Spiritual Warfare - Part 8 (Temptation | Accusation | Deception)

 Tactics of the Enemy - Temptation | Accusation | Deception

Satan attacks us with temptation, accusation, and deception.

~~ Watch the Video ~~

Outline:

• Introduction
• Traits of Wholeness
• Review of Spiritual Warfare
• Who is the Enemy?
• The Goal of The Enemy’s Attack
• Temptation
• Accusation
• Deception

Scriptures:

• Ephesians 6:11 - 12
• Romans 7:15-19
• Romans 14:17
• Galatians 5:19-21
• John 10:10
• James 1:15
• James 1:13-14
• 1 Corinthians 10:13
• Revelation 12:9-10
• 2 Corinthians 7:10
• Colosians 2:13-15
• Philippians 4:8
• 1 Timothy 4:1-2
• 2 Corinthians 10:5

Introduction

Ephesians 6:11 - 12

 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 

• Devil = the (false) accuser

“Split” Movie

Story: Watched the movies “Split” & “Glass”

• Man had 24 personalities

Dissociative Identity Disorder

Formerly known as multiple personality disorder, this disorder is characterized by "switching" to alternate identities. You may feel the presence of two or more people talking or living inside your head, and you may feel as though you're possessed by other identities.

Referred to as

• “A system”
• “We”

Used to be commonly believed to be demonic possession

Scientist in the movie was trying rationalize his super powers as natural

• The Beast
• Metal bars were old
• Shotgun shells were old
• Watch rock climbing videos

She knew that they were real, but wanted to convince them

Real Dissociative identity disorder

• Write with different hands at once
• One has diabetes and others don’t

Story: psychologists  was half jokingly suggesting his patient might be possessed By a demon

• He had no scientific explanation

How do We know what is true?

If your reality contradicts the bible, you have to leave yourself open to The possibility that you need more knowledge before you will truly understand it

The bible is our compass

In the last lesson we looked at

• Demons
• Deliverance
• Possession

But possession isn’t how most Christians encounter demons.  Today we will look at the common attacks from demons.

Traits of Wholeness

We are in our series called Seeking Wholeness

How can we be:

• Spiritually healthy
• Emotionally healthy
• Mentally healthy

Free from oppression of

• Your past
• Yourself
• Bad thinking
• Strongholds
• The enemy

Sozo

• Saved
• Healed
• Delivered from demons

Dealing with life’s current stresses and also being healed from experiences/wounds of the past

We’re not just supposed to have eternal life

• We’re supposed to have: joy, peace, patience, and self control here on earth

Traits of Wholeness

• Authenticity
• Honesty
• Kindness
• Not seeking external approval / validation
• Living by values and principles
• Setting Boundaries
• Taking ownership of your responsibilities
• Living with purpose and passion
• Optimism
• Confidence
• Healthy relationships with others
• Not losing control of your emotions
• Free from addictions
• Addressing Conflict with truth and love
• Vulnerability
• Not critical or Judgemental
• Not jealous
• Genuinely applaud the success of others
• Forgive those who have wronged you in the past
• Know that you’re worthy of receiving love
• Not afraid to fail
• Able to manage irrational fear, worry, and anxiety
• Selfless encounters with others
• Not manipulating others trying to control their actions/reactions
• You care about how others feel
• Patient
• Don’t give into peer/social pressure
• Can communicate directly
• Don’t take responsibility for other people's emotions
• Take responsibility for your own emotions
• Slow to anger
• Ability to maturely express your wants, needs and desires
• Being led by the Spirit

We want to become

• aware of our issues
• empowered to manage/fix them

Review of Spiritual Warfare

3 mistakes Christians make

• Think spiritual warfare is a supernatural weird thing that we should ignore
• We shouldn’t ever talk about Satan or demons because we give them power
• Leaves you like Job (ignorant of the tactics of the enemy)
• Get fixated on spiritual warfare
• Blamed the devil or demons for all of the problems in our life
• This takes away personal responsibility

Satan

We have an unseen enemy…the devil

Satan got  permission from God to

• Persecute Job - Job 1:6-12
• “Sift Peter like wheat” - Luke 22:31-32
• Tempt Jesus - Matthew 4:1

