Satan, the fallen angel, is the father of lies. These lies come into our lives in an attempt to steer us away from God and to ultimately get us to turn away from Him entirely. The Bible warns us of the devil’s schemes many times, with his plan to keep as many of God’s children away from Him. It is important to recognize these tricks, not to fall into temptation and draw closer to God.

There are many ways that Satan seeps into our lives and tries to control us. Often, they appear through our thoughts. The enemy often uses lies to convince you that you should sin.

Temptation

A way to steer you from Christ is to tempt you into sin. Hearing a voice in your head saying that a sin is not a big deal is a common way Satan tries to deceive you. After convincing you to sin, you may feel immense guilt and shame instead of going straight to God for repentance and forgiveness. Satan wants to steer your thoughts away from God to destroy you.

Doubt

When you find yourself saying “God will never forgive me” or “God doesn't love me,” that is a tactic to make you question your identity as well as God’s identity, using your shame against you. This can easily develop into insecurities and doubt in God’s character. His character is kind and loving, and He doesn’t count faults. Contrary to what the enemy tries to claim, God does not keep count of our sins.

Disguise

Satan wants to disguise his schemes. This is seen in the very beginning of the Bible, in his convincing of Eve to eat from the tree which God forbade. He disguised his intent by being very convincing, lying and persistent. He does not try only one time; he is insistent on doing what it takes to take you from God.

The voice of God will likely call you in a direction that appears more difficult than the ways of Satan, and Satan uses this to his advantage. But God promises us hope and eternal life, while the enemy wants us to be separated from Him.

The main way to focus on God’s voice instead of the devil’s is to spend more time with God and in His word, so much time that you can identify the devil’s lies. It is pivotal to learning how to distinguish between Jesus’ calling and the devil’s, in order to deepen your faith.

Listen to God

Spend time studying the word to see what God says about you. God thinks His people are so valuable that He gives us free will to choose to listen or to ignore Him and keep living in our flesh. People find it difficult to just “listen to God” because He is not a human whose voice we can hear speaking to us. I can tell God is speaking to me when I notice something is on my heart more than usual. Perhaps this means "check in on your friend" or "go compliment that person." Sometimes God’s voice might bring you out of your comfort zone, but you never know how He plans to use you.

Memorize Scripture 

It is no secret that the power of scripture is off the charts. Memorizing Bible verses ensures that God’s word and His promises are sticking in your mind, ready to help you in dire situations. When the serpent is tempting you, recite scripture. The thought of God makes him tremble!

A dark spiritual battle can take place when you’re on the fence about following both God and the serpent. Next time you feel yourself falling into temptation, remember that while we were born sinners, Christ gave his life for us. God knew we would disobey him every day, but because His love is so deep for His people, He gives us more than one chance to choose Him so that we can spend eternity together.

It’s restoration versus destruction. God wants you to pick Him.