understanding satan’s plan to devour Previews/our...understanding satan’s plan to devour ©2012 North Valley Publications All Scripture references are taken from the King James
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A L S O by D R . J A C K T R I E B E R
Counsel
Lessons in Leadership
Men Ought Always to Pray
Passing the Torch
Principles of Stewardship
The Blessing of the Lord
The Comforter Has Come
Truth for Teens
Words to Live By
north valley publicationswww.nvpublications.org
un der s t a n di n g s at a n ’ s pl a n t o de vo u r
©2012 North Valley Publications
All Scripture references are taken from the King James Version.
North Valley Publications, a ministry of North Valley Baptist Church in Santa Clara, California, is dedicated to providing
resources to strengthen you, your family, and your ministry for the cause of Christ. We value your comments and suggestions.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced,
distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations in printed reviews.
North Valley Publications3530 De La Cruz Boulevard
Santa Clara, California 95054408.988.8881
nvpublications.org
Editing TeamSalomé Schweitzer, Sarah Uson, Jo Winn, and Nathan Winn
Cover Design by Jad LimcacoLayout by Nathan Winn
ISBN: 978-1-60171-697-2
Printed in the United States of America
This book, Our Adversary, is lovingly dedicated to
my grandchildren—Ashlyn, Titus, Riley, TJ, Hudson,
Rhegan, Landon, Trey, and Lawson.
I love you,
Papa
September 2012
d e d i c a t i o n
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
1 Giving Up Ground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 “Neither give place to the devil”
2 Look in the Mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 “Ye are of your father the devil”
3 Casting Doubt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 “Yea, hath God said”
4 Taking Advantage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 “Lest Satan should get an advantage”
5 A Defeated Foe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 “I am the resurrection, and the life”
6 Take a Stand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 “Resist the devil, and he will flee”
7 Self-Centered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 “I will be like the most High”
8 Transformed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 “For Satan himself is transformed”
9 Under Attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 “In all this Job sinned not”
ta ble of contents
10 Tampering with Truth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 “Stand against the wiles of the devil”
11 It’s a Trap! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 “Lest he fall into reproach and the snare”
12 Shifting the Blame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 “There is therefore now no condemnation”
13 Turning to Satan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 “For some are already turned aside after Satan”
14 Sources of Suffering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 “There was given to me a thorn in the flesh”
15 Secret Sins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 “Thou hast set our iniquities before thee”
16 Hindrances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 “But Satan hindered us”
17 Powerful Opposition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 “From the power of Satan unto God”
18 Don’t Quit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 “We love him, because he first loved us”
19 Heavy Hearts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 “Why hath Satan filled thine heart”
20 Fight for Your Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 “Suffer the little children to come unto me”
I have dedicated this book to my grandchildren. What
a privilege my wife and I have to be called Papa and
Nana. Yet, with that privilege comes great responsibility.
We take that responsibility seriously. Thus, we pray daily
for our grandchildren. We also seek to love and encourage
them as they journey down the pathway of life.
Grandkids, I desire you to read this book regularly and
be fully aware of your adversary the devil who will actively
engage to destroy your life and testimony. Remember the
following:
• Resist the devil. “Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” ( James 4:7).
• Recognize his tactics. “Lest Satan should get an
advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices”
(II Corinthians 2:11).
i n t r o d u c t i o n
x our adversary
• Stand your ground. “Put on the whole armour of
God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of
the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).
• He will attempt to snare you. “Moreover he must have
a good report of them which are without; lest he fall
into reproach and the snare of the devil” (I Timothy
3:7).
• He will attempt to destroy you. “Be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,
walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter
5:8).
• He desires to condemn you. “Lest being lifted up with
pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil” (I
Timothy 3:6).
• He will accuse you. “For the accuser of our brethren
is cast down, which accused them before our God day
and night” (Revelation 12:10).
