Alright, grab your Bibles this morning if you would. Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 2. 2 Corinthians chapter 2. It is good to see you guys here this morning. Thank you for being here. I was trying to figure out, my wife will tell you that I didn't really have anything particularly planned for this morning. The Lord didn't give me anything well in advance. I had some thoughts but they just weren't panning out. But Wednesday night we started a new series that I'm just calling the Don't Be Ignorant series, because we're told not to be ignorant in the Bible, and we give you a big long list of things, what not to be ignorant about, and I think this one's so important, it's a Sunday morning kind of deal, and it applies to everybody. But we found out last Wednesday night that ignorance is basically ignoring information that's available to you. You don't know something because you don't want to know something. People don't know things about God because they don't want to read the Bible. If you've got a Bible, you have access to the information of the things of God. But if you ignore the information that you have, you are ignore-int. Okay, that's what ignore, ignorant means. But this morning, I believe the Lord would have us go over this. Look at 2 Corinthians 2, look at verse number 11. 2 Corinthians 2, 11. Bible says, lest Satan should get an advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices. Let's pray. Amen. Alright, so the Bible here says that we don't need to be ignorant about Satan's devices. Verse 11 says, lest Satan should get an advantage of us. You know, you can let Satan get an advantage over you. How's that? By being ignorant of his devices. If you don't know how the devil's gonna come at you, he's already got a leg up. A surprise attack is the most effective kind of attack. And if you don't know which direction he might come at you, he's gonna get the victory. He's gonna gain ground against you. Satan will defeat you in something unless you're on the watch. You're a watchman. That's what a watchman does. He watches out for things, okay? The Bible's definition here for devices, because we're not supposed to be ignorant of his, Satan's devices. A good definition for devices is invention, his genius, his faculty of devising. Okay, that's what a device is, is something that someone devised, something that someone had thought up, invented. It's what they plan to do. Satan's devices is how he sat there and he goes, how am I gonna get to them today? Hmm. I think I'm going to attack him with some lust today. No, no, no. Covetousness will work today. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Bitterness. I'm going to get him with bitterness today. What's that? A device of the devil. That's how he devises to get you. And the Bible says we don't need to be ignorant of his devices. I found out something interesting when I was studying this. Like I said, Satan's devices are his ways of attacking or influencing all mankind. But you realize, you know, Satan has many names. He's called the Devil, he's called Lucifer, he's called the Serpent, he's called the Dragon. He's got these different names in here. But it seems like the title Satan seems to identify him in regards to his dealing with man. Whenever he's referred to as Satan, it's particularly how he's trying to mess with you. and especially how he's trying to keep you from God and the things of God. But there's a significance in that name Satan in regards to man. Okay, this morning I'd like to show you four types or brands, or we're talking about devices, models, you know, of Satan's devices. I wanna show you four different kind of categories here of Satan's devices. These are four areas in which you can expect attacks from the devil, because he's out to get you, especially the more you try to live for Jesus Christ, the more the devil's gonna be out to get you. Okay, then hopefully, Lord willing, I'll make sure we get this in there. We're gonna look at how God provides defenses for us against Satan's devices. Okay, what's the solution for these attacks? Keep a marker here in 2 Corinthians. We will be back, but turn to Genesis 3. You probably know where I'm going with this one. Genesis 3, I got you four Ds here, four Ds of Satan's devices. The first one, The first way Satan tries to get you, the first way Satan tries to attack is with doubt. Satan's device, his primary one, is doubt. Genesis 3.1, Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto a woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Did God really say that? You know, that's the first instance of the devil speaking to anybody and the first thing he speaks up and says is, are you sure that's what God said? Doubt in God's Word. The devil's device, doubt is one of his devices. Here he's getting Adam and Eve, Eve in particular right here, to doubt God's Word. We see that all the time today. It's still a device that he uses today. The devil will say things, well what did God say about that? What does God really mean whenever He says this? Did God really write the Bible? Isn't it just written by men? Do we have God's Word? Which Bible is it? It could be anywhere. It could be this. If there are so many different ones, there must be uncertainty. There must be mistakes in all of them. And it's just doubt, doubt, doubt, doubt. Did God really preserve His words like He said? Or is it just a general idea? By God saying He's going to preserve His words, and the words of God shall not pass away, what He really means is the general idea and the themes of the Bible which are left up to your interpretation. What's that? The devil casting doubt on the Word of God. That's one of his devices. Because if you don't doubt the source and foundation of your faith, which is the Word of God, you're not going to be grounded on anything. You're going to be flexible, you're going to be falling down, you're going to be on sifting sand. What's that? Doubt is a device of the devil. Not only does he have you doubt God's Word, but here in the same chapter, look at Genesis 3-4. