How Satan Usually Works

In Daily Devotional by Darryl Dash

Bible Verse: “You are of your father the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)

Scripture Reading: John 8:39-47

Most of the time, Satan and his demons don’t use a direct attack. What we experience most of the time is much more subtle than that. Satan doesn’t usually tip his hand. He likes to use trickery and subterfuge, as he has done since the beginning (Genesis 3:1).

Klyne Snodgrass puts it well: “Evil rarely looks evil until it accomplishes its goal; it gains entrance by appearing attractive, desirable, and perfectly legitimate. It is a baited and camouflaged trap.”[1]

Let’s say that again:

“Evil rarely looks evil until it accomplishes its goal; it gains entrance by appearing attractive, desirable, and perfectly legitimate. It is a baited and camouflaged trap.”

In other words, Satan’s greatest weapon is simple and effective: he lies. He tells us that God isn’t good and can’t be trusted. He tells us that our sinful desires are good, and we should follow them. He tricks us into believing bad things about ourselves and others. He gets us to believe things that are not only untrue but dangerous to our souls.

We may never experience an obvious Satanic manifestation, but all of us will experience his treacherous lies.

We fight back against lies with God’s truth, revealed in His Word. We ground ourselves in His truth so that we can recognize the lies when we see them. We need God’s truth so we can live.

Prayer: Lord, I need Your help so I don’t believe Satan’s lies. May Your truth expose the lies for what they are. Amen.

Reflection: What are some of Satan’s lies that you’ve been tempted to believe?

[1]  Klyne Snodgrass, Ephesians, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 339.

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About
Darryl Dash
Darryl Dash (@DashHouse) is a pastor at Liberty Grace Church, a church planter in Toronto with over 25 years of ministry experience, and an author of How to Grow: Applying the Gospel to All of Your Life. He is married to Charlene and have two adult children: Christy and Josiah. Find out more about Darryl at DashHouse.com.
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Darryl Dash
Darryl Dash (@DashHouse) is a pastor at Liberty Grace Church, a church planter in Toronto with over 25 years of ministry experience, and an author of How to Grow: Applying the Gospel to All of Your Life. He is married to Charlene and have two adult children: Christy and Josiah. Find out more about Darryl at DashHouse.com.