If I Were the Devil

Life is war! Our enemy is powerful, cunning, experienced, and supernatural. His minions are multitudinous. His ways are devious and destructive. He is a ravenous lion (1 Peter 5:8), appears as an "angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:14), and is working 24/7 all around the globe to undermine the work of the church and hurt the heart of Christ.

In recent months, I've thought a lot about the tactics of our enemy. In my limited understanding I will never comprehend the full strategies of the devil. Still, I want to consider one aspect of his work by postulating what I might do if I were in his shoes.

What I Would KNOW...

While the devil is NOT all-knowing, he is brilliant, supernatural, and shrewd from thousands of years of experience. There are some things he certainly knows.

The Bible - James 2:19-20 tells us, "You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe - and tremble!" Satan and his demons are well-versed in biblical information. They seek to twist, undermine, and cast doubt with respect to the Bible. They also know what the Bible says about them and their work. When it comes to our battle against evil, they are familiar with our classic instruction about the war and supernatural weapons we have for the battle. As it says in Ephesians 6:18, "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints."

Church History - For millennia the devil has been engaged in spiritual warfare. He is fully aware that his greatest defeats have come during seasons of spiritual awakening and revival. It is during those times that the church has advanced in supernatural power; converting lost souls, transforming society in countless ways, and counteracting evil in its many forms. He is also aware that every one of these seasons of exponential Christian advancements has been rooted in movements of united, biblical prayer - which fueled repentance, powerful preaching, and massive ministry expansion.

Human Nature - The devil cannot read our minds but is an expert in observing human behavior. He knows our tendency to live independently of God's supernatural provision for our lives. He was active in Laodicea, for example, as he assisted that church in living by their own riches, efforts, and sufficiency rather than pursuing intimacy with their Savior. He likes things this way.

What I Would DO...

So, if I were the devil I would use my best deceptive tools to keep Christians from praying together. I would keep them busy and isolated from one another. I would do everything possible to keep them distracted and disinterested in biblical, balanced, revival-style prayer gatherings.

To accomplish this, I would do the following: