Satan’s Strategy

There is an excellent book that was written by John Bevere a number of years ago called ‘The Bait of Satan’, that I would recommend to anyone looking to walk in overcoming victory of faith of Jesus Christ.

In essence, the bait of Satan is offence.  If he can get you offended by someone, concerning anything at all, then he has hooked you, and will use your issue of offence to control and manipulate you to offending others, thereby building his army by poisoning Christ’s.

This was the issue in Hebrews 12:14-15

Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:  looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.

Offence will blind you to God, and all that pertains to Him.  Your offence with another will blind you to the recognition that Christ has also died for this one, and will move you to seek ways to justify your offence with them, rather than overcome it. It doesn’t mean that you have to fall all over them, excusing the inexcusable.  It does mean you need to be healed, purged or delivered of that which is within you that moves you to be offended by it, for offence sickens your soul, and becomes the burr or prick in your wounds that keep them from being healed.

This is the primary cause of bitterness among Christians, because we all do offend one another many times and many ways, because we all start off ignorant of God and His will and ways.  This issue is often made more difficult than it needs to be because so many prefer to abide in their state of ignorance, yet this is the ultimate challenge and test of the likeness of Christ being formed in you.

Use these issues to cleanse your own ways before God.  Seek to Him to find out why you are offended.  Let Him show you the root cause in your own life for your offence, and let Him heal, cleanse and deliver you from it.  The more that you are cleansed through the repentance and faith of the blood of Christ to heal and restore, the less there is in you that the devil can use to offend another in unrighteous ways.

It is not possible to not offend someone somewhere concerning your life and faith of Christ.  However, let it be for righteous reasons, rather than your unrighteous and unholy participations.  Let someone be offended with you for your righteousness in Christ, rather than for your hypocrisy.

Seek and pursue the truth, wash your robes white in the blood of the lamb, for it is only in this way that the strongholds of Satan can be plundered and purged from the land.  It is only in this way that the ranks of the Lord of Hosts, the Lord Jesus Christ are increased.

It is only as Satan’s hooks and holds in your own soul are removed, that the fulfillment of Isaiah 9:7 will be made manifest:

Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth and forever.  The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

The kingdom of Christ must be made manifest in you before it can ever be made manifest in this world.  The kingdom of Christ must be made manifest in you before you can successfully overcome the world that enables you to make Him manifest to others.  It is for this cause that Satan exercises so much effort to keep you in a state of offence and anger and unrighteous judgment, moving you to plot and plan revenge or vengeance for wrongs committed, seeking to exercise ever greater control and domination to avoid problems.

Jesus’ way has always and ever been, cleanse your own way, and make your own paths straight first, for then you will be no tool of Satan to use against others, and it is in this that our faith is made manifest, and we overcome the world.

Know that Satan has no problem at all, whatsoever, in organizing a holy war, or any war at all.  Whatever keeps a people blind and bound is his only occupation and concern, for where you are blind and bound, there can and will be no Christ. Likewise, he also has no problem keeping the world bound and blind in the bondage of ‘peace, peace’ when there is no peace.  Do not deceive yourself.  There are more Christians bound in superficially ‘loving’ churches that are filled with a riptide of strife, offence and vainglory in the name of love that will wsh you out to sea more surely than any sotrm or flood.

Seek to get your own ways straight before God, and let His manifest presence in you bring forth the manifest presence of His kingdom in this world, for it is only in this that His life, His love and His strength are made perfect in you.