Beware of These Sneaky Tricks of the Enemy!

This post will discuss the tricks of the enemy

The tricks of the enemy are insidious and can lead us astray if we’re not vigilant.

The Bible reminds us that our adversary, Satan, is a sly creature who knows how to use the most vulnerable parts of our nature against us — he uses blindspots when our guard is down, distractions, deception, and other tactics to manipulate us and keep us from God’s will.

In this article, I’ll discuss 14 tricks of the enemy he uses against us, backed up with scripture to help provide context and understanding.

I hope you find it enlightening and use its lessons in your own spiritual journey.

P.S. This is a must-read and must-remember post for everyone in their God-given purpose journey! ❤️

Ready? Let’s go!

Why I’m writing this post…

This is not the kind of story I like to share LOL…but I need to so you can learn from my mistake!😭

I was recently in a season where everything seemed to be going smoothly, and I thought the enemy had retreated. (how naïve!)

I let my guard down and was not paying attention to his potential attacks. Little did I know, the enemy was planning his next move, coming from an unexpected direction – my blindspot.

Shortly after a bizarre incident (that happened yesterday LOL), I finally realized what was happening.

It dawned on me that the enemy had struck, and he was trying to distract me from my purpose. This made me realize how important it is to stay alert and vigilant regarding his attacks, as they can come at any time and in any form.

I wrote this post so that others could learn from my mistake and be aware of the enemy’s tactics. It is essential to remain vigilant and attentive in order to protect yourself from his attacks.

A few extra minutes of being on alert can make all the difference. Don’t let your guard down! Stand firm on the truth, stay humble, and trust God for strength and protection.

This is a reminder to us all to stay alert and always remember that the enemy can attack from any direction – even from our blind spots. Be prepared and strengthen your faith so that you can stand firm against his strategies!

Be sober and vigilant to the tricks of the enemy

In 1 Peter 5:8, the Bible instructs us to “Be sober and vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

Here’s the 1 Peter 5:8 breakdown:

👉🏾The first part of this passage tells us to be “sober-minded.”

This means we need to stay focused and alert on our spiritual path with God. We need to keep an eye out for any signs that may indicate the enemy is trying to pull us away from His will for us.

Another way of looking at it is that we should not be controlled by our fleshly desires or worldly temptations but rather stay grounded in faith and trust in God’s plans for our lives.

👉🏾The second part of the passage talks about the enemy, or Satan.

The Bible describes him as a “roaring lion” seeking to devour anyone he can get his claws on. He is always looking for some way to draw us away from God and His will.

This verse reminds all Christians of the reality that we are in spiritual warfare with Satan, who desires to harm us and bring us down spiritually. To stand firm against our enemy, however, we must be prepared for battle by putting on God’s armor (Ephesians 6:10-17).

P.S. This super detailed post that I wrote on the armor of God is fantastic and a must read!- The Complete Guide to Spiritual Warfare with the Armor of God!

14 Tools and tricks of the enemy

But how exactly does Satan attempt to devour people?

There are 14 primary ways that the enemy uses in his attempt to pull us away from God:

1. Blindspots:

First, the enemy uses blindspots when our guard is down in order to take us off track from God’s plan for us.

2 Corinthians 4:4 states, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (NIV).

I believe the enemy will use these blindspots to blind unbelievers and believers (when we let our guards down)!

He combines it with temptation and distractions, to pull us away from our faith and make it harder for us to resist a wrong decision or action.

2. Distractions:

Another trick that the enemy may use against us is distractions.

We are often easily distracted by worldly things, such as the latest technology, social media, or even our own pride and vanity.

As stated in 1 Peter 5:8, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (NIV).

We must stay focused on God’s plan for us and be aware of how easily we can get distracted by the things of this world.

3. Deception:

The enemy also deceives us with lies and false truths, as stated in John 8:44 “For he is a liar and the father of lies” (NIV).