Not necessarily God’s will (1,2)

• God allowed it

Satan can only be in one place at a time, so most of what we attribute to him…isn’t him

But for this study we will use “Satan” and “the enemy” to refer to

• Satan
• demons
• fallen angels

Territorial Spirits

There are specific spirits that influence each nation

• In the Old Testament they are referred to as Sons of God (and elohim)
• Daniel refers to them as Princes
• Prince of Persia
• Prince of Greece
• Paul refers to them as
• Principalities
• Rulers
• Dominions
• Thrones

They influence the culture of a geographic area

Paul says that they are in Heavenly places

• They are not on earth
• These are not demons possessing people

He tells us to battle them using the Armor of God

Armor of God

Ephesians 6: 10 - 18

We defeat them with

• Living a life of “truthfulness”
• Moral righteousness
• Believing the gospel of Jesus Christ
• Having faith in God
• Having the hope of salvation
• Reading the bible
• Hearing and obeying the Holy Spirit
• Led by the Spirit

Demons

Demons are dead Nephilim

• Disembodied spirits

Demons still exist today and still possess people

Christ has given us authority over demons

• A Christian can’t be possessed by a demon
• Demons can persecute and target Christians

Can demons possess a Christian?

https://youtu.be/5IqGU_8mOEE

Deliverance

You can’t base your theology on

• Experiences
• Testimonies
• Stories / Anecdotes
• Interviewing demons and satanists

Example: demons can’t say the name of “Jesus”

• But they do in scripture

Either they’re not a Christian or they’re not demon possessed

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxTCY4AZo4yRrrxuSIQBbFn2Y-mzoMA_L4

Curses

A Christian can’t be put under a curse

• A Christian can be spiritually attacked

Generational Curses

• Jesus redeemed us from the curses of the law
• This means that God doesn’t punish us for our sins or the sins of our ancestors

• The curses of the law don’t apply to Christians
• Therefore there aren’t any generational curses for our sins

We repeat patterns of sin and negative consequences of our ancestors because we adopted their

• Strongholds
• Genetics
• Parenting examples

Demons will strategize against families

Christians can’t be cursed by the Old Covenant with God

• but they can make a new covenant with another being (occult)

Christians can’t be cursed or possessed

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxXLsZfbrgmldZDY1Fwj1_JYQHd9PG42Ez

Who is the Enemy?

We have three enemies

1. The world
2. The flesh
3. The devil (and demons)

Our sinful nature can be tempted by the world or by the enemy

Pray Instead of Fighting the Person

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRqmNAEU/

Your Flesh

Romans 7:15-19

15 For I do not understand what I am doing; for I am not practicing what I want to do, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 However, if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, that the Law is good. 17 But now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.

“If you turn your flesh loose… You won’t need a devil“

—Ron Carpenter

We are born with the nature to do wrong because of the sin of Adam and Eve

God Can Use Enemies to Promote You

Enemies are a necessary means of promotion

• You would never have heard of Moses if there wasn’t a Pharaoh
• Nobody knew David’s name until he killed Goliath

Moses

Pharaoh was God‘s instrument to promote Moses to a national leader

• The Jews didn’t know him before that
• When they saw how God used him to defeat Pharaoh and the greatest army on earth he became great in their eyes
• It took him from being a fugitive to a leader that we still talk about today

David

David killing Goliath gave him national prominence

• and had him being paraded down the streets of Jerusalem Singing songs in their name

Giants Were a Sign of the Promised Land

https://youtube.com/shorts/gjgACTePNF8

Story: project manager

• You get visibility by saving a failing project

Enemies are signs of promotion

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Ck1B_lZplFl/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Within God’s Will

God allows some things to happen

• For his glory
• To grow our character

His glory

• Lazarus‘s death
• The man who was lame since birth

Some things are God ordained

Thy Will Be Done

We don’t just pray for things to pass

We pray for God to accomplish his will

The Goal of The Enemy’s Attack

What is the goal of the enemy’s attack?