• He will seek to hinder you. “Wherefore we would have
come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan
hindered us” (I Thessalonians 2:18).
• He has the ability to physically affect you. “And
lest I should be exalted above measure through the
abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a
dr . j ack tr ieber x i
thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me,
lest I should be exalted above measure” (II Corinthians
12:7).
• He is a defeated foe. “He that committeth sin is of the
devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For
this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he
might destroy the works of the devil” (I John 3:8).
Though these thoughts have been written to my
grandchildren, they are written with the intent that each
reader will become informed and aware of our adversary
who seeks to devour each of us.
Because our flesh is weak, we need Christ’s help in
every area of our lives. Our flesh is so prone to
wander and do wrong; and, though we may not be able
to see it with our eyes, there is a battle. An evil, powerful
battle rages against God’s people. The Bible commands us
to be sober and vigilant because our “adversary the devil,
as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may
devour” (I Peter 5:8).
Often, the news media mocks and makes light of the
“devil,” speaking as though he may or may not actually
exist. Yet, the Bible tells us very clearly that the devil is real.
Ephesians 6:12 says very clearly that this spiritual battle
does exist, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but
c h a p t e r o n e
giving up ground
4 our adversary
against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of
the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in
high places.” The devil and his demons are after you. He
is out to destroy your life, your marriage, and your home.
Because Satan really does exist, the Bible commands us to,
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and
he will flee from you” ( James 4:7).
I once heard a preacher tell of a group of Satanists that
regularly met together for several years, praying to Satan
by name for the destruction of Bible-believing preachers
across America. They committed themselves in prayer to
destroy these men. We must know that Satan is a very real
enemy we face. His power is real. His followers are real.
Anton LaVey began the church of Satan centered around
the teachings of the satanic bible he wrote in 1969.
Just as described in the Bible regarding the last days,
we live in a day of worldwide economic chaos, increasing
unemployment, wars and rumors of wars. The nations of
the world are in complete upheaval today. We are seeing
worldwide religious confusion. The world is looking for
someone to lead them. It is during this time the Bible
prophesies of the antichrist who will rise to prominence
and lead the world. He will bring temporary peace to the
chaotic world, as well as to Israel, for a short time. Then,
one of the greatest bloodbaths ever known to man will
dr . j ack tr ieber 5
take place in Israel. God’s Word says Israel’s enemy will invade from the south, through Egypt, China will come from the east, and Russia from the north. Although troublesome to think about, these future events are not our greatest battle. Our greatest battle is the one we face every day with the devil. You must understand how much he hates you, and how desperately he is seeking to destroy your life. In Ephesians 4:27, the Bible commands us, “Neither give place to the devil.” The word “place” is an interesting word. It’s the word topos in the Greek language which means “a plot of ground, a little space.” Literally meaning, we are not to give one tiny part of our hearts to the devil, not one space or opportunity. Obviously, the devil is cunning. He isn’t going to completely take over your life in one fell swoop. He will be satisfied with just a small piece of your life, one little area of your life that you aren’t willing to give over to God. Then he will start building on that small piece you give him, and slowly, he will begin to take over another seemingly insignificant area. What small area of your life threatens to be controlled by the devil? Is it an anger problem? Do you fight bitterness, pride, fear, envy, carnality, or deceit? While these problems may seem comparatively small, we must realize the devil will begin to control the “small” areas in
our lives if we allow him.
6 our adversary
But, God says “neither give place” to him. For, if we do
give over even just a small piece of our lives to the devil,
he will begin to build. It can be compared to building a
skyscraper. These huge superstructures aren’t built on acres
and acres of land. Instead, they are constructed on just a
few thousand square feet. The
devil doesn’t need large areas of
your life to begin construction;
he just needs a small plot. With
just that small little plot, he
will begin to rule your life. Pretty soon, your heart will
look like New York City with skyscrapers of deceit, anger,
bitterness, and hypocrisy.