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die. Look at this, look at verse two. And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. Verse four. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die. You know what he's getting her to doubt? Satan's getting Eve to doubt God's righteousness. He's saying this, you can disobey God without consequence. Surely God wouldn't kill you. God wouldn't let you die. No way. God would never do anything to harm anyone. God is love. God doesn't care about wrongdoing. God will just love you the way that you are and you don't have to change. You don't have to do anything because God is just so loving. There's no wrath in God. There's no righteousness in God. God is just love. What's that? A deceitful lie of the devil. He gets you to doubt God's righteousness. God is a righteous judge. Yes, God is love, but God is also holy. God is also just. He is also righteous. The Bible talks about the wrath of God. What's that? The justice and judgment of God. Satan will get you to doubt God's righteousness, and most Christians today have fallen into the device of Satan's doubt. Doubting that any repercussions will ever come. I can sin as much as I want to, it won't affect me. Yeah, well. You know, well, I'm saved, so I can sin all you want. There's still consequences. Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever man soweth, that shall he also reap. So number one, first advice of the devil is doubt. Number two, let's turn back to 2 Corinthians chapter two, and let's look at the one used in context there. 2 Corinthians chapter two. Second device of Satan, how about division? Devil's devices, number one, doubt, number two, division. Satan is the master of conflict and division. He divides man from God and he divides believers from other believers. As a matter of fact, as we read there in verse 11, we said, less Satan shouldn't get an advantage of us for we are not ignorant of his devices. Look back at verse four, 2 Corinthians 2, 4. For out of much affliction and anguish of heart, I wrote unto you with many tears, not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you. Paul is pouring out his heart to the church at Corinth and he's writing with tears, showing his love and compassion for them. Verse five, but if any have caused grief, He hath not grieved me, but in part, that I may not overcharge you all. So there's somebody that's causing some trouble there. Verse six, sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. So that contrary wise, okay, this guy's causing grief. What should we do? Contrary wise, you ought rather to forgive him and comfort him. lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. Paul's desire is that they get along and they make up and that you forgive and reunite and get back together. He doesn't want this conflict in the church. God didn't want conflict in this church. Verse eight, wherefore I beseech you that ye would confirm your love toward him. But he's causing grief. Confirm your love toward him. Verse 9, For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things. Well, see I'll obey the Lord in other ways so I can be divisive against the brethren in this thing. Now, Paul says, I want to prove that you're being obedient to the Lord in all things. Well, if you're not getting along with brothers and sisters in Christ, you're not obedient to the Lord in all things. To whom you forgive anything, I forgive also. For if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgive I it in the person of Christ. I forgave him because I love Jesus Christ. You can forgive anybody. What is the point of all this forgiveness? Why do we need this unity instead of division? Verse 11, lest Satan should get an advantage of us. You're more susceptible when you're alone. You're more able to be attacked when you're by yourself. The lion out in the field of Africa, they don't get all the antelope whenever they're all grouped together. They scatter the herd and they get the one that straggles behind. They get the one that's by themselves. The Bible says, be sober, be vigilant for your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour. You know who he's going after? Who he sets his devices on? The solo, the individual, the lonely. You know what the devil uses one of his devices? Division. The Bible says that we should forgive and love and encourage one another. The devil wants that division. Why? He wants to pick you off. If he gets you alone, he can do that. Colossians 3.13 says, Forbearing one another and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any, even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. How is the devil able to use this device of division so much? Quarrels, fighting, Jesus' solution, forgive them. Take the wrong, get over it, patch things up. Why? So Satan doesn't get an advantage over you. Satan wants to use that division among the brethren. Satan says, look at how they're treating you. Remember what they did to you? Oh, they're just being fake. Oh, watch out, they're going to stab you in the back. Oh, you better get away from them. What's that? Get away from the herd. Don't draw strength from one another. Don't edify one another like the Bible says. Don't sit there and iron sharpeneth iron. Don't do that. Get by yourself because remember what they did. Isolate, isolate, isolate. That's what you need to do. That's the devil trying to divide so