The Enemy: Defeating Satan

Preface

     Any general will tell you that one of the most important predictors of success in battle is how much you know about your enemy. You need to know who your enemy is, his strengths and weaknesses, his weapons and strategy, where he is, how he thinks, what motivates him and what frightens him. The more you know the greater your chance of success, the less you know the larger your risk of losing. During WWII one of the most closely guarded secrets was the fact that the Allies had broken the German cipher system. This allowed them to know the plans of the enemy sometimes even before the German commanders in the field knew them. It was a significant advantage and one of the reasons why the Allies won the war.

We are engaged in a war right now. Some mistakenly called it a spiritual war but it is that and much more. Both physical and spiritual battles are fought every day. It is a war in which we have the ultimate advantage. We know we will eventually win. But it is also a war in which we have a terrible disadvantage in each battle. We actually know very little about our enemy. That is where this book comes in. It is the equivalent of a military intelligence briefing designed to expose the true nature of our enemy. In some ways this book is an answer to the call found in Hebrews 13:20-21, "May the God of peace ... equip you with everything good for doing his will . . ." This book will equip you for the battles that lie ahead.

I see my role as that of an intelligence analyst. An intelligence analyst looks at satellite photos, listens to intercepted phone conversations, and reads captured documents trying to piece together a picture of the enemy's plans and operations. In my case, the satellite photos, the intercepted conversations, the documents all come from the Bible. My job is to take information from different places in the Word of God about the enemy and use it to piece together a highly plausible picture of who he is, what he is planning, and how we can defeat him. In the end you may not agree with every conclusion that I reach. That is OK. In war time, intelligence analysts are always working with incomplete information, drawing probabilistic conclusions, highlighting the most likely evaluation of the enemy. Most often they are correct but sometimes they are wrong. Since I am working with a limited amount of information about a war that transcends the natural world I accept that I may not always be right. But knowing a little is better than knowing nothing even if some part of what we know is not totally correct. Like any good general, accept what you find useful and reject what you question. In the end you will be able to confront the enemy on your terms rather than stumble in the darkness as you try to engage him in battle.

Warnings

The subject of spiritual warfare is important for believers to understand because like it or not we are all involved. There is no way to avoid contact with the enemy. However, it must be approached in a balanced and reasonable manner. Hence these warnings. All of them will be covered in the book in detail but it is important that you take them seriously from the start.

- Don't enter into battle with the enemy until you have finished the entire book and given it serious consideration.

- Don't assume that the enemy is hiding behind every bush and directly involved in every bad thing that happens.

- Don't hunt the enemy (this is very important and will be covered in detail in a later chapter).

- Don't become fixated on the enemy to the exclusion or minimization of Jesus Christ (this is the most important warning of all).

- Don't fear the enemy but never lose respect for his power.