Adam and Eve never surrendered their whole lives over
to the devil, just a little area. They were given dominion
over the entire garden, except for that one tree. Yet, because
they had a free will, they decided to take the fruit of the
knowledge of good and evil. The devil did just as he always
does—he cast doubt and captured just a small part of their
lives.
Notice what the Bible says in II Corinthians 10:4,
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but
mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.”
Strongholds are fortresses, strong buildings that have been
erected. If we aren’t careful, we will become resilient to sin
Because our flesh is weak, we need Christ’s help in every area of our lives.
dr . j ack tr ieber 7
and help fortify those strongholds in our lives. Oftentimes, when one chooses to sin, it is difficult at first. Yet, the more frequently he sins, the easier it becomes. It has often been said that nearly 1,700 pastors resign every month in America, including Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, and others. Many are forced to resign because they committed some moral sin. How is it possible for someone so apparently holy to do such an evil thing? Somewhere along the line, they surrendered a small place to the devil. Please don’t indict every preacher or every politician in America. But remember, you need to pray for your pastor to never surrender any ground of his life to the devil. Don’t ever surrender any ground to Satan where he can create a stronghold or superstructure. I recently had a member of my church tell me that one of his dearest friends was leaving his spouse of thirty years. It isn’t uncommon anymore to hear of similar scenarios. It seems as if our nation is self-destructing. A police officer in my church tells me that each week, he deals with children getting into serious criminal trouble. He said, “Without fail, Mom and Dad are having problems, and the kids act out what Mom and Dad are going through.” Parents, you must show your children what a Christian home is. Don’t just tell them how a Christian family should act—show them. Your actions are speaking so loud, they can’t hear a word you’re saying.
8 our adversary
At times, resisting the devil in my life has been
difficult. Yet, as a pastor, I have been conscious of Satan’s
attacks on my life. Because I know he would love to see
me fail and have to surrender my ministry, I have never
handled the offerings of North Valley Baptist Church.
I don’t even know where the money is counted on our
property because I don’t want that to be a small area where
the devil is given a place in my life. I’ve never cashed a
check with the church; I have my own bank. I’m not going
to start handling any of our church’s money, even if it is
completely legal or expected of a pastor.
Forty years ago, God brought my wife, Cindie, into
my life. I can tell you I have been completely true to her,
and she has been completely true to me. Yet, sometimes I
fail in the area of my faith. Sometimes it is so easy to trust
the Lord. Other times, my faith is so weak, and I give place
to the devil.
Oftentimes during the midnight hour, I will wake up
and begin to fret over my ministry and my family. Our
family is just one phone call away from disaster. I begin
to worry for those in my church who are backslidden and
away from God. Some people have been on my prayer list
for years, and I think, “Lord, what is wrong with me? Why
can’t I love them back to You?” Then, I sometimes think
of the ones who have rejected the faith of their pastor and
dr . j ack tr ieber 9
church, and my heart grows so heavy. I think to myself,
“How did I fail?” Then in the midst of my worrying, I am
convicted that I just need to pray and share my burdens
with the One Who can heal all. What will fretting
accomplish, other than allowing the devil to have that
small place in my life?
For thirty-five years, I have crossed America preaching
in Bible-believing churches. It is disheartening to revisit
some of the churches where I have preached and see
that they have allowed the church to adopt a nightclub
atmosphere. Though they were once Christ-honoring
places of worship, they are now carnal, self-willed churches.
Often, Christians think they can love God and church,
but still maintain a life with no accountability. They want to
listen to contemporary music,
dress more like the world, and
act more like the world. Why
is it that Christians think it
is acceptable to dress like the
world outside the house of
God, much less during the
summer? As soon as the weather heats up, God’s people
begin to peel their clothes off, and girls think it’s acceptable
to dress like harlots, advertising they are for sale.
If we aren’t careful, we will become resilient to sin and help fortify those strongholds in our lives.
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