You’re in a Fight
You may not realize it, but you’re in a fight. Every single day, there’s a battle happening around you. It’s not a fight with fists or weapons, but a spiritual war for your heart, your faith, and your eternity. You have an enemy who is actively working against God, His plan, and everything He loves — including you.
Satan is real.
He’s not a cartoon with horns and a pitchfork; he’s a spiritual enemy who wants to destroy what God is building in the world and in your life. His schemes are not random or accidental. He deliberately opposes God’s authority, twists God’s Word, distracts God’s people, and attempts to derail God’s mission.
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8–9 (ESV)
Satan’s Greatest Strength: Deception
Satan’s greatest weapon isn’t brute force — it’s deception. He doesn’t show up with a name tag that says, “Hello, I’m the Devil and I’m here to destroy your life.” Instead, he works subtly, disguising lies as truth and evil as good. Paul warned that we are not to be “outwitted by Satan” (2 Corinthians 2:11), because his schemes are deliberate. He wants to appear helpful, wise, and even progressive — but his goal is always destruction.
Jesus didn’t mince words when describing him: “He was a murderer from the beginning… When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44 (ESV)
#1 He Questions God’s Word
“Did God actually say…?” (Genesis 3:1)
Satan begins his attack not with rebellion, but with doubt. He takes what God clearly said and asks, “Did He really mean that?” His goal is to plant a seed of skepticism that grows into unbelief and eventually disobedience. Be careful when voices — whether cultural, academic, or personal — begin to question the truth, authority, or relevance of Scripture. What starts as curiosity can quickly become compromise. Satan’s strategy hasn’t changed; he’s still using doubt to destroy faith.
#2 He Adds to God’s Word
“You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?” (Genesis 3:1)
God told Adam and Eve they could eat from any tree except one — but Satan added to and twisted God’s words to make Him sound restrictive. Satan loves to add to God’s Word because only God’s true Word carries real promises and real consequences. When Satan adds to it, it creates confusion. If you believe something is “God’s Word” but it’s actually a distorted version, then when the promise doesn’t come true or the consequence doesn’t happen, you start to doubt everything else God has said. His goal isn’t just to deceive you once — it’s to make you question God’s entire Word.
#3 He Contradicts God’s Word
“You will not surely die.” (Genesis 3:4)
The first lie ever told to humanity was that we could disobey God without consequence. God said disobedience would bring death, but Satan directly contradicted Him. When his subtle tricks don’t work, Satan moves to open denial. He calls God a liar and whispers the same message in modern language:
“There’s no hell.” “All paths lead to God.” “Love is love.”
It’s the same ancient deception wrapped in cultural packaging. His goal is to make sin seem harmless and truth seem optional. But when we believe his contradictions, we trade the certainty of God’s Word for the confusion of our own making.
#4 He Questions God’s Character
“For God knows… you will be like God.” (Genesis 3:5)
The serpent led Eve to believe that God was holding something back — that He wasn’t good, generous, or trustworthy. The same lie still works today. When Satan can’t deceive you with manipulation or contradiction, he attacks God’s character. He wants you to believe that God — and anyone representing His truth — isn’t for you but against you. He’ll twist your view of spiritual authority, convincing you that your pastor, your church, your parents, or your Christian friends are controlling, manipulative, or out of touch.
The goal is simple: to make you question God’s goodness and reject the people He’s placed in your life to guide you toward truth. If Satan can make you doubt God’s heart, it’s only a matter of time before you ignore His Word.
How to Defeat the Enemy’s Lies
So how do we stand against the enemy’s lies and avoid falling for his tactics? The same way Jesus did — by knowing and standing on the Word of God. In Matthew 4, Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness. He didn’t argue, reason, or negotiate. He simply responded with Scripture. Every time the enemy twisted the truth, Jesus said, “It is written.”
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.” Matthew 7:24–25 (ESV)
The difference between standing strong and falling apart isn’t passion — it’s foundation. When your life is anchored to God’s truth, storms can’t destroy you. Lies can’t deceive you. And attacks can’t move you.
You’re in a fight, even if you don’t know it. But you’re not defenseless. God has given you His Word as both your weapon and your foundation. When you build your life on His truth, no attack of the enemy can stand against you.
“It is written.”
That’s still the most powerful defense in the world.