What Are Satan's Schemes? Toward a Greater Understanding of Satan's Angle of Attack.

"Know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be in peril." This famous quote from Sun Tzu's Art of War carries qualified application for the Christian disciple: there is value in knowing something about our enemy, Satan. Biblical authors speak of Satan's schemes and knowing something about how he operates so we are not left defenseless or unaware (e.g. 2 Cor 2:11; Eph 6:11). 

To be sure, this "knowing something about" must happen within a larger context of Christian theology. This larger context of Christian theology reveals that a spiritual world exists that interacts with our world, yet cannot always be seen. Christian theology affirms that Satan is a created being; God is greater than Satan. (And it's not nor ever will be even close.) In fact, Christ has already defeated Satan through His death and resurrection (e.g. Col 2:15; Heb 2:14; 1 John 3:8). While the war has been decided, battles rage on (see 1 Pet 5:8). 

In Ephesians 6:10-18, Paul clearly tells believers in Jesus Christ that we are to stand against Satan's schemes (v. 11). Knowing that Satan is real and his battle against God and His ways wages on, how does Satan try and come at us? What are his "schemes" that we're to stand against?

Here are four of Satan's schemes to stand against, in the power of the gospel.

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