The devil does not want yoi to engage in personal Bible study or to frequent hearing the Word. He understands and fears the power of the Word. That is the reason for the schemes of the devil waged against the Word of God.
To see how passionate the devil is about this mission, we have only to look at the first book of the Bible. When God gave His first instructions to the first man and woman on earth, the devil went to work on them.
The spiritual attack they encountered was directed against the Word of God. The devil called into question what God had said. “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” the devil asked (Genesis 3:1, NASB).
The woman clearly understood what God had said and what the consequences were for disobedience. She told the devil God had said about the tree in the middle of the garden, “You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die” (verse 3).
But that did not deter Satan. Neither will it stop him from trying us just because we know what God says in His Word. Here are three schemes of the devil against the Word of God he has used and does use.
1. Deception to Disobey the Word
Deception is the overarching scheme of the devil. He told the woman, in effect, that what God told you is not the truth. You are not going to die if you eat of this fruit. But if you eat of this fruit you are going to be like a god, knowing good and evil (verse 5).
Today, we live in a world that works full-time trying to deceive us to believe God’s Word is not the truth. We must stay rooted in discernment so we can see beyond the deception of this world because it’s straight from the devil.
The power of deception is that it can make bad seem good or OK. Deception can’t change the truth. It can only change our perception of the truth. This scheme of the devil worked against Adam and Eve. They now saw the forbidden tree as one to be desired to make one wise (verse 6).
Mission accomplished. One of the devil’s goals is to deceive us to rebel against the Word of God.
2. Misapplication of the Word
The devil even waged a spiritual attack against Jesus in the wilderness. Of the three requests the devil made to the Lord, let’s focus on the second one.
The devil had Jesus to stand on the pinnacle of the temple. He said to Jesus, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You; and on their hands they will bear You up, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone’” (Matthew 4:6, NASB).
The words the devil quoted come psalm 91, verses 11 and 12. But he used those verses out of context. The intent of the verses is not to put yourself at risk just to see if the Lord will dispatch angels to rescue you.
These days, we must be aware of the perversion of biblical truth. The verse(s) cited may be correct, but the application may be twisted. Paul warns us that, “In the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1, KJV).
Jesus saw through this scheme of the devil. “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test,’” Jesus replied (Matthew 4:7, NASB).
3. Taking the Word Out of One’s Heart
Luke’s record of the gospel records the parable of the seed and the sower. Jesus likened some of the hearers of the Word to seed that had fallen by the wayside. He says, “Then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved” (Luke 8:12, KJV).
Notice the devil’s concern here: “Lest they should believe and be saved.” So, this scheme of the devil is aimed at unbelievers to prevent them from becoming saved. Though they may read the Bible and hear the Word preached in the house of God, the devil is in effect taking the Word out of their heart.
But how can the devil take the Word out of an unbelievers heart? Perhaps some spiritual mystery exists by which he can do that. But for sure, he can blind their mind so they can’t see the light of the gospel (see 2 Corinthians 4:4). Also, through spiritual attacks, he can cause some to fall away because of persecution (see Matthew 13:21).
The Message in the Devil’s Madness
The schemes of the devil against the Word of God are a reflection of its awesome power. Think about it. If God’s Word has no power to change lives, if it can’t expose the devil’s lies, why would he be so relentless in warring against it? Ironically, this madness of the enemy should serve as solid evidence of the power of the Word.
Copyright © 2024 by Frank King. All rights reserved.