Satan's Tactics with Eve (Satan's Tactics: Part 2) - Zac Poonen - March 19, 2011
http://rlcfchurch.org RLCF Men's Leadership Conference 2011 River of Life Christian Fellowship 1306 N Lincoln Avenue Loveland, Colorado - 80537, USA
Summary
The speaker warns that the devil is enraged against committed disciples who keep God's commandments, contrasting them with compromisers. He emphasizes that true believers must have a 'Christ-like' heart, not a 'grasshopper-like' one, when facing spiritual giants. The core message is to actively confront the devil by speaking the testimony of Christ's victory—that He died for sins and defeated Satan on the cross—and to be aware of Satan's schemes through spiritual intelligence.
Outline
The message in plain words, in the order it unfolds. Select a time to jump the video to that moment.
Why is the devil so angry today?The devil knows he has only a short time left before his reign ends, so his anger is especially intense toward wholehearted believers who keep God's commandments.
How do believers overcome Satan?Believers overcome the devil by the blood of the lamb and by speaking back to him with the word of their testimony, reminding him that he was defeated on the cross.
Why do we need military intelligence in spiritual warfare?Just as military intelligence helps prepare an army against an enemy, knowing Satan's schemes through Scripture protects our lives, families, and churches from unexpected spiritual attacks.
Deception versus persecutionSatan operates as a serpent through deception and as a lion through persecution, but he prefers deception because persecution only purifies the church.
Questioning the Word of GodSatan's first tactic with Eve was to make her question God's word and dilute its warnings, a method he still uses today by keeping believers ignorant of the scriptures.
The danger of legalismLegalism is a subtle counterfeit that preaches outward righteousness to deceive people, and Jesus condemned it even more severely than open moral failures.
Will disobedience lead to spiritual death?Just as God warned Adam and Eve that they would surely die, Paul warns believers that living according to the flesh will lead to spiritual death, despite modern theologians who claim otherwise.
Hiding the long-term consequences of sinSatan highlights the immediate pleasure of a sinful choice while hiding the long-term devastation and pollution it brings to a person's mind and future.Genesis 3:5
Doubt in God's love and the temptation of anxietySatan tries to plant the seed that God does not love you when prayers go unanswered or difficulties arise, leading directly to the sin of anxiety which Jesus repeatedly forbade.
Cleansing the mind with the water of the WordJust as dirty water in a bowl is cleared by continuously pouring in clean water, a mind polluted by sin is purified through the daily washing of water by the Word of God.
Keeping yourself in the love of GodBefore Jesus keeps us from stumbling, we have a personal responsibility to keep ourselves in the love of God by throwing out all trash, bitterness, and unforgiveness from our hearts.
The absolute necessity of forgiving othersIf we refuse to forgive others, our heavenly father will not forgive us, making it essential to release all offenses and rely on the Holy Spirit to shed God's love abroad in our hearts.