He will use his deceptions to attempt to lead us away from God’s path for our lives, convincing us of untruths and false knowledge.

We must be on guard for these deceptions and not allow ourselves to believe lies that seem too good to be true.

4. Temptation:

This is one of the most common tricks that the enemy uses against us.

As stated in James 1:14-15 “But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” (NIV).

The enemy will use our desires and weaknesses against us to get us to sin. We must be aware of this and fight against temptation by relying on God’s strength.

P.S. I wrote an in-depth post on temptation titled, “Temptation in the Bible: Essential Tips to Resist & Overcome!”

5. Fear:

The enemy can also use fear against us in order to keep us from doing what God has called us to do, as stated in 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind” (NIV).

Don’t forget that we have the power to overcome the fear that comes with facing difficult situations or stepping out of our comfort zone; we just need to trust God’s plan for our lives.

6. Doubt:

Doubt is another tool the enemy uses to get us off track from God’s purpose for our life.

Matthew 14:31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

When Jesus walks on water to meet his disciples, Peter begins to doubt, sinking in the process.

Let’s remember that God is always faithful and can bring us through any trial or circumstance if we rely on Him.

7. Unhealthy/ Negative Thoughts:

The enemy also likes to use unhealthy thoughts as a way of bringing us down and making it harder for us to stay focused on God’s will for our lives.

As stated in Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (NIV).

The only way to combat negative thoughts is through the word of God.

You can read my really detailed article: How to Replace Negative Thoughts With God’s Truth!

8. Discouragement:

The enemy also uses discouragement as a way of preventing us from achieving our goals and dreams.

As stated in Isaiah 43:1 “But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine'” (NIV).

Brethren, remember that God is always with us and will never leave or forsake us, no matter how discouraged we may be.

9. Comparison:

The enemy can also use comparison to make us feel inferior to others around us and discourage us from pursuing our dreams.

Never forget that God has made us uniquely in His image and that no one can take away from the greatness He has planned for us.

10. Isolation:

The enemy likes to use isolation and distance to separate us from other believers who could encourage us in our faith walk with God.

Therefore, it’s crucial that we stay connected to other believers so that we can remain focused on God’s will for our lives.

This is illustrated in Hebrews 10:25 which states “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (NIV).

11. Unforgiveness:

The enemy likes to use unforgiveness as a way of us in bitterness and anger.

God is always ready to forgive us, no matter how much we have done wrong. In the same way, we must forgive others.

Matthew 6:14-15 states, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (NIV).

12. Pride & Arrogance:

The enemy can use pride and arrogance against us in order to lead us away from the path that God has set out for our lives.

As stated in Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall” (NIV).

We must always remember to remain humble and put God first in everything we do.

13. Discouraging Words:

The enemy can also use discouraging words to try to bring us down and stop us from reaching our goals.

Let’s remember that our words have power and that we should always be careful to speak words of life and encouragement to ourselves and others.

As stated in Proverbs 18:21, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (NIV).

14. Accusing us before God:

Lastly, the enemy can also use manipulative tactics to accuse us before God.

Why? This is because he is creating a legal spiritual case against you. (Read more on my courts of heaven blog post).

As stated in Revelation 12:10, “And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God’ (ESV).

We must remember that no matter what accusations are brought against us by the enemy, we are not without hope—God is faithful and will show us mercy (and a way out) if we put our trust in Him.

And that’s it, folks, tricks of the enemy

In conclusion, the enemy uses many tricks to try and lead us away from God’s path for us.

Please be aware of these tricks and rely on God’s strength to resist them. With faith in God, we can overcome any obstacle that the enemy throws at us.

It is important to remember that when we experience victories in our lives, Satan will be there looking for a way to distract or tempt us out of the will of God.

Additionally, we must remain alert, sober-minded, and watchful so that he cannot take advantage of us in our moments of weakness.

By remaining aware, we can better battle the enemy and stay on course with God’s plans.

Hugs,