A study of James: Knowing the Enemy's Schemes

 Knowing the Enemy’s Schemes

James 1:13-15; 2 Cor. 2:11

In the absence of being able to fellowship and study the word, the enemy can come stealthily in to tempt us and use many other methods and strategies such as: Fiery darts (short range weapons), business (keeping us from prayer and reading his Word), distracting us, working undercover (angel of light), and blind us to the truth (Deceit from Fake Truth). 

In our study of James 1, Pastor James warns his disciples about the danger of temptation. “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” vv.13-15

Paul also gave the Corinthians word of warning as well, 

“ in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.” So we are going to study how we cannot be duped by the schemes of the enemy of our souls.

First, the scheme of temptation. One of the first acts of Satan was to tempt Eve into eating the fruit from the tree from the middle of the garden, Gen.3:3-13, and one of the first acts of our Lord and Savior was to be tempted by Satan in the wilderness, Luke 4:2 “ Where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.” 

Our sinful nature is the outcome of Adam and Eve’s falling for the temptation. And it was the Lord Jesus who didn’t succumb to the devil’s scheme, and it is the outcome of Jesus overcoming the temptations that we have salvation through Him. (see also Heb. 2:18; 4:15) “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted...For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” 

Here are some others schemes of the devil:

     The enemy tempts us all. I first want to make it clear, when we are tempted, it is not sin. It is the giving into the temptation that leads to sin. James 1:14-15 “but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

     Temptation is a common event in the world today.

 1 Cor. 13-15 says“ No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

     

 Application: We are given ample warning, and yet the enemy seems to work overtime in trying to tempt us. Jesus told us how to pray in Matt. 6:13 “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” God is always faithful to give us a way out of temptation. We will look at this later in the study. Another scheme is deception. We are usually lied to at least once a day if not more. We have to understand that it is the enemy, the devil, who is behind this. He is known as the father of liars. Here is a list of some of his lies he tries to get us to believe. Next, there are false philosophies. Human and demonic philosophies are found in religions. Religions are man’s and the devil’s attempt to promote “goodness” but it is not God’s goodness. It is the works of trying to do right without the power. Paul wrote of this in the last days, “(people) having a form of godliness but denying its power.” These can be good sounding arguments but do not align with God’s Word.

Next, there is lust of the things of the world. Prov. 31:30 “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; 1 Tim. 6:9 “ Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, and 1 John 2:16 “For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” It does not matter what gender, age, or social status. Lust of the eyes is one of the devil’s greatest traps. He loves to ensnare God’s people with this scheme.

Application - We can see the results of lust, especially for the things of this world. In America, we have a dream that has become an obsession and an entitlement. Everyone should have whatever they want. They should have a home, two or three cars, as many recreational vehicles for their pleasure, most beyond their needs. This flies in the face of what Jesus told us from the sermon of the Mount. Matt. 6:19-24,32-33 - “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money ... For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” God is our provider. He knows everything that we need. The Agar, writer of Proverbs 30:7-9, seems to have the right perspective on worldly possessions. “O God, I beg two favors from you; let me have them before I die. First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs. For if I grow rich, I may deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?” And if I am too poor, I may steal and thus insult God’s holy name.”

Then there is the scheme of destruction. In John 10, Jesus is telling his disciples, there is an enemy out there whose plan is to kill, steal, and destroy anything that is God’s. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” v.10

 He will try to steal from God. There are some interesting stories in the Bible on people who stole from God and it cost them their lives. Achan’s sin in Joshua 7. Achan went into battle with the orders to give all the spoils of war to God. He saw some fine clothes and gold, he hid them from Joshua and the people only to have God reveal it in front of everyone. It cost him and his family, and many who fought their lives in the Battle of Ai. The enemy is a master at destruction. Satan will try to destroy the works of God. In 1 Pet. 5:8-9, Peter tells us about the roaring lion (Satan) “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” I know another story from the Bible of a young man named Daniel who was thrown into a lion’s den, but God kept him from being harmed. God knows the enemies plans and schemes. And He wants us to know how to stand against the enemy’s best efforts to destroy us.

Next, Satan wants to kill God’s people. The devil had thought if he could kill God’s son, he would be victorious over God, but his plan was spoiled when Jesus arose from the grave, victorious over hell and death. 1 Cor. 15:55 and Rev. 1:18 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” and “I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” 

Application - In the latter part of the verse, is what Jesus will do. He comes to give life and that more abundant. Where Satan wants to steal, kill, and destroy your life, Jesus' desire is to come into your life by the Holy Spirit and give you life on this Earth that is bountiful (growing and even exceeding past that which is normal) and life eternal in His kingdom forever and ever.

 In my life before Christ, I was consumed with ‘ME’. I let the enemy whisper in my ear, that I needed to have all that eye saw many. It stole many relationships I had with family and friends.  It killed any thoughts about God, and salvation through faith in Jesus. I was the king of my life, so I thought. It also destroyed my life by becoming like a cancer, sin kept growing as I was consumed by the things and pleasures of this world. Then Jesus came and found me, a lost and dying soul. He gave me a new life when I accepted Him as Lord and Savior of my life. I experienced a peace in my life, and like a seed, it grew till it consumed me. I began to grow into the man that Jesus had always intended for me to be. I was given life and that abundant.

Last, We can overcome the enemy’s schemes. God’s word is our best weapon against the enemy. Jesus showed us how powerful it was when he was tempted. Here are some other strategies for every Christian to use against the enemy’s schemes: Submit to God, Pray in the Spirit, be alert and clearminded, wear the protection that God has given you, and be victorious in praise.

1. Submit to God. James 4:7 “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Here is the ultimate weapon, draw near to God and submit to his plan and purpose. God gives us victory when we submit ourselves to His Spirit and walk in the faith we have in Jesus Christ. 

2.  Pray with the Spirit. God gave us his Spirit to live in us and through us. He truly is our strength and power. In Rom. 8:26-27 “ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” What an awesome power we have to communicate with Almighty God. One of the enemy’s schemes he uses on everyone is to get us to not communicate with God. In the military, communication is a must or the soldiers will not know the plan or the position of the enemy. We have the advantage as Matt. 18:19-20 states: “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” Keeping in communication with God is a must do for every Christian to be able to stand against the enemy’s schemes. 

3.  Be alert and sober. In 1 Pet. 5:8-9 Peter tells us how to defeat the roaring lion. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” We are not alone in this battle, God has given us His power (Holy Spirit), and we need to stand on our faith in His Son.

We are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus, Rom. 8:37 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”

4.  Wearing the whole armor of God. Eph. 6:10-17 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

5. Victorious through praise. When the Israelites went into battle under king Jehoshaphat, the worshipers were to lead 2 Chr. 20. There is something about the power of praise against the enemy. Paul and Silas were in a prison for preaching the gospel. In the evening they were singing hymns and praises to Jesus and literally the prison jails opened up and they were freed by God. 

Application -  We are overcomers through Jesus Christ our Lord! God has given us the victory over temptation. We have strength through Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Don’t let the enemy’s (devil’s) temptations get to you, resist them, draw near to God in prayer, keep the lines of communication opened between you and God. and remember we are more than conquerors (Rom. 8:37) “...in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” through our faith in Jesus Christ who understands how to help us against the enemy’s plans. 

Until next week, May God’s protection and 

Wisdom be your portion this week.

 In His service. Mike Davis