Tactics Of The Enemy & How To Escape

Deceived, swindled, defrauded, cheated, tricked, hoodwinked, hoaxed, duped, mislead, outwitted, beguiled, deluded, fooled…

As we begin our search for Truth, it is imperative that we realize that we have an enemy that wants to keep us from obtaining it. What are the tactics of this enemy? How can we fight against these tactics? How can we ensure we will actually find The Truth?

1.1        How Awful It Is To Be Deceived And Defrauded

Ephesians 5:6 ~ Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

  • Have you ever experienced deception in regards to relationships and possessions? How great was the pain you went through? Now imagine if you will that the stakes are much higher. Imagine realizing that Glory, Honor, and even Immortality in a wonderful world were all within your grasp but someone deceived you cheated you out of it!
  • Deception is the reason for all the corruption and misery in the world. People have been lied to and deceived and because of this deception they have chosen paths that have not profited but rather created chaos and misery for themselves and for others.

1.2        Deception Is The Greatest Instrument Of Our Enemy

Revelations 12:9 ~ And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

  • Satan’s greatest tool is deception. With it he leads the whole world astray. By deception he ensures men do not find the truth but are lost in a maze of beliefs that keep them ensnared and busy until it’s too late.
  • If someone can be deceived, then you can lead them on any paths you desire. This is all the enemy wants, to lead you far from the paths of truth, knowledge and peace and to ensure you will instead take the paths of everlasting death and destruction.

1.3        We Must Not By Ignorant Of Satan’s Tactics Against Us

2 Corinthians 2:10-11 ~ Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

  • Satan has many tricks and schemes by which he deceives people and keeps them from the truth but these are the three main tactics he uses.
    • First, he will attempt to divert your attention through worldly ambition and pursuit of pleasure so you are too busy to pursue and find The Truth.
    • Second, if that does not work he will try to get you to doubt that you could ever find truth even if you wanted to.
    • Third, if you do start to seek and come close to finding The Truth, then he ensures there is a perfect counterfeit that when you look at it will cause you to think it is all ridiculous and look elsewhere.

1.4        Tactic 1: Divert Them Through Worldly Ambition & Pleasure

Mark 4:18-19 ~ These are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

  • The truth is out there and available to us. Our creator has planted its foundational seeds in both nature and down deep in our hearts and also made Divine Revelation readily available. The enemy cannot stop this truth from being available to you so his first tactic is to make sure you never even stop to realize it is there and let it take fruition.
  • Through relationships, power sports, career ambition, video games, movies, music, entertainments, etc. the enemy side tracks us and keeps us from what is most important. The enemy wants you so filled with these things that you never will think about your death or seek out the most important truths that will have the most impact on your life.

1.5        Tactic 2: Cause Confusion And Doubt In The Seeker’s Heart

Hebrews 11:6 ~ But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

  • Few will pursue a goal that they believe to be unattainable. Therefore, Satan’s second tactic is to get us to think that this quest for truth is utterly impossible, that there really is no hope of ever arriving.
  • Satan and his workers have produced 1000’s of false religions to muddy the waters of those who would seek after knowledge. He uses this to influence us to give up the search and accept such beliefs as ‘there are many ways’ or ‘there is no absolute truth or way of finding it’.

1.6        Tactic 3: Create A Counterfeit & Make The Real Look Foolish

2 Corinthians 11:4 ~ For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

  • If perchance you have gotten out of the web of vain pursuits and ventured on the quest for truth, then the enemy has saved his third and greatest tactic for last. You see our enemy is the world’s greatest master of counterfeit. Satan has created a complete religious system which uses the same terms, the same book, and many of the same truths yet in a twisted and perverted way. Here is a sample:
    • You must believe that God is one being but yet he is three beings. That these three gods have created you as a wicked depraved being that has no ability to do what is right. Even so, this god will endlessly torment you in an eternal burning fire if you do not confess that these foolish things are true.
    • If you will then make their confession and also say a short prayer you will be saved from the eternal torment regardless of how you live. Your wickedness will now no longer be seen because God transfers the righteousness of another being to you as a covering or cloak so that God does not see your wickedness any longer but only all the good works of this other being.
    • Now on judgment day, even though you may have been a lustful drunkard who cheated on and beat your wife, you will go experience eternal life in heaven. And that poor neighbor of yours who did none of those things but never made the confession you did will be tormented for gazillions of years in eternal flames.
  • This is why we see all kinds of immorality, chaos, ungodly teaching and scandals in the so called church. The enemy parades these and other like abdominal falsehoods before us and through them causes us to look in disgust upon the actual Truth that these counterfeit organizations and people profess to be examples of.

2 Peter 2:1-2 ~ There shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies… And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

  • It was prophesied of long ago that this would happen and what better way to keep people from the truth than to counterfeit it and make the way of truth look stupid, irrational, immoral, and just plain silly. And this is exactly what these type of false teachings do.
  • It is this kind of counterfeit nonsense and the people that believe and follow these teachings that drive multitudes of rational people away from the real way of truth found in nature, reason, and fully revealed in The Holy Scriptures.

1.7        How To Stay Clear Of These Traps And Find The Truth

Proverbs 2:3-6 ~ Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

  • If we want to be free from deception, we must make it our ultimate goal in life to obtain truth. Be firmly convinced that this is the most important thing, more important than silver, gold, money, women, etc. Get the mentality that you will absolutely stop at nothing to obtain it!

2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 ~ Whose coming is after the working of Satan with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

  • Our creator himself will allow strong delusion to come to us if we don’t make this our mindset. If we want to escape these powerful forces of deception and not perish while believing a lie, we must receive a deep love of the truth. This means that we must throw aside all bias’s we have in our hearts and seek truth regardless of the consequences

Matthew 7:7-8 ~ Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

  • As you seek after truth believe with all your heart that you can obtain it. You have a hunger and a thirst to know the truth because your creator put this thirst within you. He did this because He wants you to seek and to find! Believe this and don’t let go of the vision.

Jeremiah 9:4-6 ~ Take ye heed every one of his neighbour, and trust ye not in any brother: for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbour will walk with slanders. And they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth: they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity. Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit.

  • Look around and you will easily see that we live in a very corrupt and deceptive world. We must be very careful to trust no one with our souls. Not our neighbors [our country/culture], or our brothers [family members]. Your closest friends and relatives will deceive you and by the time you find out it will be too late. We must put trust in no human but seek after truth ourselves and trust that our creator will grant us the truth we seek when we seek after it without bias and with all our hearts.
  • Let’s carefully examine what we have accepted as core beliefs concerning spiritual things. Are we simply believing what our parents or culture have taught us? With 1000’s of religions and teachings claiming to be the true way how can this be an acceptable rational reason for our belief system? What are the chances that you just happened to be born into the right spiritual truth?

Micah 7:5 ~ Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.

  • Don’t trust anyone! Anyone means your closest friends, family, and even the wife that lies in your bed at night. Many of these people are well meaning but they themselves have been deceived. As much as we may want to please our loved ones we cannot afford the risk of not searching things out ourselves. Love them, care for them, live for them, and die for them, but do not entrust your soul’s eternal welfare to them.