3 Ways Satan Tries to Lure Us Away from Christ

These glorious words of prophecy would only serve to intensify Satan’s vitriol against mankind and give him a new and more predominant object to target: the coming Christ, who would spell his demise and in the fullness of time, strip him of his power. 

But what is the connection? Two verse of Scripture in particular I am sure “stick in the craw” of Satan. These scriptures, along with many others, express the absolute deliverance that takes place when one is born-again: 

“Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-11).

When a person responds to the call of salvation, and becomes born-again, Satan awaits. Because of your union with Christ, He will now extend all of his energies to mar, frustrate, and otherwise destroy your life. These “energies,” which are the modicum of power he is allowed to retain, will prove to be inconsequential to the one whose faith is anchored in the Lord through His blood.

“God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished” (Romans 3:25).

At the Cross, Satan’s power was more than simply censured or reduced; it was taken away! We read this is Colossians 2:14-15.

This then was and is the effect of the cross on Satan; Christ wrought a complete victory over Satan and his minions. So while Satan in essence has no power over the blood-bought child of God, we are not to underestimate him by any means. All that we can gather from Scripture tells us that he is subtle, deceptive and an opportunist.

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In 2 Corinthians 2:11 we read “In order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes."

There is no doubt that by purely diabolical and devious means Satan seeks to undermine the plan and purposes of God through His people. As we deal with the wickedness and corruption that abounds in this world, it is important to realize that the systems of this world are under his control. Once again we read:

“We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19, emphasis added).

With all of these factors in place, we ask this question: What exactly does Satan want from your life? Please understand that your life is important to the enemy of your soul. You are an integral piece of the crucial organism which is the Church – an organism he continually seeks to bring down. If he can bring you down, or cause you to be ineffective in your calling through either frustration or condemnation, he will have done his job.

He cannot kill you, but he can cause much misery in the life of the believer, if they are caught unaware. I believe that there are three things in particular that Satan wants from every child of God. Let’s take a look at these goals, and some of the different ways that Satan will try to deceive us away from our Savior, Jesus Christ.

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While we should not be ignorant of his devices, as stated previously, we also should not spend any undue or unnecessary time or effort worrying about him. We should not adopt a “demon under every rock” mentality. This is a mind-set that believes that Satan is behind every wrong or divisive thing, every evil event, or sinful notion. While it is true, as the saying goes, that “the devil is busy,” we must be careful not to assign to him more power than he actually has; especially as it pertains to the Christian life.

When this happens, we unwittingly allow him to wield power over us that he does not have. By ascribing to him that which he has not done, we give him the attention that he craves. He actually does not have the power that many assign to him.

For instance, Satan cannot force you to sin. I have heard it stated that he can make you do what you do not want to do. Satan forcing a Christian to sin, in essence, gives him a place of dominance that he just does not have. It would be as if he has the proverbial gun to our head, while telling us to sin or else.

Whatever sin that happens in your life, whether it be by commission, or by omission — it is by choice. We may succumb to temptation, or be deceived in some matter, or even make a bad decision in the heat of a moment — but the choice is yours.

Secondly, Satan cannot read your mind. He is not omniscient, and only knows what he sees. The thought that he has some sort of dossier on each of us is not as far-fetched as it may sound. Satan and his minions know where to tempt and attack you personally, because of observation. They watch and have seen, maybe through trial and error, and come to a “knowledge” of how to deal with us. But this is not foreknowledge. His temptations can be thwarted, by using God’s way of escape.

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Finally, and most importantly, Satan cannot do whatever he pleases. We should bless the Lord daily that he is not a free agent. With all that he does do, and all that he is responsible for, God has him on a leash. This is language that he does not appreciate, and is offensive to him. But are we in Christ, trying not to offend the devil? I think not. Satan does nothing concerning you unless God permits him. The point being, as stated, we are not to give him the attention he does not deserve.

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This is not something that any Christian does with their eyes wide open. But it can happen when our eyes are open but our spirit is undiscerning. One of the ways that Satan can procure our allegiance is through false doctrine. 

“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons” (1 Timothy 4:1).

These doctrines of demons are teachings that veer from biblical truth. If we accept every teaching simply because it has Jesus’ name attached to it, and if we do not carefully scrutinize the word as we receive it, we can find ourselves aligning ourselves with the enemy.

I know many may not view accepting false teaching in this manner, but it is a serious matter. Allegiance speaks of loyalty and commitment. When it comes to the Word of God, we are to commit ourselves, and also express loyalty to it. The apostle Paul speaks about this loyalty and commitment to the Word:

“As you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain” (Philippians 2:16).

David the Psalmist also writes concerning this:

“I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word” (Psalm 119:15-16).

This type of love and commitment to God’s Word, and the doctrines in it must not be given to that which is false. If he can undermine God’s Word in you, he will have gotten a measure of allegiance that he should not have.

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Of all the things Satan desires, this may be what he wants the most. Listen to what he said to Jesus:

“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me’” (Matthew 4:8-9).

Doesn’t it almost sound as if he is begging the Lord to worship Him? This is how bad he wants honor, glory, and devotion. From ages past, this has been the case:

“You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:13-14).

These five “I will” statements express the ultimate desire of his heart: Satan wants worship.

I realize than none of us would ever do this, but just as in the case of giving him attention, worship takes it a step further by ascribing worth to him. We are not to do what he wants or what he likes. Satan promised Jesus “stuff” in order to get praise from Him; he will do the same to you — deceptively. 

We must always keep the Lord before us, and always keep His will at the forefront of our lives. Doing this gives the devil what he hates — total allegiance to the Lord. 

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