Satan is a Judo expert
distinguishing good from evil
WEEK 1 —INTRODUCTION
FOCUS
Though [Jesus] was God’s Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered. After He was perfected, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him, and He was declared by God a high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
We have a great deal to say about this, and it’s difficult to explain, since you have become too lazy to understand. Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the basic principles of God’s revelation again. You need milk, not solid food. Now everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature—for those whose senses have been trained to distinguish between good and evil—Hebrews 5:8-14.
This BIBLE STUDY is intended to equip Christ’s followers who are serious about spiritual warfare. Many Christians are waylaid by Satan because we don’t understand the difference between:
- conviction & condemnation
- real guilt & false guilt
- temptation & sin
- attraction & lust
- forgiveness & trust
The Bible is clear:
- the warfare is real
- the armor is a necessity
Through years of preaching and teaching, many people have come to me and said, “Your teaching on discerning the difference has changed my life.” I take no credit. There is no originality in this teaching. It is straight out of Scripture. It simply links things together, looking at patterns to gain an understanding of how Satan works.
These truths from scripture are vital. We must understand that Satan is like a Judo expert seeking to throw us off balance with his manipulative lies. The Bible tells us that we need to understand the wiles of our adversary, the methodology and schemes used by our enemy.
… we are not ignorant of his schemes — 2 Corinthians 2:11.
Don’t let the sun go down on your anger, and don’t give the Devil an opportunity — Ephesians 4:27.
Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil — Ephesians 6:11.
Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour — I Peter 5:8.
While Satan is both real and powerful, he is also finite. He doesn’t have time to come around and personally fight with each one of us. As individuals, we are not that important in his grand strategy. So, when I speak of Satan’s attacks, I am speaking of the work of his emissaries. I am talking about the overall operation of the kingdom of darkness. The Bible reminds us that all of us used to be part of that kingdom.
The Bible teaches us how to experience victory, which has already been secured by our Lord Jesus Christ through his death and resurrection.
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler who exercises authority over the lower heavens, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also — Ephesians 2:1-3.
May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves. We have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, in Him.
He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn over all creation.
For everything was created by Him,
in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities—
all things have been created through Him and for Him.
He is before all things,
and by Him all things hold together.
He is also the head of the body, the church;
He is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead,
so that He might come to have
first place in everything.
For God was pleased to have
all His fullness dwell in Him,
and through Him to reconcile
everything to Himself
by making peace
through the blood of His cross —
whether things on earth or things in heaven.
Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds because of your evil actions. But now He has reconciled you by His physical body through His death, to present you holy, faultless and blameless before Him — if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it — Colossians 1:11-23.
Now, in Christ Jesus, we have been redeemed from the kingdom of darkness and are called to live in the light.
Satan has a lot of helpers, who follow his orders pretty well, and they are really good at their strategy; we’re not the first generation of people on whom they’ve practiced. Because the primary battlefield is in our thought life and the enemy’s principal weapon is lies, we will focus on learning to recognize his methods and practice standing against him with the weapons and armor that are ours in Christ Jesus.
For though we live in the body, we do not wage war in an unspiritual way, since the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ — 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.
Remember, Satan wants to throw us off balance. He doesn’t care whether we fall on our face or on our backside, as long as we fall! Either way, he’s happy to see us miss out on the blessings offered to those who follow Jesus.
God has given us all the equipment we need to engage the enemy in the warfare. We must learn how to use this equipment if we are to become effective warriors. Hiding out isn’t an option. There is no neutral ground. Many a believer has ended up as a POW or casualty. We must take our stand and fight. The wonderful news is that regardless of your personal track record, the ultimate victory is certain. Jesus has already won it for us!
As we begin this study together, it is vital to understand that these principles only work for those who have received new life in Jesus Christ. Apart from His power, we cannot stand against the enemy. As long as we try to justify ourselves and run our own lives, we will remain enslaved by sin. We may feel that we compare favorably to others, but when we glimpse the holiness of God, we realize we deserve His wrath and need His forgiveness. If you are not sure you have really received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I plead with you to cry out to Him for mercy. Confess your sins and ask His forgiveness. Stop trying to run your own life. Surrender to the One Who is King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the Only One Who can save you. He will save all who put their trust in Him.
DISCUSSION
How can we tell the writer of Hebrews is frustrated with his fellow believers?
Do you agree with scripture that Satan is a real and powerful enemy with whom we must contend?
Describe what your life was like when you were still part of the kingdom of darkness.
How do we train our senses to distinguish between good and evil?
What is Satan’s main weapon used against us?
Where is his primary battlefield?
PERSONAL QUESTIONS
Are you eager to grow into greater maturity in Christ?
Do you want to silence the lies of the enemy?
Where can you hear the Truth of your heavenly Father who loves you?
How much time are you willing to invest each week in pursuing spiritual growth?
Ask Jim Wood a question @ pastorwood.org