he can conquer. The Bible says this, John 13, 35, by this shall all men know that ye are my disciples if ye have love one to another. Jesus wants us together because we're stronger together. Jesus wants us loving one another and forgiving one another. But the Bible says Satan's the accuser of the brethren. That's Revelation 12, 9, and 10. He accuses us to God, but you know what he does? He accuses us one to another. You want to know why you're able to remember so well the offenses that other people have done against you? That's not God bringing it up. That's the devil reminding you. Satan wants nothing more than for you to bicker with other Christians, and it doesn't really matter what it's about. We can see division. in the church over music, or the preacher didn't shake my hand, or I can't believe they looked at me this way, I can't believe they wore that, I didn't like this song, I like that song, I don't like this series, why are they doing it this way, why don't they do it that way? You know, it's just division. It's what the devil wants. And it doesn't matter whether it's a big thing or a little thing. Satan's a divider, he divides man from God, And he also focuses, you know, division among the brethren, that's the first one we talked about. He wants to divide us from one another, because we're commanded to love each other. But he also is big on the division between man and God, because Satan opposes the work of God. And when the gospel is being given to someone, you know, the Holy Spirit's working on somebody, the Holy Spirit's convicting someone, you know what Satan's doing? He's there opposing the whole thing. You ever tried to tell somebody about Jesus Christ or hand out a gospel track and then someone else come up and they just start blabbering something and they're real loud or disruptive or something else happens right then? And you say, what was that? Boy, that was bad luck. No, that was the devil. That was the devil saying, oh, no, no, no, no, you're not gonna witness now. Let me get one of my servants over here to jump in and start talking about something filthy that'll run you off. The Bible says in Mark 4, 15, He says this about Satan, Mark 4, 15. And these are they by the wayside where the word is sown. But when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts. That's the parable of the sower, right? What kept them from getting saved, Satan came by and took away the word. Satan intervened because God's work is going on. And the devil said, we can't have this because if they get numbers, they have strength. And if they, if they have unity, they have strength. And if they have witnessing and working for the Lord, they have strength and I'm not going to have any of that. So he goes in there and he steals away to take it away. The word that was sown in their heart. You realize Satan is in opposition to all of God's work. That's why I tempted Jesus Christ 40 days and 40 nights in wilderness. Why? To try to get Jesus to go against God's plans. Satan hindered Paul's missionary journeys. In 1 Thessalonians 2.8, the Bible says, wherefore we would have come unto you, even I, Paul, once and again, but Satan hindered us. Paul's trying to get some Christians that need something from him, but Satan is hindering them. Why? Because if you're doing the work of God, Satan is going to hinder you. Satan's going to withstand you and oppose you. Why? Because he wants to divide you from the Lord. He wants to divide other people from finding the Lord. And so he's gonna mess with those that are trying to unite the two. And whenever you try to bring someone else to the Lord Jesus Christ, Satan is going to oppose you because he wants division between God and man. So Satan messed with Jesus, tempted him 40 days. He disrupted Paul's missionary journey. Satan entered into Judas to betray Jesus. That's in John 13 and 27. Satan is the one that tempted Ananias and Sapphira to the light of the Holy Ghost in Acts chapter number 6. Satan did these things. Why? He doesn't want anybody serving the Lord. He doesn't want anybody getting closer to Jesus Christ. He wants division among the brethren and between people and God. Satan devises man's disobedience to God in even the smallest things. You want to know what the first mention of the word Satan is in the Bible? It's 1 Chronicles 21.1. You don't have to turn there. But 1 Chronicles 21.1 says this, and Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number Israel. That's the first mention of Satan in the Bible. And it was to get David to count God's people. That's the big temptation, that was the big draw, that's the big wicked sin that Satan was trying to do. What was he trying to do? Separate David from obedience to God. Do you realize counting people is not a sin unless God said don't count those people? Satan desires your disobedience to God that he counts every infraction as a victory. Well, I miss church. Well, it was just once. Satan got the victory. Well, I hand out this gospel. I don't really want to. They look scary. Satan got the victory. Well, I'm only angry with this one person. I get along with everybody else. Satan got the victory. Well, I'm just bitter in this one situation. Satan got the victory. Big thing, little thing, doesn't matter. Well, I skipped my Bible reading today. Satan got the victory. Just the smallest things. Why is that? He's after you. He's a divider. He uses division. He wants you away from God. He wants you to keep others away from God. And he wants you to stay clear from the brethren. Satan uses division as one of his devices. Number three, turn to 2 Corinthians 11. 2 Corinthians 11, and we'll start in verse 13. 