Keep You Operating From Your Flesh

Keep You From Entering the Kingdom of God

Romans 14:17

for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

• This is not talking about a future heaven

Entering Kingdom of God = Walking in the Spirit*

The kingdom of God is an internal kingdom

*simplified explanation

Galatians 5:19-21

19Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: sexual immorality, impurity, indecent behavior, 20 idolatry, witchcraft, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, 21envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

If the enemy gets you to do these things… He prevents you from walking in the spirit

Prevent You From Walking in Your Purpose

The Person Hindering Your Purpose is Your Enemy

https://youtube.com/shorts/hPYImB48AiE?feature=share

That could include giving you material things

Calling and an addiction

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoD0f7zIe5F/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Challenge Your Identity

Satan tested Jesus saying “if you are really…“, “If you are… The son of God“

• His test and his resistance was over his identity

If you become all that you were supposed to become… You will do all that you are supposed to do

So it’s not about “what am I supposed to do?“...But it is about “who am I supposed to become“

To Draw us Away from God and to Himself

You Face Opposition When You Switch to God’s Team

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoCwp5LgPQI/?igshid=MWI4MTIyMDE=

To Destroy Us

John 10:10

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.

Damage Relationships

What Demonic Attack Looks Like

We often imagine demonic attacks as supernatural encounters with some scary looking creatures

Funny warfare

https://www.instagram.com/reel/ClUmmsTtXUz/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

But in reality the battlefield is usually our own minds.

Today we’ll discuss some of the common tactics of the enemy.

• Temptation
• Accusation
• Deception
• Discord / Distention / Disagreement

Next lesson will cover

• Distraction
• Disappointment
• Doubt
• Depression

Temptation

What are some things the enemy will tempt you with?

James 1:15

Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it has run its course, brings forth death.

• The devil didn’t make you do anything… He just gave you the opportunity

Demons are like salesmen for sin

They cause you to think about the pleasure

Temptation is always

• Lust of the eyes
• Lust of the flesh
• Pride of life

The deception behind temptation is that it will fulfill you

• We often use sin as a coping mechanism to fulfill some need
• To distract us from pain
• You feel worse afterwards

Temptation Can be a Process

Example: lust

• You saw a person Monday dressed sexy
• On Tuesday you saw a commercial
• On Wednesday you listened to some explicit lyrics
• On Thursday you fell
• Porn
• Sexual immorality
• Adultery

Defense against temptation

• Look for the pattern
• Reading the Bible
• Memory verses
• Worship
• Humility
• Mind on God | Fellowship With Christians
• Bible Study
• Church
• Growth groups
• Relationship with God

Temptation vs Testing

James 1:13-14

13 No one is to say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.

• God will not tempt

God won’t encourage you to sin

• The goal of a temptation is to cause you to sin
• God won’t test you to see if you will sin

Example: he won’t send you to a bar to see if you have kicked your alcohol addiction

• Satan / demons will tempt you with your weakness
• They will keep attacking you in the same area

God’s test may challenge your faith

If it is from God… You passing the trial will get you closer to your purpose

Example: Abraham sacrificing Isaac

• Abraham was justified by faith

Passing God’s test will take you to the next level of faith

God Limits Satan’s Tests

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you except something common to mankind; and God is faithful, so He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

God puts restraints on how much you’re allowed to be tested

The Devil Made Me Do It

“ The Devil made me do it“

– – flip Wilson

The enemy does not have the power to “make“ you do anything

Accusation

Revelation 12:9-10

 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.  10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down, the one who accuses them before our God day and night.

Once you fall for the temptation… The enemy will start to accuse you

• When you are living righteous… He tells you how wonderful sin is
• When you fall… He tells you how horrible you are

The devil will give you the disease and the vaccine

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CnnnwLXr_JL/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

• The devil is called the tempter and the accuser

Thought From Nowhere

You get a thought out of nowhere about something you did in your past

Causing

• Shame

Are you constantly struggling with the guilt from their past?

• You heard about forgiveness but you don’t believe it applies to you

When you get a flashback of something you did or a thought… That is the accusation of the enemy working against you

• Trying to shame you

The enemy

• Doesn’t want you to have peace
• Want you to live in shame because of your past

Jesus didn’t just die to take away the sin… He died to take away the shame

Conviction vs Condemnation

2 Corinthians 7:10

For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.

