Knowledge In Warrfare

In the book of 2 Corinthians Paul mentions in passing, “...for we are not ignorant of [Satan’s] designs.” What an interesting thing to say. If you unpack that sentence Paul is telling us that he knows his enemy and he knows him well. He knows the enemy so well that he is aware of how he schemes to trip people up. He knows his enemy so well, that he is aware that the devil will plan, design, strategize, arrange and project all that is necessary to get people away from God. He is familiar with his foe. He is aware of the various methods and tools Satan will employ to get us to sin. And why? Because he was not going to be defeated. He was on God’s side and knew that there was an enemy looking to take  him and God’s church down . But how? How can Paul be aware of something so spiritual? How can he have knowledge on a being that is not seen? How can he be familiar with one whom he has never been introduced to? How can he develop a knowledge of someone who is sneaky, sinister, seductive and clandestine?

Well to have any type of knowledge you must study! No matter what the subject is, if you are not willing to put in the time and work to study up on it, you will not know it. Knowledge does not happen by pixie dust being dropped on your head. You must study up! You must put in the leg work! So Paul has put in the work to study up on his foe. And so should we! If we are going to have victory, if we are going to grow in our faith, if God’s kingdom is going to expand, then we have to know who we are up against!!

What has he studied? There are two places to look to know exactly how the devil operates: one is the bible, the other is our own lives. God’s word is a treasure trove of examples, stories and down right factual statements about who the devil is and how he operates. For instance: “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14) Right there we are told that one of the schemes of the devil is to disguise himself as someone from God Himself. Or look at John 8:44 which says, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” Here we learn that Satan will always lie to us. And then there is also the mention of his disregard for human life. He doesn’t care about us. He doesn’t care what happens or how. He doesn’t love. He doesn’t show any compassion, mercy or grace. There is no charity in his heart. He’s a murderer! And so the bible graciously gives us a lot of information on the devil and his designs.

The other place to learn about the enemy is by looking at ourself. There is an old phrase about learning from our mistakes and there is a lot of truth in that. We can reflect on when we have sinned and the circumstances around that. We need to look back on what happened and why. Ask ourselves self reflective questions like: “What were the circumstances?” , “What desires were strong within me?”, “What was it that led me astray?” , “Why didn’t I notice this or that?” , “Was there something that made me want to do this?”, “What specifically tempted me?”, “Can I avoid this in the future?” etc. This will show us how the enemy gets us to fall and what we can be on the lookout for in the future. And not everything will be obvious. As T. David Gordon said, “As an example, consider Satan’s designs in our contemporary hi-tech culture. What does Satan desire but to disrupt our communion with God? And how might our culture and its tools aid him in his effort? Well in a connected culture, does not such increased communication with humans naturally result in decreased communion with God? It isn't easy today to find a place where one can be alone and undisturbed; our technologies, unless we deliberately turn them off, prevent us from having uninterrupted seasons of prayer and meditation. We must not be ignorant of the ways in which Satan would use these tools, and we must internally use them in a manner that enhances our true communion with God and others.” This just shows the importance of knowing our enemy and his schemes.

The great radio voice Paul Harvey had a segment called, “If I Were The Devil…” in 1965. Some of it went, “If I were the Prince of Darkness, I’d want to engulf the whole world in darkness. And I’d have a third of its real estate, and four-fifths of its population, but I wouldn’t be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree — Thee. So I’d set about however necessary to take over the United States. I’d subvert the churches first — I’d begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: ‘Do as you please. To the young, I would whisper that ‘The Bible is a myth.’ I would convince them that man created God instead of the other way around. I would confide that what’s bad is good, and what’s good is ‘square.’ And the old, I would teach to pray, after me, ‘Our Father, which art in Washington…And then I’d get organized. I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting, so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting. I’d threaten TV with dirtier movies and vice versa. I’d pedal narcotics to whom I could. I’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. I’d tranquilize the rest with pills. If I were the devil I’d soon have families at war with themselves, churches at war with themselves, and nations at war with themselves; until each in its turn was consumed. And with promises of higher ratings I’d have mesmerizing media fanning the flames. If I were the devil I would encourage schools to refine young intellects, but neglect to discipline emotions — just let those run wild, until before you knew it, you’d have to have drug sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every schoolhouse door. Within a decade I’d have prisons overflowing, I’d have judges promoting pornography — soon I could evict God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, and then from the houses of Congress. And in His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion, and deify science. I would lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and girls, and church money. If I were the devil I’d make the symbols of Easter an egg and the symbol of Christmas a bottle. If I were the devil I’d take from those who have, and give to those who want until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious.” Taking a look at our world today, I would say Mr Harvey knew the enemy. May we do the same to protect our hearts, our families and our churches.