If I was the
enemy of mankind, what might be one strategy I would use against them to bring
about their defeat?
Satan uses
many tactics against us, like fear and intimidation, lies about God, lies about
us, our worth.…
But let’s
face it, if he could take us out, he would have already.
Then this
thought crossed my mind.
“I’d
untie their relationships!”
When one
enters a relationship with an abusive, controlling significant other, one thing
they’ll do is try to cut off the other relationships in your life. They don’t
want you to have someone else to turn to.
Though we
don’t consider ourselves to be in a relationship with Satan, he’s constantly
trying to forge his way into one with us. Those especially susceptible are
those who don’t believe he’s real.
He must
laugh at the way we think we’re the ones in control.
He’s been
around longer than we have. He’s seen you grow up, he knows your likes and
dislikes, your fears and insecurities, your areas of special pride. In short,
he knows how to tempt and influence you and what snares to put in your path.
Look at all
the broken relationships around you. There’s brokenness between parents and
their children or grandchildren, between husbands and wives, between childhood
friends, between business associates who could’ve done great things together.
When walking
and holding hands with a small child who cannot yet appreciate the dangers of
this world, we can guide them around the potholes of life, tugging them gently
(or wildly if necessary) away from the shifting ground.
But Satan
doesn’t want that child to hold your hand. He doesn’t want them to be safely
guided by someone who knows the ropes.
He doesn’t
want you to hold on to your heavenly Father’s hand, either.
He wants you
to fall into the pitfalls and traps he’s set for you.
He wants you
to listen to his lies and to hear his voice above the others in your life.
He wants to
sabotage and untie the relationships in your life.
You may
think you self-sabotage; but who planted the lies in front of you to affect
your thinking and influence your choices?
I’m not
saying we should blame the enemy for all the failures in our lives. At some
point, we need to take responsibility for our decisions and suffer the
consequences.
But there are
reasons we chose the choices we’ve made; not excuses, but reasons.
Satan loves
to dip his finger into every pot of soup we make. And his fingers are DIRTY!
He’s coated them with the poison of his lies.
God created
us. He created us to need Him – and to need each other.
Satan seeks
to untie your good relationships, especially your relationship with God.
Once the
knot is untied, where does that leave you? What does it leave you thinking and
believing about yourself and others? Does it make you trust yourself and others
less? Does it make you trust God less? Might it even make you angry with God?
That’s his
goal.
If Satan
leaves your relationships alone, perhaps they’re unhealthy relationships that
he can use to your destruction.
Jesus
Himself said, Satan, our common enemy, comes to steal, kill and destroy. While He
[Jesus] comes that you may have life and live it to the fullest! (John 10:10)
Even if you
think they can’t be restored, God’s thoughts are greater than ours. (Isaiah
55:9)
Align
yourself with God’s ways of thinking, with His written Word.
It’s time to
forge new, strong, healthy relationships with the people we love – and new
people God is bringing into our lives. This might require a lot of forgiveness toward
others, and even toward ourselves. We’ll ponder forgiveness another day…
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