KNOW YOUR ENEMY

“so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes. – 2 Corinthians 2:11.

The apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 11, says that we are not to be ignorant of the schemes, plans, strategies, or tricks of Satan. We need to know how he works. We need to know something of his character, something of his person, something of his approach.

One of the most important principles of warfare is to know your enemy. If you are fighting a war and you have a lot of information about your enemy, it makes the battle so much easier. If you know very little about your enemy, the battle will be more difficult.

Fortunately, we have the Bible, which unmasks Satan and reveals his schemes. Why does the Bible tell us about Satan? Because God wants us to know about Satan so that we are alert. Satan roams about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. If the newspapers reported that a lion had escaped from the zoo and was roaming the streets of your city, we would want to know the specifics in case the lion was in our area. In the same way, we need to know the areas in which Satan is active. 

In the opening pages of the New Testament, we read about Satan. Immediately after we are told about Jesus being baptized in water and anointed by the Holy Spirit, we read about Satan confronting Him in the wilderness and tempting Him. That is the measure of importance the Bible gives to describing Satan’s activities. Why? So that we might not be ignorant of the wiles or the strength of the enemy of our souls.

Another thing that Satan does, and this is the major thing; he tempts us to sin.  He is the tempter. The second thing, Satan tempts us is to lose faith in God.  Satan tempts us to lose faith in God and to give up on God.

Thirdly, Satan loves to tempt us with discouragement. He loves the Christian to just get tired of it all. First, Peter 5:6-8, “So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.”

It is essential to know that there is power in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, who defeated Satan on Calvary’s cross. You need never be afraid of Satan. It is when you don’t know your enemy that you live in fear that he may do something or the other to you. But he cannot touch you if you allow Jesus to be Lord of your entire life – for Satan’s power was stripped completely from him, when Jesus defeated him on the cross.

Discussion Questions:

1. How well do you know the enemy? 
2. Why is it important that we know the enemy?