2 Corinthians 11.13, the Bible says this, 2 Corinthians 11.13, For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ, and no marvel for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works." You know another device of the devil? Deception. Deception is one of Satan's devices. Satan and his ministers here are able to cause doubt and deceive so effectively because they're able to transform themselves into appearing as ministers of righteousness and angels of light. There are so many churches and religions today that appear to be good and godly, but it's a deception. It gets people to trust in baptism, or a Eucharist, or good works, or it gets you to trust on something other than Jesus Christ, or it lies like the devil did and say, don't worry, there's no condemnation, hell's not a real place, that's just a metaphor, and this, that, and the other. What is that? Deception. Because it sounds good, but it's not. It sounds loving, but it's really hateful. Muhammad said he saw an angel that the Lord Showed him 800, I think he's the one with 800 wings. I don't know. I'm still wondering why he stood there and counted them. You know, 600 wings I think it was. Was that Muhammad? I think it was Muhammad, yeah. But he said an angel showed up, but the angel told him unbiblical things. What's that? That's from the devil. God doesn't go against his word. Joseph Smith said he saw an angel that told him unbiblical things. What's that? An angel of light, that's really the devil in disguise. That's a deception. Satan is the master of deception. And he uses our flesh and the world to help influence his deception. Because if you get enough voices saying the same thing, you start going, oh, yeah, that makes sense. Look at evolution. Oh, we all came from monkeys. In the beginning, nothing exploded, and then after billions of years, the nothingness turned into gas, turned into cells, turned into water, turned into sludge, turned into rocks, turned into people, or fish, and then monkeys and people. Oh yeah, that makes sense. Why? A lot of people say it. It's deception. Bible says this about the devil in Revelation 12.9, it says, and the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world. He's a master of deception. There at the end times, whenever church is out, he's deceiving the whole world. The devil is so effective on turning people against God and towards wickedness because he does not promote their sin as wickedness. They say, no, no, no, that's not sin. There is no sin. Just let it down, let it all come in, and it's totally fine. What you do is right, so long, whatever. Everything is, no, no, no, what do they say? To each his own, and if it feels good, do it, and things like that. That's the deception of the devil. The Bible says Isaiah 520, woe unto them that call evil good and good evil, that put darkness for light and light for darkness, but bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Satan calls lust love. He calls tolerating sin love. He justifies your sin as good and other people's sin as bad. He calls rebellion things like individuality and progress. He calls things like addiction to alcohol and drugs really liberty. What is that? He is deceptive. He's lying about things. He goes, no, no, no, see, we've got this couple here and they're of the same gender and they're attracted to one another. And he goes, oh, isn't that loving? Isn't that unique? Oh, because see, they deserve love too. They should have a baby. Why don't we give, I know they can't have a baby because it goes against science that we don't even believe in anymore. But, you know, let's just, let's give them a baby because we can't just keep a baby from them just because they can't have one. What's that? Just deception. He makes it sound like it's something nice and sweet and wonderful and loving. Love is one of his favorite words. He disguises everything as love. It seems like. What's that? That's just deception. Satan uses temptation in order to deceive. He tempts us to do things like cheat, and lie, and lust, and steal, and to have things, that's covetousness, or to slander, or to gossip. He tempts us, and He does it in a very deceptive way. If you get this, you'll be happy. If you do this, then you'll be happy. If this feels good, it must be good. Yeah, but the Bible says there's pleasure in sin for a season. He just says there's pleasure in sin. Oh, doesn't that feel good? Oh, isn't this nice? Oh, we're all getting together, you know, the lost world. If we just act like the world, we can get the world to come into the church and we'll just all be happy being heathens in the church. What's that, deceptive? And you know what the devil uses temptation in order to deceive? Look at 1 Timothy chapter five. 1 Timothy chapter five. The devil tempts us with deceptions like he will tempt someone who's married to go after someone he's not married to or she's not married to with the deception that, hey, it's going to be better if I just had somebody else. It'll just be better, the problem is all with my spouse, it's not with me, and I'm unhappy because it's all their fault, the devil told me this, and I don't have to worry about me and my faults, I just focus on what they're doing wrong. So if I just change from one partner to another partner, then I'll be happy. That's deception. And so he'll tempt you with somebody that appears to be nice, or appears to be what you think you want, And then once he gets you to go that direction, then you get to see what you really got. Somebody who's willing to break up relationships and marriages in order to be happy for a little bit. Then you'd be surprised whenever that person runs off with someone else. How could they do that to me? You did that to get them. Why are you surprised? 