Stand Firm – Against the Schemes of the Enemy

Scriptures: Ephesians 6:11, Ephesians 6:13, 1 Peter 5:9, Philippians 1:27, 2 Corinthians 4:4, 1 Corinthians 15:58

STAND FIRM …… 

There are many times in scripture where we are instructed to stand firm. I find it helpful to know that this instruction of standing firm is given for a very important reason. In Ephesians 6:11 it tells us to stand firm against the devil’s schemes. The Greek word for schemes or strategies is methodeia, which means to have a method, to lie in wait, to use trickery, and to be deceptive. Hence, we are instructed to stand firm, as the enemy wants to do everything in his power to bring us down. To stand firm means to stand our ground, resist, be firm in our faith, be strong and immovable, and stand together. 

Someone once expressed ‘standing firm’ as ‘standing against an occupying space.’ Standing firm means standing steadfast so that you prevent someone from stepping into your space. So that the enemy can’t step into your peace with fear, your purpose with disqualification, and your joy with bitterness. 

The enemy thinks this world is all his territory; even though he roams like a roaring lion, it doesn’t belong to him. Therefore, we need to live in the authority and victory of Christ resurrected. Jesus has defeated sin and death – it is DONE. We need to stand against his methods of deception as he attempts to undermine our position and authority in Christ. Hence, we are called to take a defensive position towards our stance, to stand our ground, because we will be under attack. 

This reading plan aims to give you insight into how the enemy will try to attack so that we are not surprised. My hope is this understanding will empower you as you stand firm. 

• Consider the “dreams” where the enemy has gained territory from you. 
• Consider the “thoughts” where the enemy’s lies have become entrenched narratives. 
• Consider the “fears” where the enemy seeks to rob joy. 
• Consider the “worries” where the enemy robs peace. 
• Consider the “agreements” made where the enemy has sowed a lie. 

Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 2 Corinthians 13:11, John 17:21, Romans 15:5-6

DIVERT, DEVIATE, DIVIDE & DESTROY – UNITY 

We have all heard of the saying “Divide and Conquer.” 

Divide and conquer is a war strategy that involves breaking a problem down into smaller parts to destroy it successfully. This is one of the big scheming tactics of the enemy. He will do anything to divert and divide people’s attention to deviate their loyalty, hoping it will destroy unity. His goal is to destroy unity in marriages, families, friendships, churches, communities, races and even countries. He hopes to get you to question your support and belief in others to the point that those you once loved are now seen as enemies. 

I have counselled people who have even seen even the smallest things, like the differences of opinion, as something to fear. If someone thinks differently from them, this is seen as a threat with the possibility of being rejected. When the story we tell ourselves is “a person or people are not safe,” we tend to shift into attack and defence mode to the point of unity being destroyed. 

The reality is that we live in a broken world with fallen people. Safeguarding unity needs to be an intentional action, a posture of the mind in everything we do. Seek truth rather than making assumptions because curiosity always leads to accurate conclusions. Believe in the best rather than assuming the worst. Offer forgiveness rather than fueling bitterness. Turn the cheek rather than throw a punch. Remember, you can disagree with another person’s beliefs and still love them. You can also set boundaries in a relationship and still speak respectfully of them. 

Please consider how many conflicts you have engaged in, only to find that either yourself or the other had jumped to the wrong assumptions, causing mistrust and a breakdown of the friendship. Consider how many conversations you have participated in that have fueled people’s fire of division. Consider how many friendships have never developed because you have believed the bitterness of someone’s vomit speech. Consider how different this world would be if safeguarding unity triumphed over accepting division. Consider how different this world would be if we continued to love even those who treat us like enemies. Romans 15:5-6 encourages us to stand firm in one spirit, have the same attitude of mind that Christ had, and live in harmony with each other. This is not based on emotions, but obedience, because people will know we are Christians by our love despite our differences. 

NOTE: Boundaries and division are two different things. I can love an enemy with healthy boundaries, but division demolishes the bridge of reconciliation.

Scriptures: 1 Peter 5:8-9, Jeremiah 29:11, John 8:44, 1 Corinthians 15:58

Disrupt, Disturb, Distract & Devour – PURPOSE 

If the enemy can’t stop you from becoming a Christ follower, then he will do everything he can to make you ineffective. He will find ways to disrupt, disturb, distract and devour your purpose. WHY? Because he knows that God has plans and purposes for you, Jeremiah 29:11, be sure the enemy will want to sidetrack you from them. He will use doubt as a scheme and strategy to hold you back from all God has planned for you. 

• He will get you to doubt your potential. 
• He will get you to disqualify yourself. 
• He will get you to diminish your authority. 
• He will get you to live distracted from your purpose. 

John 8:44 calls the enemy the Father of ALL lies, meaning he is not just good at lying; he is the best at it. If he can sow a seed of doubt into your mind that will take root through agreement, he knows the fruit will be that it will make your world very small. 

