Uncovering Satan's Game Plan

The Enron Corporation's collapse, the Archbishops of the Catholic Church’s coverup of priestly abuse, and other scandals have demonstrated again that humans have a way of trying to cover-up their immoral dealings. The men in charge often lied to cover-up their organizational power struggle or greed.

If we believe the Word of God, we must know that there is a literal person in the spirit realm called "Satan" who is at work on human beings in a "cover-up job" – he wants to cover-up our relationship to God. Satan works on people by deception. The Bible calls him the "father of lies".

By a consideration of all the factors involved with an unbeliever and a believing Christian, we can come up with a pretty good idea of how Satan must think, about the direction of his control and influence.

Satan and Unbelievers

Since Satan's nature is in control of unbelievers, most of the time they will unknowingly follow his leadings. I say unknowingly because not one in a million has a clue that Satan's nature is working from right within them. They believe that they are just "doing their own thing" – that they are independent beings living life by their own steam.

God has an external influence on them in an attempt to draw them away from the illusion of independence and into the understanding of their need for dependence on God. In other words, they are externally tempted "upward" by God and, at times, they succumb and follow God's will. But most often, they quickly return to their illusion of independence and this stay under the control of Satan's nature as the ultimate independent spirit – he is the god of independence.

Satan has been called the "Evil One" or "Mr. Sin". Sin and Satan have been intertwined into a tight association – and so they should be. But we have to consider what sin really is. There are definitions such as: sin is the transgression of the law; and sin is unrighteousness. But on a more practical and less transcendent level, it is well to consider sin as ANY THOUGHT, WORD, OR DEED CARRIED OUT WHILE UNDER THE ILLUSION OF INDEPENDENCE.
Sin IS the transgression of the law – when the law is seen to be the way things have been created to work correctly, that is by a dependence and trust in God.
Sin IS unrighteousness – when righteousness is seen to come from Christ within and not from anything we can achieve on our own.

Satan's Game Plan For Unbelievers

Considering the above factors, what do you see as the most likely thinking of Satan as to how to keep unbelievers in his camp? HE WILL TRY TO COUNTERACT THE INFLUENCE OF GOD! And what understanding is God trying to draw unbelievers to?

1. They are sinners – they have no ability to live a "good" life by their own independent power.

2. They are "guilty" – they have the need for a "Savior" not only to avoid the punishment for their sin, but to keep them away from future sin.

3. That "Savior" is Jesus Christ.

4. God is a caring, loving forgiving Father.

What is Satan's logical counteraction to God? The deceptions:

1. They are NOT sinners - they can live a reasonably "good" life by trusting themselves.

2. They are NOT guilty - therefore they have no need of a Savior.

3. Jesus Christ was a better than average man but had no power as a savior.

4. If there is a God, he is very harsh and judgmental.

And how is this going to work out in day to day living for an unbeliever?

1. There will be sin (independent wrong) initiated by Satan. But there will be just enough of another sin (right things done independently) that Satan can say, "There! See! You're not so bad! Look at the good things you do. A lot of other people are worse than you are!" But right things done independently are no more pleasing to God than wrong things done independently. The key is the lack of dependence on God. The key is the sin of "illusory independence".

2. Then comes this thing of guilt after sin. The last thing that Satan wants in the mind of an unbeliever is guilt. If guilt gets a foothold, then God is achieving a drawing toward salvation. So Satan is constantly whispering, "What is there to feel guilty about? The things that you do are just satisfying your needs! You have human needs that must be fulfilled and, if there is a God, God understands."

3. Another way that Satan works on the unbeliever is to say, "Who needs Jesus Christ? You know, all religion is basically the same. It is just a crutch for the weak. But YOU don't need it! You are strong enough to live without it." Or he says, "How can you trust the Bible? It was written by a bunch of men. It was translated by a bunch of other men. And it doesn't agree with the findings of scientists concerning evolutionary development and the age of the universe." Satan puts down the veracity of the Bible and Jesus Christ in every way that he can.

4. Satan plants the idea: "If there is just possibly a God, He is out to nail you! He's more concerned about punishing you than loving you!"

So, in general, we see that Satan's thinking is not so much to get the unbeliever to do wrong actions, but rather to keep him in the illusion of independence. And Satan will actually lead most unbelievers into many "good deeds", but done with the wrong motives of independence and pride. By any means, don't let them feel guilty and be attracted to the love and mercy of God.

Satan and Born Again Christians

It must be understood that Satan, by using or not using religion, will do everything he can to get men to a place of satisfied human living without being born again and changed from a child of Satan to a child of God. The thing that Satan doesn't want above all is conversion and new birth. This is why there are multitudes who don't understand what it means to be "born again", even though many of them are genuinely born again into God's Family.

For a Christian, Satan's nature has now been put out and he can now only exert an external influence in the Christian life. Christians are externally tempted "downward" by Satan and, at times, they succumb and follow Satan's influence – and sin. But most often, they return to their understanding of dependence and trust in God.