1 Corinthians 5, look at verse 13. I'm sorry, 1 Timothy 5, 13, yeah. And with all they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle, but taddlers, also busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. I will, therefore, that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary, that's the devil, to speak reproachfully, for some are already turned aside after Satan. Satan uses temptation in order to deceive and he will use our excessive free time in order to do it. These ladies here, they're learning to be idle. They don't have anything to do, verse 13. And with all they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, they're just gonna go chit-chat with the neighbors instead of doing something. Not only idle, if that wasn't enough, but they're toddlers and busybodies. They're spreading gossip. and they're putting their nose in everybody else's business. This example here is ladies that become gossip and busybodies. Why? They have too much free time. Social media is a great tool for the devil. I didn't say social media is of the devil. I didn't say everybody on social media is possessed by the devil or anything like that. It says social media is a great tool for the devil because it consumes free time and it turns it into gossip opportunities, self-centeredness, and being a busybody in other men's matters. All it does is get you to waste time being idle and being worried about everybody else and what everybody else is doing and what they said, what they wore, what they eat, who knows who, who didn't know who, where did this relationship go? What's that? That's Satan's devices. He deceives you into thinking you're doing something productive and instead you're learning to be idle and busybody and tattlers and all those things. Listen, God does promise a way out of Satan's temptation. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 10, 13, there is no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man, but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it. The devil deceives you through temptation. But if you turn to the Lord when tempted, you get protection from being deceived. So you need the word of God to reveal the deception. You need brothers and sisters in Christ to give you counsel to reveal the deception. And once the deception is revealed, the temptation lessens. All right, deception's another tool of the devil. Here's one that's interesting. Turn to Job chapter one. Last one of the devil's devices that we're gonna go over, Job chapter one. So we got the devil's devices being doubt, division, deception, and here's one. How about disruption of your peace? He disrupts your peace. Job chapter 1, you familiar with Job verse 1? There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. The man was perfect and upright, one that feared God and eschewed evil. He's a good man. He had seven sons, ten daughters, he had a bunch of riches, things like this, good wealth. He had peace with God, he was sitting there offering sacrifices for his kids in case they happened to sin. God has prospered him, God's given him a good family, God's given him a good home life, and Job is just serving God, serving God, serving God, doing great, at peace. Job 112. The Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power, only upon himself put not forth thine hand, so Satan, went forth from the presence of the Lord." What's he doing? Satan is going to disrupt Job's peace because Satan had power to disrupt Job's business, his livelihood, his family, and his possessions. You start messing with someone's business, livelihood, family, and possessions, you're going to disrupt their peace. You go through some financial hardships, you're not going to have some peace. You start going through some family problems, you're not going to have a whole lot of peace. Okay? And the devil has power to disrupt these things. He wants to disrupt your peace. Satan can break your things, okay? You say, oh, he doesn't have power over my possessions. Wait until October when the revival meeting starts. Then your dishwasher's gonna break, then your car's gonna have a flat tire. You'll be surprised what the devil starts throwing monkey wrenches in whenever you start trying to get closer to the Lord. What's that? He's trying to disrupt your peace because he has influence and power over some of your possessions. Do you realize this? Satan can disrupt your peace by ways of your health? Job chapter two. Job chapter two. Look at verse four. Job 2.4, and Satan answered the Lord and said, skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. What's the matter if I got all his possessions? Let me deal with his life and with his health. Verse 5, But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand, but save his life. Satan's desire was to affect Job's health in an attempt to turn him against God. He was going to disrupt Job's peace by giving him poor health. Now listen, I want you to understand, Satan is not behind every ailment, he's not behind every infirmity or problem that we have. But he sure can cause bad health. He can affect your health. He has before. He can do it to you. Don't think because I've got this I've had this broken bone or something that that happened to me or I got this disease or this virus or or whatever don't think Oh Satan must be doing this I'm not saying every time it is but Satan can do some things to affect your health. He did it on Job How about this Luke 13 16? You don't have to turn there. But here's another example Luke 13 16 and ought not this woman being a daughter of Abraham whom Satan hath bound and Lo, these 18 years be loosed from the bond on the Sabbath day. The Bible says that the devil bound a woman, be bent in half for 18 years. Satan bound her, that's what the Bible says. 2 Corinthians 12.7 says this, 2 Corinthians 12.7, and lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelation there was given to me, Paul, a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me. lest I should be exalted above measure. So don't think that since you have a physical infirmity, if it is from the devil, don't think it's because of disobedience. The devil can mess with your health to try to disrupt your peace. You realize the whole reason Satan was going after Job was he was trying to buy Job's integrity. Look at Job 2 verse 3. He's going after Job. Satan tried to get Job through his family and his possessions and all these things. That didn't work. Job still praised the Lord. He was still faithful to God. But Satan, he's trying to get Job's integrity, Job 2, 3. