Satan and His Old Bag of Tricks

Ephesians 6:11 - Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

James 4:7 - Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

John 10:10 - The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Satan uses the same old bag of tricks, but we have God—who is infinitely creative—on our side. We can turn to Him as our support, wisdom, and way out under temptation. God gives us the strength to stand and the armor to protect ourselves from our enemy. Satan comes to steal our joy, to kill our spirit, and to destroy our hope. He masquerades as the angel of light, deceiving us with his false beauty. We must be aware of how he works so we can guard our minds, hearts, and steps as we set out on our amazing journey toward living a life that is pleasing to God. Make no mistake, this is one trip Satan does not want you to take, and he will pull out every trick in his bag to try to stop you. Just remember the scriptural paradigm: Resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7). Draw close to God and He will draw close to you (James 4:8).