“lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.”
The challenge is to think of and share three tricks (or devices or schemes) you have come up against from Satan.

Tricks and Devices

Satan’s aim is to persuade us to turn away from God, to close that door to our hearts spoken of in Rev 3:20, where Jesus waits to enter.
Attending church is not the same as believing in Christ, but it’s tangible and easier to remember. And to cease attending can be used by Satan as a first step to unbelief, since the encouragement we receive through shared public affirmation of our faith tends to keep our focus upon Jesus and our faith strong.

1. The Church Visible

1a. The Materialist Church

I have heard church attendance promoted as it provides good business networks. And I have seen other people treat it as another version of the bowls club or golf club, rather than a gathering where people will be confronted with Christ.
A friend from many years ago told me he had left a particular church as he was only a base grade teacher, which was not up to the standard of the business CEO’s and doctors and lawyers that was required for acceptance in that church community (now closed).
When I visited one church I was asked, “What do you do?”, and when I replied I am retired I was then asked, “Yes, but what did you do?” The emphasis there seemed to be on material success and a comfortable life. And some contacts from the south of the USA explained that the south of the US is the hardest place to find a church; since everybody goes to church, most churches are just part of the secular social fabric.
I felt these tendencies as a teenager, and that is one of the reasons I stopped attending for a season.

1b. Church Atheism

I think I have mentioned before the example of about 35 years ago, on an Easter Sunday morning in church, the pastor began his sermon by proclaiming that, “We don’t know whether Jesus rose from the dead or not, but it doesn’t really matter anyway.”

I sought an alternative church of the same denomination for our family over several years, but that didn’t work, and this eventually led me worship elsewhere. It would have been so easy to go along with this influence for social reasons.

2. Ready answers

I have met many church people who have ready answers to life’s questions, and I know the temptation when talking with people who are facing difficulties has been to try to suggest answers based on my knowledge, when what may really be needed is to be beside them as the Holy Spirit guides them to turn to God. Good intentions of helping can point people to rely on human reason and doctrines, rather than turning to God to seek the guidance and understanding that only He can give, as only He can fully know the circumstances that challenge us.

3. Social

3a. News Media

In my youth I was influenced by the opinions of friends, and attitudes promoted in the news media. There was even a time when I thought most of what was presented on our ABC was accurate, but after I grew up and had better access to information I soon gained a clearer picture. Perhaps the final straw there was when I heard the woman who presented religious documentaries on Channel 2 in a discussion; she justified her position by claiming that it was generally agreed in university philosophy faculties that Marxism was the only viable philosophy, and the only one that could be accepted.

3b. Government and legal constraints

Restrictions on what we are allowed to say can affect both our behaviour and our thinking. In leading an online bible study group, I was required to undergo training in how to lead within the constraints of Victorian legislation which make it illegal to pray for a person considering a sex change, with penalties of many years’ imprisonment.

4. A busy life

In my experience, it’s easier to spend time in prayer and bible reading when I have some spare time, as in retirement. And times of extreme stress or difficulty also turn my focus toward Jesus. But the times when Satan can more easily misguide me, are those when life is just very busy, when I can be persuaded that I need to work harder, and that it all depends on me.

5. Human praise

Acknowledgment and encouragement is very important for people who are finding their way, and I think it is also very important for us to offer that to fellow believers in our journey through this life.
But receiving praise can also be a snare for me if it turns my focus away from God who gives the result, and I focus instead on myself. When I follow God’s will, I am merely the agent used by Him. So, in encouraging others, it is important to give God the glory.

There was a film called, “It’s a Mad Mad World”, but I don’t think that’s the right conclusion, for it all makes sense when we understand how Satan is behind so much of what is happening.

May God protect us from those tricks, and keep us in His path.