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job? And there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and askeweth evil. And still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movest me against him, to destroy him without a cause." Job was sitting there, lost his possessions, lost his kids, family's in a mess, houses are falling down, all these things, and Job maintained his integrity. What? I'm not giving up on God. Things are bad, things are hard, I'm not giving up on God. He's maintaining his integrity. He will not turn against God because things got bad. Look at verse 9. Okay, verse five, put forth thine hand touching his bone and his flesh and he will curse thee till I die. Verse seven, so went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. Okay, so now he's got really bad health. Verse nine, then said his wife unto him, dost thou still retain thine integrity? Curse God and die. Satan is trying to get Job's integrity. Satan is trying to find the price at which Job will stop following God and start focusing on his own woes. That's what he's trying to do, isn't it? God wants you at peace even when going through trials, correct? That's why the Bible says, John 14, 27, peace, Jesus says this, peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Jesus doesn't say if you're saved, you won't ever go through problems. He says, I want you to have peace in the problems. I want you to be at peace. I want you to have my peace while you're going through those problems. Satan wants to get your integrity and he's trying to find the price. What's it gonna cost for you to give up on God? He's searching for that price. Oh, family, that wasn't a high enough cost. Oh, all your possessions and your wealth, that wasn't a high enough cost. Ah, your health. Satan says, that's what I can get. That's the price of your integrity. Not for Job. Job stayed faithful. Going through hardships, what's that? It's Satan trying to find the price of your integrity. Satan can affect your health in an attempt to get you to stop serving God. Jesus said he gives you peace. In 2 Timothy 1-7, the Bible says, for God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. God wants us at peace even though when the world's turned upside down. Even when there's family problems, even when the house burns down, even when all the crops burn down, whenever the sheep get stolen and things like that, whenever your business goes belly up. Jesus wants you to have peace. God wants you to not fear. Have a sound mind. Satan's hope is that by disrupting your peace, he can get you to turn away from God. He still wants that division. He goes, if I can get them unhappy, if I can get them worried and fearful, if I can get them hurting, whether it's physical or emotional or spiritual or whatever it is, if I can just get in there, I can devise a way to separate them from God. What's the price of their integrity? Let me look for it. Satan's got a lot of devices. He's got a lot of things he can use to try to get to you and he cares about separating you and messing with you. Here's some helpful steps, just a couple here. Helpful steps to oppose Satan's devices. Number one, don't be ignorant. Recognize Satan's devices for what they are and label them as such. Oh, I see division here. What's that? Something is wanting me to not get along with that brother or sister in Christ. There's a division here. Well, see, it's all their fault. No, the devil is trying to use a device to cause division. Say, oh, oh, see, I've got some doubt here. It's just, I bet this scripture doesn't really say what the Bible really makes it look like it's saying. I bet it's really this because I watched this guy on YouTube and I'm pretty sure that, you know, the Bible can't be trusted really at all. And you say, what is that? That's an attack of the devil, label it as such. He is trying to get doubt to enter into your mind so he can separate you between you and God. Label it for what it is. Don't be ignorant of Satan's devices. Label it, call it what it is. Number two, don't compromise. This is helpful steps to oppose Satan's devices. Number two, don't compromise with evil and don't fellowship with satanic things. If you don't want to be affected by the devil's devices, don't get close to the devil. That makes sense, doesn't it? Man, I sure hate it when the devil messes with me. I guess I'll go over to the bar. The devil is at the bar. The devil wants you at the bar. If you want protection from Satan's devices, get as far away from the devil as you can. That's why the Bible says, abstain from all appearance of evil. If it looks bad, steer clear of it. The Bible says, and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. Why? Separate yourself from the devil so he's got to use long-range devices to get you. But if you sit there and you're listening to the devil's music, and you're drinking the devil's liquor, and you're being around devilish people, don't be surprised whenever the devices are coming at