The enemy has a clear strategy to attack and lure you out from under God’s authority… Once you see it, you’ll realize that it is already happening in your life! What is his strategy, and how can we stand against it?
Lifegroup discussion questions are below.
This week’s discussion questions are from guest blogger Lynsie McDaniel. If you’re the leader of your discussion, remind everyone in the group that if you miss Sunday’s message, you can always catch up BEFORE the discussion by listening to the podcast. The best way to do that is to subscribe using your favorite podcast app on your mobile device.
Sunday Steve talked about Satan’s schemes to lure us out of the victorious enternity with Jesus. He talked about Genesis 1 and how God gave man authority and had a beautiful relationship, and then Satan came and planted a seed of doubt in the women of God’s worthiness to be God, asking if God really said that they would die if they ate the fruit. Once the seed was planted, Eve’s decision severed the line of authority and decided to answer to Satan instead of God. Man lost a lot when we decided to sin.
Talk about the term “ruler of the world” in relationship to Satan. Look at the three verses in John where Jesus calls him this.
John 12:31 NLT
The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out.John 14:30 NLT
I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me, but I will do what the Father requires of me…John 16:11 NLT
Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.
What truths can we pull from these verses to help us fight the spiritual battles being waged?
Last week we talked about Ephesians 1:20-21 knowing God already has won and is in a seat of victory. Do we live a life already knowing He is victorious or do we take it for granted? How does living like that look?
Satan’s hope is to undermine God, stealing His glory, and trying to steal His sons and daughters. Do we live like this is the truth? Do we live like Satan is subtle and deceptive or are we just on the look out for a man in a red costume with horns offering us a written invitation to sin?
James, the brother of Jesus, shows us Satan’s strategy:
James 1:14-15 NLT
Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death.
We looked at it using these four terms:
Desire
Deception
Disobedience
Death
Satan knows us. God has made us emotional beings, having desires. Satan uses these desires to press in to where we want more or different. “Oh, there is a fruit you can’t have, huh? “. He draws attention to that fleeting want.
If Satan gets a foothold in the desire stage and he gets us to the deception stage, what can we set up here to build up safeguards around his tricks? He can turn something we desire into something we think we deserve or give us ways to justify getting the desire. He uses those unmet desires, and the lie of “God wants me to be happy” to start justifying sinful actions.
How does our culture’s concept of “follow your heart” line up with verses like the following?
Proverbs 4:23-27
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.1 Timothy 6:6-8
Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.
If the enemy is attacking us in these areas, why don’t we memorize these verses?
How can we live a life of continually fighting against disobedience? Getting to disobedience means death of something, relationship, hopes of the future, opportunity. We will all sin and fall short of his glory, as we know, but we need to have a plan in place to try to fight before getting to the place of death.
Have a look at this pattern in Colossians 2…
Colossians 2:9-14
For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.
As you think through each of these instances of the pattern, how do they pertain to our victory over the enemy?
Challenge…Through out this week think through where in your life you are allowing footholds in the desire and deception stages of Satan’s plans and fill those areas with Him, the God of victory.