Thoughts on Spiritual Warfare

If you guys are like me, you struggle with understanding just how Satan attacks us. I am much like a pendulum swinging wildly in which the opposing ends are giving Satan too much credit and not giving him enough credit. In reading the chapter on demons in “A Puritan Theology” I came across a very helpful section in which William Spurstowe lays out the ways in which Satan attacks Christians. I hope you find this as helpful as I did. Let's get started.

Device 1: Satan leads men from lesser sins to greater. People usually think of lesser sins as nothing more serious than a cold. But Spurstowe warned, “Small sins are as the priming of a post or pillar, that prepare it to better receive those other colors that are to be laid upon it.” Small sins leach away our fear of God and hatred of sin. They lead us to greater sins as we try to over our slips.

Remedy: Spurstowe warned, “Take head of giving place to the devil” (Eph 4:27). If you let the serpents head into your house, his whole body will quickly follow. If the devil minimizes sin, look at what every sin deserves and see it as the hateful thing that God despises:

Device 2: The devil persistently urges men to a particular sin. He inserts evil thoughts in the mind (John 13:2). He sways the understanding with arguments and promises (1 Kings 22:21, Matt 4:9). He persistently presses until men succumb, as Delilah did with Samson (Judg. 16:16). Yet he can so subtly insinuate such suggestions that they appear to be our own thoughts. With such thinking, Peter acted on his own impulses and became Satan’s emissary to Christ (Matt. 16:22-23)

Remedy: Reject the promises of Sin. William Brooks said, “Satan promises the best, but pays with the worst: he promises honor and pays with disgrace, he promises pleasure and pays with pain, he promises profit and pays with loss, he promises life and pays with death; but God pays as he promises, for all his payments are made in pure gold.”

Brooks also said, “Remember this, that your life is short, your duties many, your assistance great, and your reward sure; therefore faint not, hold on and hold up, in ways of well-doing, and heaven shall make amends for all.” For those losing hope under the pressure of demonic doubts, the Puritans often quoted Romans 16:20, “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.” Stand firm and Satan will flee.

Device 3: Satan makes a strategic retreat for a time to draw us out of position of strength (cf Josh, 8:15). He permits us a momentary victory to “swell the heart with pride.” He lulls us into “a spirit of security” and “vain presumption”.

Remedy: Spurstowe said we can overcome the devil by “Christian sobriety and watchfulness” (1Peter 5:8). Christians in this world should not live like rich men in a king’s court but like soldiers in the camps of war – “it is a war without truce.”

Device 4: Satan clothes evil with false appearances (Isa. 5:20). He dyes sin with the colors of virtue so that greed becomes frugality, and lukewarmness appears to be moderation. He smears goodness with contempt, like a lovely face viewed in a broken mirror. Satan especially strives to misrepresent God. Stephen Charnock wrote, “Satan paints God with his own colours, represents him as envious and malicious as himself.” Spurstowe warned that that Satan seduces men into doctrinal error through false teachers (2 Thess. 2:1-2, 2 Peter 2:1). False doctrine is from the devil (Gal. 3:1, John 8:44).

Remedy: We must love the truth of the Bible. William Brooks said, “A man may lawfully sell his house, land, and jewels, but truth is a jewel that exceeds all price, and most not be sold.” Spurstowe wrote, “in resisting temptations, make use of Christ as a pattern… Observe the weapon Christ chose to foil him by, and to resist all temptations of Satan with. He could as easily, by His power, have rebuked and silenced him as he did with the wind and waves, but he did it by the Word.” If the powers of Satan are as formidable as the walls of Jericho, realize that preachers of the Holy Scriptures are Gods trumpets to cast the devils kingdom to the ground.

Device 5: Satan ensnares men with lawful things. With this ploy, a quite stream will carry more boats over the waterfall than noisy rapids. Spurstowe named such lawful things as hunting, drinking, falconry, recreations, eating, even hard work. These become sinful “when they are unbounded and not according to the rule and warrant of the Word.” Richard Gilpin said, “Worldly delights are Satan’s great engine of temptation”.

Remedy: Gilpin exhorted those with little to be content with such and not long for riches, for “the world is not so desirable a thing as many dream.” Those with plenty should also be careful “because they walk in the midst of snares.” Spurstowe urged caution in the use of things that might prove to be temptations. He said, “Take head of venturing upon the occasions of sin and coming near the borders of temptations… Our hearts are gun powder, and therefore we must take head of sparks.”

Device 6: Fallen angels exalt new revelations and miracles, while putting down the Scriptures and ordinary ministers of the church. Satan can appear as “angel of light” claiming to reveal new truths (2 Cor. 11:14). New revelations appeal to peoples pride by making them think they are closer to God than others.

