The Devil's devices

2 Corinthians 2:10-11
Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

How aware am I of the schemes and devices of the Devil? Nobody likes to dwell on evil or give Satan too much publicity or credit, but ignoring his presence and practices is not wise.
Paul understood that bitterness, self-righteousness, self-justification and grudges were not merely bad human habits similar to biting nails, eating too many sweets or ignoring a phone call from your mother-in-law. Instead, these are traps laid by Satan to outwit and wear out the believer.

C.S. Lewis wrote of this in his famous work The Screwtape Letters, a series of letters between the young demon Wormwood and his wise uncle Screwtape. Screwtape wrote,

“And while he thinks that, we do not have to contend with the explicit repentance of a definite, fully recognised, sin, but only with his vague, though uneasy, feeling that he hasn’t been doing very well lately. This dim uneasiness needs careful handling. If it gets too strong it may wake him up and spoil the whole game. On the other hand, if you suppress it entirely – which, by the by, the Enemy will probably not allow you to do – we lose an element in the situation which can be turned to good account. If such a feeling is allowed to live, but not allowed to become irresistible and flower into real repentance, it has one invaluable tendency. It increases the patient’s reluctance to think about the Enemy.”

To suppress such spiritual warfare is dangerous and is exactly the sort of danger the Devil likes to promote. To acknowledge the inherent spiritual nature of such tendencies is to become acutely aware of the spiritual nature of life and the reality that is even more real than the physical world around us. We are spiritual beings engaged in a spiritual battle within a spiritual world where spirituality is most often repressed.

So how aware am I of the Devil's schemes and devices? Is there bitterness or self-righteousness in me? Have I held a grudge or refused to forgive? Do I justify my attitude toward those whom I find difficult? Have I clung to laziness or grown apathetic about serving others or being generous? Do I take pride in my spirituality or my habits of piety? Do I avoid taking inventory of my life, my thoughts, my habits and my emotions? Do I fail to acknowledge the spiritual nature of life and the reality of the enemy?

Father - make me more spiritually aware. Sharpen my spiritual sensitivity and help me to acknowledge where I have been duped or tricked by the enemy. Strengthen me and save me from apathy and laziness. Humble me and save me from pride and arrogance. Empower me to resist the Devil's schemes and grant me the victory in Christ (2 Cor. 2:14). Amen.