The conviction of the Holy Spirit is when the Holy Spirit spotlights what you were doing in an effort to get you to change/repent

Condemnation from the enemy makes you feel

• Shame
• Regret

Conviction brings you closer to God

• Condemnation makes you hide from God in shame

Conviction says “I made a mistake”

• Condemnation says “I am a mistake”

The conviction of the Holy Spirit leads to a solution of the problem

• The condemnation of the enemy leads to The illusion of a problem

Example: check engine light

• Your Conscious is to the mind what pain is to the body

The difference is the point of repentance

• Once you repent you should move on
• You should get peace

Solution: Armor of God

Breastplate of Righteousness

When you sin you open the door to the accusation of the enemy

The Gospel of Peace

Christ suffered and died to give you that peace

The grace of God is undeserved… It is unmerited favor

God doesn’t deal with us according to our sin

Some of you can’t enjoy your life right now because you were so worried about your past

Jesus Disarmed the Rulers and Authorities

Colosians 2:13-15

 13 And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, 14 having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

What does it mean that, at the cross, Jesus “disarmed” Satan and his rebel angels?  

Satan has no record of debt with which to accuse. Jesus snatched Satan’s means of accusation right off his forked tongue. This is the primary way he was disarmed. The repentant sinner’s record, then, is erased. It seems Satan’s strategy was to accuse and damn by means of a guilty record, but through the substitutionary and atoning blood sacrifice of Jesus, there is now no record with which to charge. 

-- Michael Heiser

Deception

Your thoughts

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Demonic beings can suggest ideas

• Self-pity
• Jealousy
• Pride
• Demonic doctrines

These entry points allow the enemy to get influence over you by deception

It’s not the thoughts that come and go… Is the thoughts that come and stay

Strongholds

The enemy offers us lies about

• Marriage
• Relationships
• Money
• God

Culture

• Occultism- turning to other spirits
• Atheism
• Evolution
• Moral relativity
• Postmodernism
• Progressivism
• Humanism
• Secularism

False Doctrines

1 Timothy 4:1-2

1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,

• “Teachings of demons”

The enemy gets you to believe doctrines that

• Distractions
• Unbiblical
• Bizarre
• Tormenting
• Can cause you to question God

If you believe you can at any moment have a demon and you’ll be constantly worrying about demons

2 Corinthians 10:5

We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,

We have to identify the deception

• By knowing the word

Focusing on One Truth

Every heresy is due to an overemphasis upon some truth, without allowing other truths to qualify and balance it.

— John Stott

Some doctrines over focus on one thing

• Prosperity
• Demons
• Healing and miracles
• Love
• Grace

Misusing the Bible

What are ways Christians misuse the bible?

• God says love everybody, so I can love someone of the same sex if I want to
• The Bible says the husband is over the wife so I can abuse my spouse
• Jesus turned water to wine, so it’s OK for me to be drunk all the time
• It’s ok if I sin because I’ll still go to heaven
• We can do everything that Jesus did
• We can heal anyone if we have enough faith

Conclusion

Prayer for deliverance - Elizabeth prays 4u

https://www.instagram.com/reel/ClrTpR7J-vL/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Instructor:  Michael Leadon

References

Hidden in plain sight 5

Ron carpenter

What is the spiritual warfare and sufficiency of scripture | Justin Peterson and Jim Osmond

S04J TV | show one, show 2

Hidden in plain sight 6

Ron carpenter

5 ways demons attack believers

David Diga Hernandez

How to expose in closed doors to the Demonic

David Diga Hernandez

Demonic attacks (1/2)

David Diga Hernandez

Demonic attacks (2/2)

David Diga Hernandez

Are you under demonic attack? – Seven demonic strategies exposed

David Diga Hernandez

How to know if Satan is attacking you: three signs of spiritual warfare

Apply godsword.com

Satan in the Bible

https://www.logos.com/grow/satan-in-the-bible/

Necessity of an enemy part one

Ron Carpenter

The necessity of an enemy part two

Ron Carpenter

Facing a Satanic attack – Dr. Charles Stanley

In Touch Ministries

Extra

Demons know who you are

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTRGjj7bq/

Funny warfare

https://www.instagram.com/reel/ClUmmsTtXUz/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Hysterical contagion

Hysterical contagion - Wikipedia

Change The Pattern

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkdTiGlgh_-/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=