Blueprint For Your Destruction

Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
–John 8:44

You may not recognize the name Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, but you might know him by his nickname, Baghdad Bob. He was the information minister–or really, disinformation minister–for Iraq during the final days of Saddam Hussein’s rule. His job was to keep people’s spirits up, so he spewed all kinds of lies about the war in Iraq. After US forces seized control of Baghdad’s international airport, Baghdad Bob got on television and said, “We butchered the force present at the airport.” The next day when US troops took control of much of the city, he said, “There is no presence of the American columns in the city of Baghdad at all.” Baghdad Bob quickly became fodder for late night comics. Even President Bush admitted to being a fan. “Somebody accused us of hiring him and putting him there,” the president said. “He was a classic.”

Satan is a lot like Baghdad Bob. Even though Satan was soundly defeated at the cross of Jesus Christ, even though the date of his execution is on God’s calendar, he still is spewing out lies that he is in control of this universe. But unlike Baghdad Bob, there is nothing funny about Satan at all. His lies are blinding unbelievers to the truth of the gospel so that they will spend eternity separated from God in hell. But unbelievers are not the only victims of Satan’s propaganda. He also assaults Christians with lies as well. He wants to make Christians think that he is still in control of their lives, so that they cower in fear at his threats or feel like they must obey him.

Do you realize that you have an enemy, an adversary, who is absolutely intent on deceiving you about his power, or lack thereof? He is intent on depriving you of the benefits of living as a child of God. He wants to destroy your influence for the kingdom of God. He wants to deny you the rewards God has planned for you in heaven. That is Satan’s devious objective for your life. And not only does Satan have a devious objective to destroy everything valuable to you, he also has a strategy to fulfill those objectives. In Ephesians 6:11, Paul said, “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” In the Greek, that word “schemes” refers to a predatory animal that is stalking its prey. A predator does not necessarily pounce on its victim immediately; it may stalk its prey for days and then finally attack when the moment is just right. And a predator does not use the same strategy on every animal. Different victims require different strategies. So it is with Satan. The Bible says that Satan has a personalized blueprint to destroy everything important in your life. This week we are going to look at Satan’s three-pronged strategy to destroy your faith, your family, and your future.

Today’s devotion is excerpted from “Blueprint For Your Destruction” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2010.

Timothy Noah, “PR Tips For Mohammed Al-Sahhaf,” Slate, April 7, 2003, https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2003/04/pr-tips-for-mohammed-al-sahhaf.html; “President Says He Was A Fan Of Iraqi Information Minister,” The Seattle Times, April 25, 2003, https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20030425&slug=warnotes25.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.