Identifying the Enemy's Tactics-Fear

1 Peter 5:8
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour."

    There is only one male lion per pride. The other male lions roam because they have nowhere to go. Their roaring can be heard for miles around. It is meant to put fear into whoever is in the vicinity, that a lion is in the area and he is looking for something to gobble up. (in Bible Study last night I learned an acronym for this type of fear can be False Evidence Appearing Real{thank you, Karl}).
     It is this same tactic the enemy of our souls uses. He roars fearsomely, on the lookout for whoever is not paying attention to their surroundings or environment. It is why we need to be always alert and knowledgeable about the Word. 
     For instance, God says not to covet anything that belongs to our neighbors. We can admire what they have, but it is not good to say or even think about taking what is theirs. For that would be sinful. 
     When God says, Put Me first, He means it. Waking up each morning with a greeting towards Him and speaking from a thankful heart is putting God first. Choosing to know and obey God is putting God first. When we make any decision, important or menial, seeking God's direction is putting God first. Making decisions without prayer is foolish and time consuming. 

     The devil would have you believe that God is not, when in Truth God Is. Therefore, God is the Lion of His pride, His flock. His roar is a declaration of battle. When the lion who seeks to destroy God's people gets too close, know that when you are near God, that other lion cannot get to you. Stay near God by studying His Word on a daily basis. Stay near God through prayer; wait for Him to speak when you are waiting on His response. Stay at the altar, whether in your church or in your prayer closet, until the Holy Spirit releases you. 

     Fear can only enter you when you open yourself up to it. God promises to stay near us when we stay near Him. Many times when the word 'fear' is used in reference to God it means 'reverence, to revere', in other words to honor God, preferring Him above all others; to stand in awe of God, His character (who He is) and His benefits (what He does); to place God's will ahead of personal desires and wants. 
     Yet, there are still a few times when fearing God means a person should be terrified of seeing God face to face. You know when that happens? When a person stands before God and finally realizes that the Bible was true all along, and now it's too late to make that decision to believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord. Revelation 14:7 "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship the one who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water." Judgment from God on the people who refuse to believe that God Is and that His Word Is True and Truth. Don't be one of those people. 
    As Peter stated to the jailer when he asked, What must I do to be saved?, we say to you who read and have not yet believed, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.” See Acts 16:25-34 and read for yourself. 
   It's time to stop being afraid of the wrong lion. 

     

Identifying the Enemy's Tactics-Subtility

Genesis 3:1 "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, Yes, has God said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"

Our enemy is subtle. Searching through different Biblical versions and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance for the word 'subtle/subtile' we see that this means crafty, sneaky, cunning, shrewd.  
In Genesis 3:1 the devil also twisted the words which God had spoken to Adam. He said "every tree", which may have confused Eve and tricked her into answering him instead of ignoring him. 
But when evil is whispered repeatedly into the ear, the heart makes a decision without thinking of the consequences. 
God said death was the punishment for eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17). The serpent said, "You won't die, you will be like gods."  The enemy told an out and out lie. 
Death is the result of sin. Sin is willful disobedience to what God has spoken. Eve willfully ate the fruit and then handed it off to Adam, who also ate of it. In that instant they both knew they had disobeyed God. But the serpent's tactical interference did not end there. 
For when God asked why did they do it, neither took responsibility for their actions. Adam blamed Eve. Eve blamed the snake. The snake was punished as well. Reading Genesis 3:14, 15 we see that snakes had legs! "upon thy belly you shall go". The snake itself became cursed above all animals which God had created. Verse 15 says God put enmity (hatred, hostility) between the woman and the serpent.  Not fear, but hatred. 
We are not to fear the enemy of our souls but be for ever on the attack and alert for him. Knowing how he works is a good start.