Satan was the first faith bully. He bullied believers in the beginning because all of God’s creatures believed in Him after God Created them. It was obvious to them that God was their Creator and deserved their worship and praise. Satan also wanted worship and praise, so he bullied angels in Heaven and people on earth to get it.
“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?’ And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:1-5
The woman was very young – possibly Created just days or weeks before her confrontation with Satan. She had little life experience – and to Satan she was fresh meat. Even worse, her husband Adam stood nearby and didn’t do anything to protect her – the very thing God had told him to do.
Satan set the standard for faith-bullying believers. What you see Satan do to the woman is what faith bullies do to people who believe in God. Here’s how it works.
- Satan misquotes and misuses God’s Word – that leads believers to get confused about what God said and what He meant by what He said
- Satan questions God’s honesty and sincerity – that causes believers to question whether they can really trust God in their daily lives
- Satan questions God’s motive and purpose – that leads believers to wonder if God really loves and cares for them
- Satan questions God’s Will – that causes believers to lose hope that God will really help them in their time of need
This is how Satan bullies Christians. These are his tactics against us – his schemes and tricks to deter us from being all we can be for the glory of God. However, we can’t say we weren’t warned. God inspired the Apostle Paul to write these words to believers almost 2,000 years ago.
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:11-12
As we journey together to learn how to better defend the Faith, it’s important we understand the enemy. Satan has not changed in thousands of years. He uses the same battle plan as he did against our ancient ancestors. Don’t be fooled by Satan’s smooth talking. Don’t be misled by the cleverness of his attacks. Satan is a liar and everything he says is a lie. Anything presented as truth that is not confirmed by the Word of God is a lie. Don’t trust your feelings. Don’t rely on your emotions. Believe the Truth.
“Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.” John 8:43-45
In Christ’s Love and Grace,
Mark McGee
Faith Defense
“Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
Faith & Self Defense 