When the devil in disguise comes quietly into your life, do you recognize him?
We tend to believe Satan to be ridiculously ignorant because of the choice he made to go against God, but the truth is, he is very conning.
He knows how to slither into our lives in a way that will cause us to pause, reach out, and be willing to stop, listen and even accept what he is saying as the truth.
Adam and Eve were fooled by Satan and we are just as susceptible as they were. If you don’t think so then you may need to check your pride meter.
The Devil in Disguise
I like to think that I recognize the plots, words, and tricks of the devil right off. Sometimes, that is true. But I was reminded recently that the devil is not so stupid as to walk up in full blown devil garb, instead he is a devil in disguise.
What Will the Devil Look Like
In most instances when he is trying to lead followers of Christ astray, he will look innocent and like truth. These are just a few examples of how Satan innocently disguises himself.
The Devil in Disguise as a Teacher/Prophet
The devil in disguise will appear to look like a teacher of God’s Word. Jesus calls him a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves
Matthew 7:15
Truly, this is brilliant on the devil’s part. We naturally assume that anyone preaching God’s word is speaking the truth.
How the devil loves us to believe in others so much that we allow them to do the work for us instead of digging into the word ourselves to validate what they are saying is true.
Are we really willing to allow ourselves to be lead astray so easily?
We research the best school, the best parenting techniques, the healthiest foods, etc…but when it comes to our spiritual, eternal lives, do we allow that to be in the control of someone else’s beliefs?
Do we leave the subject of religion to the experts, expecting them to sift through and deliver us a personal relationship with Jesus?
A personal relationship never comes through anyone else. We have to build that relationship ourselves.
If we allow others to tell us about Jesus and his ways and only use this to grow spiritually, then we are taking a great risk and allowing Satan to twist the message we hear.
The Devil in Disguise as Encouraging Words
Sometimes, the devil can be disguised as encouraging words.
Have you ever noticed that most slogans in our culture encourage YOU to do something for yourself. Not many, encourage you to lean into God and let HIM guide you through it. Here are just a few slogans that pop to mind:
- Just Do It
- You’ve Got This
- Follow Your Heart
- You Determine the Course of Your Life
- Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is.
- Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be.
- Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.
Don’t get me wrong. I love a good motivational quote, but we need to really bump these against God’s truth too and see if they fit.
- Are these quotes truth or are they like a worm on the end of a hook, tantalizing us to reach for a temptation that doesn’t fit into God’s plan?
- Are they drawing us closer to God and his will for our lives or are they drawing us closer to our will and father from Christ?
If Satan can encourage us to think that self-empowerment is the only way to achieve anything big, then we won’t ever turn to God and rely on Him.
We will miss out on the amazing things God could have done through us. When we become to full of ourselves and rely on our power, we become like Sampson willing to cast something God given and precious away, just for something physical that won’t even fulfill us.
Motivated through Twisted Scripture
That last quote about committing to the Lord whatever we do and our plans will succeed is just one of a handful of verses that gets easily twisted into a more self-serving focus than a Godly focus. That is the devils work!
Why wouldn’t Satan want us to quote scripture, especially if we are misinterpreting it and encouraging others to do the same. I have heard this verse used countless times to convince people to continue on doing something they set their minds to do.
When maybe in reality, we should encourage each other to pray and seek God’s will instead….the devil definitely does not want us doing that because then he gets kicked out of the equation!
Satan would prefer we are focused on self-service as opposed to a Christ-like life of service.
The Devil in Disguise as a Friend & Family Member
Those who are closest to us and want the best for us are often unknowingly the devil in disguise to us. Typically, this plays out through a fear. A fear of losing you or something bad happening to you.
We see this very evidently in Peter. He loved Jesus. He wanted to follow Jesus and give his life for Jesus, which he eventually did.
But there was at least one time in his friendship with Jesus that he encouraged Jesus in a way that Jesus rebuked him for greatly. I remember the first several times I read this passage, it was so difficult to understand, because it just seemed like Peter really didn’t want anything horrible to happen to Jesus. What could be so wrong in expressing that he didn’t want this happening to Jesus?
The problem lies in the fact that Jesus was resolute on doing God’s will and Peter was unknowingly talking against it!
[Jesus] spoke plainly about [his murder], and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” – Mark 8:32-33
“Get behind me, Satan!” that is what Jesus said to Peter!
That is not at all what I want Jesus to say to me or anyone else who loves me, but this interaction shows us that sometimes others do not have the concern of God in mind but merely the concerns of this world.
We need to be careful not only when taking advice but also when giving advice. Being prayerful and asking for God’s guidance is so important and something we should not fail to do.
Prayer Over Our Hearts
Oh, Lord, we love you and praise you and above all want to walk in your will for our lives. We know that Satan wants nothing more than to divert us off your path. He will try to get us to walk just slightly off course so that we seem to still be hanging onto your truth wholeheartedly but really we are walking away and not towards you.
Open our eyes to see the when the devil is leading us away from you. Help us to be so close to you and know your words like Jesus did, that we won’t fall for Satan’s partial truths. May we encourage others to read your words and lean into you with prayer so that their relationships maybe stronger as well!
Thank you, Lord, for speaking truthfully about how untruthful, conning, and destructive Satan is. He is real and roaming this earth, but we declare you as our Lord and Savior in battle against him. We will put on our armor of God daily, so that we know we are walking with you and not against you.
In the One who is the only way to God – Amen!
I am a mother of 5 crazy, homeschooling children ages 10 & under, wife to an amazing man, and daughter of the King of the Universe!I enjoy reading, making my kids laugh, cooking, all things natural, learning to play guitar and dusting off my piano skills.One day I hope to run again, but until then I’m learning patience.
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