March 3, 2019 | Satan's Strategy to Defeat Us

These are notes from a sermon message heard at First Baptist Church of Atlanta. To hear the message, please visit their website here. My notes are only meant to be a guide to assist in your Bible study. Enjoy! :)

Date: March 3, 2019

Preacher: Dr. Charles Stanley

Title: Satan’s Strategy to Defeat Us

Base Verse: Romans 8:5-9

Many people live all their lives wondering why things turned out the way it did.

It’s interesting to realize those who don’t believe that Satan exists are those who are blindly following him. Take a look at today’s verses, Romans 8:5-9 NASB. Satan works by playing with our minds.

What’s your basis on being a Christian?

When it comes to Satan, every day of our lives is a mental battlefield.

2 Corinthians 4:4 NASB

How Satan Operates: If you aren’t interested in this, he’s already got you.

1. He directs our attention toward a need or desire.
1. Adam and Eve had absolutely everything they needed in life. But Satan pointed their direction to the forbidden fruit.
2. He points out something you don’t have in order to get us off track from our road God has willed for us. His suggestions will never satisfy us the way following Christ will.
2. Satan chooses his timing. He knows when we are most vulnerable.
1. We all have our areas of weakness and the devil knows where they are.
2. Hunger. Anger. Loneliness. Tiredness.
1. HALT. This is when we’re most vulnerable.
3. Satan creates doubt in our mind.
1. Maybes.
2. Do you believe that God provides all of your needs? Then why do we turn to sin in order to fill our needs on our own? Trust in Christ.
4. Satan engages us in debate.
1. We may have a closet sin we hide, a hidden battle within ourselves as we fight to stop. It may be drugs, alcohol, sexualism, illegal activity, immorality, truthfulness, theft, etc.
2. When you find yourself arguing with yourself about whether or not it is a sin, realize it is a sin and it is Satan himself who’s engaging you in debate.
3. God isn’t trying to deprive us from good things; rather, Christ is protecting us from things that will make us self destruct.
5. Satan uses deception as his key weapon.
1. To deceive is to make something appear different from how it really is.
2. Satan may leave out certain facts or make us believe lies with no base.
6. Satan creates division.
1. This is found in every aspect of our lives. Relationships, schools, government
2. Satan aims to make us doubt the word.
3. Wherever you remove the Word of God, there will be division and distrust that leads to destruction.
4. Satan wants to give us false happiness. Following God will give us joy and peace.
7. Satan destroys.
1. If he can get you to doubt one verse, he will get you to doubt everything.
1. The areas you want to sin are the very verses he’ll make you doubt.
2. Once there is a seed of doubt, we are prone to choose to think differently from Christ and choose to sin.

We must choose responsibility when it comes to how we live.

If you aren’t living by the Bible, what are you living by? What is the basis of your beliefs? What are you going to die by? The Bible teaches us that after we die, we will face a judgment based on the Word of God.

Tonight, pray for God to show you your areas of weakness so that you can be prepared when Satan tries to give us doubt.