Here they are:
1 – Division. Satan loves to sow seeds of doubt that lead to division. He does this because a divided kingdom will not stand and will be ineffectual (Mark 3:25).
2 – Categories. Satan will put you in a category. He will give you a label. This label becomes you meta-narrative or self-defining story. It is the lens through which you begin to see yourself. Labels are hard to drop once they are applied.
3 – Lies. Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44). He will tempt others to tell you lies. He will tempt you to believe false notions about yourself, others, God, your situation and even about himself.
4 – Questioning. He will try to get you to question your worth and belonging. He will get you to question what God said (Gen 3). He will get you questioning belonging of yourself and others. Sometimes this is in a prideful sense – that we think we are the only ones who belong. Other times it is in a self-effacing sense – that we are worthless. It is hard to love God and others if we don’t understand how to love ourselves.
5 – Escalation. When you attempt to break free from Satan’s tactics and they begin to not work as well, he will push harder, up his game…press the attack. He knows what you lean on in times of weakness…the sinful coping mechanisms we turn to over turning to God and he will put all kinds of opportunity in front of us to indulge in those things. We must resist! When you resist, expect escalation!
If you want more on this, you can watch the video I recorded on this topic. It ends in a prayer that I hope and pray blesses you as you try to live for Jesus amidst all the opposition and resistance!
