Deception, Division, and Destruction Are Satan's Favorite Tools

While reading Dr. David Jeremiah's new book I Never Thought I'd See The Day - Culture at the Crossroads, I have come to realize that the three D's - deception, division, and destruction are Satan's favorite tools in the spiritual war against those who believe in Jesus Christ.

One very obvious example is the current Occupy Wall Street uprisings. There are some people who may have thought that they were protesting for the right reasons. But the truth is, many desperate people who have been out of work for so long have been deceived (and paid) to protest. They are spewing hate, lies, intolerance, and bigotry. They are hell bent on causing deception, division and ultimately destruction. Why? The first reason is because they are being deceived.

Dr. Jeremiah:

Satan is the great deceiver. John 8:44 records Jesus' reply to a group of Jews who were resisting His message. Jesus boldly told them that they were children of their father the devil, and that they were not hearing the truth because their father's native language was lies.

Well, guess who is the main father of lies in the Occupy Wall Street staged protests? None other than George Soros. He has often been described as a mini-me of the anti Christ - and with good reason. Do a Bing search on the man and find out what evil and destruction he has wielded across the world. He is one of the top ten billionaires in the world but uses his money to manipulate others to do his bidding for evil purposes.

Dr. Jeremiah:

Revelation 12:9 refers to Satan as the one "who deceives the whole world," which he does by imitating the work of God with counterfeit and camouflage.

The key thing to realize is that once people fall for those who do Satan's bidding, they are led astray and away from God.

Dr. Jeremiah:

Spiritual deception may be Satan's most insidious weapon in his guerrilla warfare against us. Jesus and the apostles speak of it nearly thirty times in the New Testament. One of Satan's greatest deceptions today is leading people, even Christians, to believe he does not really exist or that he isn't as bad as he's made out to be. The problem is, deceived people don't know they're being deceived! Undetected deception makes us extremely vulnerable because we do not know the enemy is even there, which means we neither watch for nor erect defenses against him. The continual deception of the great deceiver requires constant vigilance and dependence on the Word of God and the Holy Spirit.

If a person has not been born again - as Jesus told us was necessary in John 3:3, then THE most powerful weapon against spiritual deception is missing in that person. The Holy Spirit indwells believers and helps to guide them unto all truth through discernment strength when studying the Bible.

I hear people often say that they don't "understand" the Bible, or they "disagree with" some of what the Bible teaches. Why? Because they have not submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Until that happens, the revelation in the Bible that points to Jesus Christ as the long-awaited Messiah will just sound like a "horrible (crucifixion) turned nice story (resurrection) to them.

When I grew up in the Catholic church, Bible study wasn't emphasized as much as the catechism of what the church taught. That is why I was personally confused about the crucifixion of Jesus. I can remember looking up on the front wall of the church, seeing the huge image of Jesus Christ being crucified on the cross and thinking, why did he have to die such an awful death?

My confusion about this remained until I was invited to a Pentecostal church by a friend I had met at work. Previously, I had not known what it meant to be born again.

Years after I took that step, the Lord led me to a Bible study in my neighborhood. It was during the inductive study of the book of John that I re-dedicated myself to Jesus Christ.

Back to the topic.

Dr. Jeremiah:

Satan is the great divider.

Satan has always been a divider. When he was cast out of heaven he divided the angels, taking a third into rebellion with him (Revelation 12:4). He divided the first couple, bringing sin and disharmony between Adam and Eve. He divided the first family, pitting Cain against Abel (Genesis 4:8). In the early Church, Satan influenced the heart of Ananias, dividing his loyalty between God and money (Acts 5:3).

Satan continues all three of these deceptions today. Deception against the goodness of God through dividing people away from Jesus Christ through various ways (i.e. false religions, mocking Christ, atheism, etc.) is increasing at an alarming rate. Dividing couples is seen through the breaking of an oath to a spouse through the rampant divorce rate, adultery and other forms of sexual sin, the killing of babies in the womb through abortion, and the list goes on and on. We see the greed of people and their nefarious activities through the evil use of wealth, which is a sign of division between such a person and God. We know the truth of the saying, "the love of money is the root of all evil." When a person loves money and what he/she can do with it for their own purposes rather than God's purposes, then we see how deception, division, and destruction can occur all around us.

Dr. Jeremiah:

Satan is the great destroyer.

The Bible liken Satan to five different animals:

He is a serpent trying to deceive God's people.
Genesis 3:1
Revelation 12:9

He is a bird trying to despoil God's harvest.
Matthew 13:4:19

He is a wolf trying to defeat God's flock.
John 10:12
Matthew 10:16

He is a lion trying to devour God's children.
1 Peter 5:8

He is a dragon trying to destroy God's Son.
Revelation 12:1-9

Satan is consumed by his obsession to destroy the work of God in the universe, and specifically on Planet Earth.

Dr. Jeremiah goes on to say that Satan will do anything - destroy, wreck, ruin, kill, inflict grief, disease, pain, and anguish - to cause the victim to blame it all on God. Unfortunately, such a strategy often works. But the faithful can stay steadfast through it all because they know Who wins in the end.

Recall all of Satan's attempts to embitter Job? He destroyed everything in Job's life - except Job's faith in God. And when Satan couldn't achieve that, God restored everything that Job had lost.

The thing to remember is what Dr. Jeremiah states here:

"all the evil and destruction inflicted upon us have their ultimate source in Satan, the great destroyer. His evil presence in our world is not God's doing; it is ours. We open the door to him by yielding to his temptation."

The account of Job is an illustration of what we must do today. No matter what happens, we must be steadfast and strong in our faith. I know it's hard - especially when we lose a loved one. But the promises of Jesus Christ lift us up and give us a hope that is beyond anything that this world could possibly offer! Jesus told us that "he is not of this world" (see John 8:23)   Jesus also told us, "in this world you will have trouble. But take heart! For I have overcome the world" (see John 16:33).

Jesus Christ overcame the world at the cross! Confession and repentance of sin and simple faith (like that of a child!) in Him and what He did for the redemption of mankind at the cross is all that is needed.

Every person who ever lived has this choice:

Jos 24:14 "Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD!


Jos 24:15 "And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."