Seek God, not girls. If you do, you’ll get God and He’ll lead you to the right lady with whom you can share your strength for a lifetime. Don’t look for bananas in Alaska—that is, look for a godly girl where they hang out. You can’t expect to find her bar hopping. She’ll be the one in a life group at church, the one praying at the altar, the one serving others.

  Go for God’s stamp of approval on your life and on your manhood. Nothing will honor God more or be as attractive to a girl.

  Save yourself sexually for marriage. Don’t even push the boundaries or experiment. You and your wife will have a lifetime to explore together. Protecting your girlfriend’s virginity, even if she won’t become your wife, is your highest responsibility as a true gentleman. Then, when the day comes for you to teach your children about sex, you’ll be able to proudly share your example of purity.

  Avoid pornography like the plague! Even viewing it “casually” can reap terrible results, leading quickly to a life-controlling habit or addiction. Impure sexual thoughts can take over your life. Lust becomes the lens through which you view all your relationships, with a devastating impact on your ability to develop a healthy, godly relationship with that special lady God intends for you. Paul tells the Corinthians, “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18). Falling into this deadly snare will hurt you personally and those around you. Stay away from porn at all cost!

  Get help if you are struggling. Do it now! If you wait, Satan will get a foothold. He’ll sidetrack you from the real treasure, which is God. And he will get you to establish bad habits that you’ll spend years breaking. Go to God and to godly men for help and do it until you are free (James 5:16).

There is nothing like offering strength to my wife. My goal is to love her more than God does, which I know isn’t possible, but I think trying honors Him nonetheless. I’m glad I didn’t compromise when I was a teen. The struggles I faced only made me stronger, especially since I didn’t give up. Young man, honoring God is a relief. Honor Him with your youthful strength, and someday, your wife and kids will call themselves blessed because you were wise beyond your years.