you. You're right there next to the devil's devices. Separate, the Bible tells us to. Have some standards. Devil's holidays coming up, separate. Have some standards, don't have any fellowship with that. Those are just some helpful steps, but let's look at the solution. James chapter four. James chapter four. The devil's got a lot of devices. He's got a lot of things to throw at you. He hates you. He hates you. But we have a solution. We got some good common sense things. Don't be ignorant. Don't compromise with evil and don't fellowship with satanic things. That's just good common sense. But our solution's here in James chapter four. James 4, verse 7. Submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. The Bible doesn't just say resist the devil and he will flee from you. Submit yourselves therefore to God, step 1. Resist the devil, step 2, and he will flee from you. Look at this, that's not all. Verse 8. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. See, they're double-minded. They want to be Christians in some areas, but not in all areas. Verse 9, be afflicted, and mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Verse 10, humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up. Listen, Satan is too great of an opponent for you. You can't beat him. You cannot beat him. Satan has these devices to try to attack you. And if you are your only resistance, you will fail. If Satan is causing you doubt, division, deception, or disruption of your peace, you need to seek God more, not less. That was the answer here. How do you do that? Well, number one, verse seven, submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. What's gonna get the devil to flee? Well, first, you gotta submit yourselves therefore to God. You can't say, well, I'm aware of the devil's devices and I have all the solutions because I've studied them out, so now I can face them. No, no, no. Submit yourselves, therefore, to God. What does God want me to do in this situation? What does God want me to do in my daily life? What does God want me to do in regards to my relationship with the brethren? What does God want me to do in my relationship with Him? The devil's trying to deceive. What do I need to do? What does God's word say that I need to do? Where's the knowledge so I don't have to be ignorant? Number one, submit yourselves therefore to God. Verse seven, turn Satan's attacks over to God and submit yourself to God's word. God is too great for Satan. Satan is too great for you, but God is too great for Satan. That's why you submit yourselves, therefore, to God. You submit your self, your problem, your situation. Submit it to God. Turn it into God. Turn Satan's attack over to God and submit yourself to God's word. Look for ways to draw even closer to God during the time of troubles. It says, number two, look at verse eight. Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse ye your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. Draw closer to God, He's gonna draw closer to you. Read more Bible, go to more church, pray more, fast more. When the devil's trying to, When the devil's trying to separate you from God and he's trying to stick in there with all these different devices and these divisions and these things that he's doing, he's trying to mess up your relationship with Jesus Christ. If he tries to do it and he's successful and he derails you, not only does he win, but he knows that's effective towards you. But if every time he comes at you to try to divide between you and God and you say, That's coming from the devil. I'm reading twice as much Bible today. I'm praying twice as much today. You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to go ahead and fast today. And all the extra time I would have spent feeding my flesh, I'm going to be praying and reading my Bible. And the devil goes, man, that didn't work. I sit there and I'm trying to separate him from God, and now he's witnessing more. He's handing out more gospel tract. This is not working. You know what he'll do? Quit sticking himself in there so much. If every time he tries it, you draw closer to God, he's gonna quit messing with you. Or it's not gonna bother you near as much when he does. Either way, draw an eye to God, he will draw an eye to you. And here's the hard one, verse 10. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. What's going to cause the devil to flee from you? You humbling yourself in the sight of the Lord. How do you do that? You admit that you cannot win against Satan's devices. Quit trying to come up with a strategy and instead just turn to the Savior. I don't know. See, I can fix it if I just do this. Let Jesus fix it. Now see, if I rearrange this a little bit and I situate this, if I follow the guided diagnostic procedure, I'll be able to fix this problem here with an 80% chance of success. No. Turn it over to the Lord. Humble yourself and say, God, I don't know what to do. God, I know the devil's messing. I know the devil is messing with me. I know his devices. I know this is coming from the devil. Lord, you deal with it. God, I'm just going to stay faithful. I'm just going to keep reading my Bible. I'm just going to keep praying. I'm just going to keep coming to church. And Lord, if nothing else, I'm just going to do that more because I want to show you that my integrity cannot be bought by hardship. God, I don't want anything to turn me away from you. You got to realize your only hope is to get a hold of God so he can get the victory. The devil wants you to fall apart with doubt and division and deception and disruptions. God wants you to have peace. God wants you to have faith and he wants you to trust in him. Who's going to win the battle? I'd like to ask you to please stand