Remedy: Jonathan Edwards warned that not all experiences are from Christ, even if they cannot be explained by mere human influences. He said,

[There are other spirits who have influence on the minds of men, besides the Holy  Spirit     We are directed not to believe every spirit, but to try the spirits, whether they be of God    (1 John 4:1). There are many false spirits, exceedingly busy with men, who often transform themselves into angels of light, and do in many wonderful ways, with great subtlety and power, mimic the operations of the Spirit of God.”]

The Bible says that even truly supernatural events must be rejected if they draw us away from God.

Device 7: The demons surprise or shock people with temptations. They make them think no one else has experienced such temptations before. Or they lure us toward sins we never thought would appeal to use. Or they foster shame so that we tell no one of our struggles.

Remedy: Spurstowe wrote, “Suspect yourself prone to every sin; do not repose anything on constitution or temperament.” None of us is exempt from temptation, nor do we face unique temptations. Therefore, believers who are tempted to sin are urged to talk with wise and experienced Christians “who will pray for us and not deride us.”

Device 8: The devil encourages us to fight him with charms and sacred objects. But Scriptures written on jewelry or clothing are nothing compared to Scripture that is written on our hearts. Satan is not disturbed by holy water and incantations, though he may at times give them false success to spur on superstition.

Remedy: Spurstowe wrote, “Do not think that these things will frighten the devil; rather look up to God. He urged, “Be abundant in the use of prayer,” and quotes Bernard of Clairvaux, who said, “Satan’s temptations are grievous to use, but our prayers are more grievous to him.”

 Device 9: Satan attacks the conscience and assurance of believers with false reasoning. He might use a false syllogism such as, “This sin cannot remain in a true child of God. But it remains in you. Therefore you are not a true child of God.” He urges believers to judge themselves by false standards.

Remedy: Spurstowe said, “true conversion is not determined by whether sin remains in us, but whether sin reigns in us. He said, “We are not to place the strength of our confidence in our own righteousness, as if it would abide the severity of God’s trial.” So our conversion does not depend on the perfection of our work, but the sincerity of our endeavors to pursue perfection. Only Christ obeys perfectly.

Device 10: The tempter entices people with the promise that they can repent easily after sinning.

Remedy: Brooks wrote, “Repentance is a mighty work, a difficult work, a work that is above our power…. Repentance is a flower that grows not in nature’s garden.” Repentance is a great grace from God. We must cherish it and develop it, not take it for granted.

Device 11: The devil seeks to make our calling as Christians clash with our calling to a particular field of work. He urges us to do devotions when we should be doing our jobs, or go to work when we should be worshiping God.

Remedy: Spurstowe called believers to “diligence and industry in your calling,” as a bird is much safer from attack when it is flying than when it is sitting in a tree. Benjamin Wadsworth said, “if though are not doing some work for God, well employed in some good thing, the devil will be ready to employ thee.”

 Device 12: Satan drives men from one extreme to the other. He pushes believers pendulum from presumptuous sin to despair over sin, and from neglect of religious duties to “such a rigorous tyranny that makes many to ground under them.” He provokes men to react against one heresy by embracing the opposite error. The evil one aggravates the wounds made by the Holy Spirit. He takes legitimate convictions of sins and adds “horror and terror” to them to urge believers to resist the medicine of the gospel, rather than to receive right comfort.

Remedy:  Spurstowe said, “Faith leaves both extremes and closes with [embraces] God according to the rule of the Word.” Brooks said we must solemnly consider “that God is as just as he is merciful”; therefore we must not abuse His mercy lest we bring His judgments upon ourselves. On the other hand, we must believe in the sincerity and faithfulness of God in His gospel promises of mercy to the repentant believer lest we dishonor His goodness. Charnock said, “What is the reason we come not to him when he calls us, but some secret imagination that he is of an ill nature, means not as he speaks, but intends to mock us, instead of welcoming us?

I know this is a super long post and I am thankful if you have gotten this far. I pray that you will look over these devices and their remedies as we push on to fight the good fight of faith. In conclusion let us finish with this encouraging statement from John Downame.

[If we did indeed regard our enemies’ strength and our own weakness only, we might well be discouraged from undertaking this combat, but if we look upon our grand Captain Christ, whose love towards us is no less than his power, and both infinite, there is no cause of doubting…. He hath already overcome our enemies… Our savior hath spoiled principalities and powers, and hath made a show of them openly, and hath triumphed over them upon the cross (Col. 2:15).]

           

Source: A Puritan Theology