Luke 22:31-3231 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desiredto have you, that he may sift you as wheat:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and whenthou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

Most people do not understand the strategy and plan of theenemy to destroy man and keep him from understanding andliving his God-kind of life.The same way the words that Jesus speaks are spirit and life, theenemy operates on the same plane because he also understandsthe power of his words, which promote death and destruction.Jesus’ warning to Peter is that Satan desires to have you so thathe can destroy you like the sifting of wheat.Satan really has no power unless we give him access to ourconscience through words that reinforce our fallen state, ourweaknesses, and our failures.Everyday there are silent conversations going on within us andabout us that affect how we feel about ourselves, and moreimportantly what we believe about ourselves

These are powerful conversations because they are many timesfacts about our fallen reality, how bad we are, our self-value, andmistakes we have made in life.Satan’s number one weapon used to destroy us is verbal abuse.

1. Satan tries to control the victim’s sense of reality.  Satanworks hard to make you accept the version of your reality so thatyou accept his reality over God’s truth.2.  Satan uses Threats and IntimidationThese are a little easier to spot and should be taken seriously:public humiliation (“I’ll tell everyone that you made a mistake”), emotional threats can be equally harmful.3. Satan will use Undermining and TrivializationSatan will try to undermine your sense of self, opinions, orfeelings. Satan’s job is to convince us that because of these facts, we arelost, hopeless, and that our facts are more real than God’s truth.

Revelations 12:1010 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is comesalvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and thepower of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down,which accused them before our God day and night.

Satan is identified in this text to be the accuser of the brethrenwho has been cast down which accused them day and night,helping us to see that Satan is relentless in his attack on us asGod’s people. His job is to use these facts about us to keep uslocked into this sin consciousness that deteriorates our soul,mind, and body.

Job 1:9-129 Then Satan answered the Lord , and said, Doth Job fear God fornought?10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house,and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed thework of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, andhe will curse thee to thy face.12 And the Lord  said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thypower; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan wentforth from the presence of the Lord.

Satan makes a case against Job in the presence of God, implyingthat job is only serving God because God is blessing him withfamily and things.God allows Job to be tested in response to Satan’s accusations.Satan is relentless. He doesn’t stop there, he goes after Jobhimself and causes great affliction and suffering, yet Job prevailsin his faith.

Job 2:4-64 And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, allthat a man hath will he give for his life.5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and hisflesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.6 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; butsave his life.

Understand, Satan’s plan is to wear you down with verbal andphysical abuse. He is committed to breaking you down orwearing you out until certain destruction is the result.Not only is Satan relentless in his attack, but he hasreinforcements that become his agents in the flesh.Satan has agents in people who love to find fault, backbiters,gossipers, whisperers of negative information.As people of God and the God-kind, we cannot be ignorant ofSatan’s devices. We must remember that we cannot fight and winwith carnal weapons.Not only will your enemies use these tactics, but those who aresupposed to be your friends and close to you are even moredangerous to you when they operate as agents of carnality.

Look at Job’s friends:Regrettably, Job’s friends are not able to endure the mystery of hissuffering, so they jump to conclusions about its source. The firstof the three, Eliphaz, acknowledges that Job has been a source ofstrength to others (Job 4:3-4). But then he turns and puts theblame for Job’s suffering squarely on Job himself. “Think now,”he says, “who that was innocent ever perished? Or where were theupright cut off? As I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sowtrouble reap the same” (Job 4:7-8). Job’s second friend, Bildad, says much the same. “See, God willnot reject a blameless person nor take the hand of evildoers” (Job8:20).

The third friend, Zophar, repeats the refrain. “If iniquity is in yourhand, put it far away, do not let wickedness reside in your tents.Surely then you will lift up your face without blemish; you will besecure, and will not fear.…Your life will be brighter than thenoonday” (Job 11:14-15, 17). Therefore, the God-kind of people must have wisdom andunderstand  on how to use the weapons of our warfare to defendour souls and spirits from these attacks of the enemy.

2 Corinthians 10:4-54 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mightythrough God to the pulling down of strong holds;)5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteditself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivityevery thought to the obedience of Christ;

Revelation 12:1111 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by theword of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto thedeath.

We must fight fire with fire. Notice the text says we overcomehim by the blood of the lamb.We overcome him by using our word and testimony about whatwe know about what the blood has accomplished.And we must understand that there is nothing in this carnal lifeworth dying for, but there is something worth living for greaterthan this temporal carnal life.You have got to learn how to talk back.