Remember, a doubt thought can disrupt you from taking a step of faith. A doubt thought can disturb your confidence and cause you to become hesitant. A doubt thought can distract you from what is important, to obsessing over distractions. Doubt thoughts will cause you to question God’s goodness, love, and character. Doubt thoughts will cause you to question your self-worth, potential, abilities, and purpose. 

Therefore, consider the things that easily disrupt and distract you, robbing you of time, focus, resources, confidence and authority. 1 Corinthians 15:58 instructs us to stand firm, remain steadfast, and be strong and immovable in all we do for the Lord. This stance is not based on emotion but obedience. So stand firm and declare in faith your willingness to walk in the fullness of God’s plans and purpose for your life. 

If you are wrestling with fears because of doubts, ask God to give you the truth about your doubts. The truth will set you free to live in the fullness of what God has planned for your purpose.

Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 5:20, Matthew 3:17, Matthew 4:3, Romans 12:2, Ephesians 1:5

Deceive, Distort, Devastate & Defeat – IDENTITY 

Consider how differently you would live if you knew the truth about who you are in Christ. Consider how differently you would engage your life if you fully knew the authority you carry as an ambassador of Christ. Consider how differently you would live if you knew the inheritance you walk in as a son or daughter of the King. 

• The enemy wants to deceive you of your rights as an adopted child. 
• The enemy wants to distort your view of your value based on your failures. 
• The enemy wants to devastate your self-worth based on disqualification. 
• The enemy wants to defeat your identity by making you unable to discern truth. 

In Matthew 3:17, the Father declares this statement over his son Jesus: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” In the next chapter, Matthew 4:3, the enemy attacks his identity with a doubt question: ” If you are the Son of God…” 

Therefore, we should not be surprised when the enemy does the same, especially when you too receive a revelation of your position as a son or daughter. Therefore, this is the one space where we should proactively stand firm against the currents of attack that the enemy will launch against you. 

We should be prepared and stand firm over the territory of our identity. We should proactively declare in faith our authority as ambassadors of Christ. We should actively transform our thinking to align with the truth about what the Father says over us. You will never be able to discern the lies if you don’t know the truth. 

• What does it mean to be a son or daughter of the King? 
• What does it mean to be an ambassador? 
• What does it mean to carry the authority of Christ? 
• What does it mean we can do even greater things than he did? 

Romans 12:2 tells us to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. This is a proactive choice; it requires action. I encourage you today to seek the answers to the above questions. The answers hold your inheritance—stand firm in this truth.

Scriptures: John 8:2, Romans 1:25, John 14:6, Genesis 3:1-6

Dissolve, Dilute, Deform & Demolish – TRUTH 

“Did God really say….” was the opening line of the enemy in Genesis 3:1. He was described as the shrewdest, most subtle, cunning, crafty of all the wild animals. Consider this fact. God gave Adam and Eve one rule in the garden of Eden: to NOT eat the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil as it would cause death. 

Imagine living in a world where there is only one rule. My first thought was that you have to be pretty naive to be fooled into breaking the one and only rule. So, consider Genesis 3:6, it says “The woman was convinced…” 

What was she convinced about? 

• Was she convinced that God was holding out on them? 
• Was she convinced that God was not to be trusted? 
• Was she convinced that they wouldn’t die by eating this fruit? 
• Was she convinced that being like God was better? 

To be convinced means you have been persuaded to believe that someone was right and that someone was wrong. The devil made breaking the only rule given – look good, so the lie became their new truth. 

We live in a world now that even doubts what it means to be male and female. Your Truth has become The Truth. A subjective perspective is wanting to replace a factual reality. The fruit of this replacement is higher levels of anxiety, fear, conflict, division and disunity. If I drove down a road covered in dense fog, knowing that others often chose to drive down the same road in whatever lane they felt like, this would cause major fear and anxiety in me, for obvious reasons. The Truth sets us free to live in peace and confidence. 

Romans 1:25 tells us that they traded truth for a lie and then worshiped creation & creature instead of Creator. When we as human beings shift from worshipping God to worshiping self, we fulfil the scheme and strategy of the devil right back in Genesis 3, which was to deceptively trick us into believing that we could “be like god.” To believe that we could be the ones who get to determine what is good and evil, what is right and wrong. This just leads to chaos, conflict and power struggles over whose truth is the right truth. 

The Truth will set us free from trying to play god. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. In other words, if you want to live a life of freedom in peace, align yourself with Jesus’s ways. Jesus belongs on the throne of our lives, not us. 

Stand Firm against the schemes and strategies of the enemy, who will do everything in his power to destroy unity, devour your purpose, distort your identity and demolish The Truth. Be alert to his ways and hold your ground. Remember that it is not emotions but truth that sets us free. 

As you finish this reading plan, I encourage you to look for a reading plan on what it means to walk in the armour of God. This would be a great follow-up to the objective of this plan, which was to expose the enemy’s strategy zones so that you can become more alert to his ways. 

If you have found this reading plan helpful, follow Madz Deyzel on the You Version App and invest in some of her other reading plans. Madz is a published author, international speaker and pastoral counselor whose heart is to help people, churches and communities walk in healing and wholeness.