Jump Start #3766
2 Corinthians 2:11 “so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.”
Our passage reminds us that disciples must be alert and careful. We have an enemy and it is Satan. And, Satan will no go by the rules. He doesn’t play fair. He isn’t nice. He doesn’t care who gets hurt. His objective is to trick you, trip you and capture you. He’ll mess with your marriage. He’ll tear up a congregation. But, mostly, he wants you.
There are several things that our passage today puts before us.
First, Satan has schemes. Others word this:
ESV: we should not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs
CEB: we are well aware of his schemes
NIV: in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.
Phillips: We don’t want Satan to win any victory here, and well we know his methods!
You’ll notice in these different translations, that the plural word is consistently used. Schemes. Methods. Designs. All of this reminds us that Satan has more than one play in his book. Different attacks. Different ways to get you.
And, with that here are even more thoughts:
Satan has a way of making wrong seem innocent, and even right.
· Legalized sports gambling has sky rocketed in the past few years. Commercials flood televised sports with ads from these online gambling sites. Sports gambling is now legal in 38 states, bringing in a revenue of 11 billion dollars in 2023. Gambling once seemed seedy, with images of mob figures, Las Vegas and bookies. But now, sitting on your couch, watching the game on TV, with a phone in your hand you can enter the world of chance and gambling. And, because it is legal, many think that means it’s right.
· Another ploy of Satan is on-line porn. Stats reveal that 1/3 of women watch porn once a week. Porn is not just for “dirty old men” anymore. Satan has found a way to bring porn into our homes and to make it seem normal and even right.
Satan changes with the times. Satan keeps up with fads and technology. He’s not stuck in the past. He’ll even make adjustments to you personally. As you age, as you grow in faith, Satan will use the latest methods to trap you, trick you, deceive you and discourage you.
I wonder if we get this. There are youthful lusts. But there are also temptations for the senior citizen. Satan has many schemes, methods and tools.
Second, our passage tells us that we are not ignorant of these things. Our eyes are open. We are aware of what Satan is doing. Now, we might wonder and ask, ‘How do we know these things?’ The accounts we read in the Bible reveal many methods of Satan. Eve was deceived. Joseph’s brothers were jealous. Nabal was wicked. The old prophet lied to the young prophet. Ananias was greedy. Different people. Different situations. Different methods. We do more than just read these Bible stories, we learn Satan. Sports teams will watch the films of the teams they play. They learn how they operate. The Scriptures teach us that about Satan.
Sadly, I wonder if we could say this verse is true among us today? Is it true that we are aware of what Satan is doing? Fooling us and blinding our eyes is just one way that Satan takes advantage of us. People ask, “What’s wrong with….?” Is that being spoken from wisdom or someone who is unaware that the enemy has blindsided them? Shouldn’t we be asking instead, “What’s right with…?” Being naïve just plays into Satan’s hands.
Thirdly, the outcome for those that don’t get it is that Satan has the upper hand. He has an advantage. And, with that, we open the door to our hearts and invite Satan right on in. We can care more about our houses and cars than we do the people in our congregations. We lose our senses over politics and become stuck on autopilot spiritually. Our families suffer when Satan has an advantage. Our congregations suffer when Satan has an advantage. And, we become a puppet, dancing through life as Satan pulls the strings of our hearts, unaware that he has taken over our lives.
We are not ignorant of Satan’s schemes. It’s time to wake up and see what Satan is doing all around us and to us.
Roger