Satan's Game Plan For Christians

Any plan of influence by Satan against born again children of God is out of desperation. He knows that he is no longer in control because a Christian no longer contains the nature of Satan but rather the nature of God. Satan can only attempt to distract the child of God away from the awareness of who he is in Christ. This is done by the only way that Satan knows, the illusion of independence. Just as with an unbeliever, Satan uses feelings of independence.

HE WILL TRY TO COUNTERACT THE TRUST AND DEPENDENCE A CHRISTIAN HAS IN GOD THROUGH CHRIST. And what understanding is God giving His children through spiritual growth?

1. They are forever "saints" – children in His Family, children needing correction, but children never to be forsaken or disowned. Although weak vessels on their own, they can draw on the power of God within to live the Christian life.

2. They are not to have "guilt" when they slip into sin – whatever correction there is resulting from the sin is from a loving Father who wants to see a continual growth in awareness of the child's divine Family status.

3. Since Jesus Christ has come to dwell in and lead a Christian, a personal one-on-one (or better stated, ONE-IN-ONE) relationship is to be established on a daily basis. A Christian must learn to recognize the still, small voice from within.

4. And, as with an unbeliever, God continues to point out that He is a caring, loving, forgiving Father – but, in addition, as His child in Christ, He is now MY DAD, MY PROTECTOR, MY PROVIDER, THE SOURCE OF UNLIMITED, UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

What is Satan's logical counteraction to God's union with His child? The deceptions:

1. They are not "saints", children of God, but still sinners unable to get their act together even by trust and dependence on God.

2. They are guilty of sin and, no matter what God says, they have no salvation and will probably die in their sin.

3. The reality of the spirit realm is brought into question by subtle influences of Satan. He tries to make the visible world seem to be more real and attractive than the spiritual.

4. Satan tries to make you question the power of God's love to ever transform your soul into total awareness and trust in Christ to live out through you.

And how is this going to work out in day to day living by a Christian? There will be sin (a slip into independent wrong) externally influenced by Satan. And when this occurs, Satan will say, "There! See! You're not so good after all! Look at the bad things you do. Why even a lot of unconverted people are better than you are! A saint? Hah! This union and trust in God of yours is foolishness!" Satan will try to tear down our Family security, our secure salvation.

There are several tricks that Satan plays on Christians to keep them from the understanding of their rebirth in Christ. One of these is that Satan, by religion, will offer to the Christian a plan for "reformation". In fact, different religious groups offer innumerable ways by which man can live a better life, be happier, and prosper without giving up self-management. But reformation is not even in the picture when it comes to the description of union with Christ. While children in God's Family will, in time, show great change, this is the outworking of the Spirit and not the bringing of some great change in the self.

Another trick Satan plays on Christians by religion is encouraging them to become "religious". Now that God has been so good to them, it is only right, he says, that they try to please Him by working hard in their own strength to do good works. This can lead to Christian "burn-out" – a spiritual fatigue caused by neglecting quiet time relationship with Christ.

Then comes this thing of guilt after a Christian sins. The last thing that Satan wants in the mind of an unbeliever is guilt. But Satan reverses his technique and tries to establish as much guilt as possible in the Christian mind. He says, "Look at what you did there with that sin! After all God has done for you, you go and do a thing like that! You're never going to please God. God is hard to satisfy. What makes you think you could ever act like Christ?"

One of the biggest ways that Satan works on the mind of a Christian is to make him question the secure salvation that God has given him. The Bible says that Christ will never leave us or forsake us. The Holy Spirit stays with us even after sin to draw us back into the awareness of who we are in Christ. But after a sin, Satan attempts to make us feel alone, guilty, and separated from God.

God Uses Satan

After all this has been said concerning the probable thoughts of Satan, it would seem as if there is a continual battle between God and Satan. But the truth is that God is ever in control of Satan. God could at any time wipe out Satan's existence.

The book of Job shows that Satan is used by God as God's convenient agent. In the first two chapters of Job, we find God dealing with Satan. And in the rest of the book, we find Satan dealing with Job. I believe that the real purpose God had in mind for putting the book of Job in the Bible was to show us how God allows Satan to deal with converted, born again people who have the new nature of God. Why allow him to try to influence humans? GOD DESIRES TO BRING ABOUT GROWTH IN HIS CONVERTED CHILDREN.

To have true sons, they must find themselves in their freedom. They must discover that to be a person is to be conscious that there are alternatives and free choice; and ultimately they make their right choice through having first made the wrong one, AND TASTED THE CONSEQUENCES.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says that God knows exactly where we are in this maturity of soul. And that He will not allow Satan to influence you in any way beyond what your level of maturity can handle. God says that He will always "make a way of escape that you may be able to bear it".

So we, as a child of God, have nothing at all to fear from Satan. God will only allow him to drive us closer in our soul to total understanding of our union relationship with Christ. When we slip up and sin, it hurts us! We see the negative effects of it on our life and it hurts! No one likes to hurt. We see that the cause of our hurting is that we tried to exert control with our own human power and we failed. Every sin that hurts brings us closer to total maturity of mind and understanding of "the way, the truth, and the life".

Yes, know your enemy! Don't be deceived when Satan messes with your head!

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