HOW TO AVOID SATAN’S TRAPS

By Frank Eiklor and Cecilia Contreras

LESSON 34 Part 2

INTRODUCTION

This lesson is a four-part series. While it is mainly addressed to Christian leaders—or those who desire to lead—it is really for every believer who wants to be faithful to Jesus whatever the cost.

We have an invisible, limited enemy who knows our weaknesses. But far more, we have an invisible, unlimited God whose strength is sufficient to meet every test, trial and temptation. We will teach seven principles to learn how to avoid Satan’s traps. Part one (Principle #1—The Shaking Is From God) covered the shaking that is taking place in the Church worldwide as the Holy Spirit exposes sin in leaders’ lives and warns the Lord’s people to never lose a healthy fear of God. Now we shall cover three more important principles.

Principle #2 – The Seducing Spirit Of “Show Business Success”

Everyone wants a hero. That’s why Superman is still around after fifty years. Sports greats are idolized. So are movie stars and many statesmen. Today, even being a star isn’t enough. It’s the “superstar” that receives top attention. The number one football game in America is called the Superbowl. Even a stadium is called the Superdome. All of America is caught up in the success syndrome. The worship of performance. The numbers game. Great crowds. Great dollars. Great talents. The spirit of success drives America.

But the spirit of success is not the Spirit of God. On the contrary, it is often the seducing spirit of Satan fueled by the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2:15). Therefore, when the spirit of performance and success, minus the foundation of faithfulness and godliness, is embraced by Christianity, it can have deadly consequences. And it is being embraced – with catastrophic results.

Beware The Numbers Game

What I’m about to say may be misunderstood as a complaint against any form of bigness. Such is not the case, but I want to get a point across. When two ministers meet and compare church activity, where does it often center? “How many people come to your services?”  “What’s your membership?” There may be nothing wrong with this. Numbers are important if each of the numbers equals a person who is receiving personal care and discipleship training. But numbers can be deceiving. How often does one hear these questions, “How large is your discipleship class?” “How many missionaries have gone out from the church?” “What’s your missionary budget?” “How many Christians are involved in your evangelistic program?”

Competitive juices can be beneficial in certain aspects—even in the spiritual world. It’s not wrong to compete in greater and greater degrees of servant-hood—seeking how much we can grow in esteeming others better than ourselves (Philippians 2:3). The same holds true in stimulating each other to greater and greater sacrificial love (Hebrews 10:24). But the world’s desire to perform is not aimed toward God but to the gratification of ego. Gain becomes godliness. Numbers and dollars become the bottom line for proving one has arrived at the top. When that thinking invades Christian leadership, spiritual decay sets in.

The Spirit of God warns against comparing our ministries or gifts to others “…but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise,” (II Corinthians 10:12). And if dollars signal success, then the richest men in the world are the most godly, while many missionaries serving sacrificially are the most ungodly. Paul destroys that devilish thinking with 1 Timothy 6:5 where he equates perverse and corrupt minds with the “gain is godliness” thinkers of 1 Timothy 6:6 – and warns Christians to withdraw from such thinking and such people.

A Fine Line

There is nothing wrong with bigness if it has faithfulness as its foundation. But the line is fine in hearing the still small voice of God (Psalm 46:10) instead of the seducing spirit of the world. It takes quality time in examining heart and motives in the Word of God and in prayer. When the business of the church takes priority over intimacy with the Lord, the seducing spirit of show business success holds the high ground. Everyone wants a hero, but in genuine Christianity, God demands that His standards of scriptural faithfulness and purity be used to discern who is worthy of being an example.

Paul said, “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ” (I Corinthians 11:1). A true spiritual leader wants others to follow him – but only because he is following closely to the Lord Jesus. Anytime we in Christian leadership cease “looking unto Jesus” (Hebrews 12:1,2), we lose sight of the fact that it’s only God’s grace that has prevented our fall up to now.

We also lose sight of the diligence we are to have in searching our own hearts to see if there are seeds of compromise growing in us today which will result in trees of sin and death tomorrow. And people who sit in pews with eyes and hearts fixed on Christian leaders in the limelight need to know of these assaults that the forces of hell will make on every godly leader – lest they themselves become unwilling tools of Satan in helping to set up their leader for a fall. How that can happen is discussed in the next principle that we shall cover.

Principle #3 – The Seduction of Pride

It is easy to place Christian leaders on such a pedestal that there is only one way to go – down. That’s because it’s hard to stay small when others make you out to be so big. It’s hard to stay insignificant when others tell you that you’re great.

We don’t start out that way. No one plans to fall into the deadly trap of pride. We even fear that greatest of satanic offenses – the inflated ego. Aware that it was pride that caused Lucifer to be thrown out of heaven (Isaiah 14), we even memorize scriptures that demand humility, “Pride goeth before destruction…” (Proverbs 16:18). “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall” (I Corinthians 10:12). “God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the might hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (I Peter 5:5, 6). And during the  beginning struggle in starting a new ministry, we find little temptation toward pride. After all, it’s hard to be proud when one is fighting just to keep his head above water.

But then growth comes. People gather around. Grateful disciples begin expressing admiration for the discipler. And when that glory is not immediately passed on to the Lord, the stages in the fall of a new King Saul begin. That tragic king of Israel started out so small – even hiding from the king-makers. However, enamored with his own physical stature, gifts and successes, he took the long fall into the pit of pride with that terrible and sad rebuke of Samuel, “When thou wast little in thine own sight..” (I Samuel 15:17).

I heard of one of the great evangelists of our time (who has been kept from any taint of scandal) who has a friend constantly reminding him of his faults and failures. What a wise man! And what a great friend he has. His corrections are not done in a hurtful way, but in a saving manner that allows that Christian leader to view his own weaknesses as well as his wonderful strengths. This leads us to our fourth principle. 

Principle #4 – The Safety Of Accountability

Accountability to God and others is not a snare but a safety net. It keeps a Christian leader from being blown apart by Satan’s land mines planted in hidden places. When I was a Marine, we used to probe for practice mines with a bayonet – poking very gently. Once the mines were cleared, two strips of tape were laid forming a path. We were learning that as long as the Marines charging from behind stayed within that path, they would be safe. To wander out of that strip of accountability was to endanger one’s life.

God’s pathway is no different. We cry out “Lord…lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.” (Psalm 27:11) and we’re promised that if we’ll trust in the Lord with all of our hearts and refuse to lean on our own understanding, He will direct our paths (Proverbs 3:5,6). But that does not happen with a Christian leader remaining an island to himself – accountable only to God.

When the Lord said, “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18), I’m convinced He was referring to more than the marriage relationship. We all need others. I believe He was also referring to each of us being exhorted and corrected by others in the body of Christ – iron sharpening iron (Proverbs 27:17). Moses listened to Jethro and avoided being buried under a mountain of stress. Saul failed to listen to Samuel and paid a terrible price. David accepted Nathan’s rebuke and was restored to being a man after God’s own heart. Peter’s hypocrisy in leaving the Gentiles when Jews came around was openly confronted by Paul – and Peter became a better man for it.

Christian leaders, used in special ways by the Holy Spirit, are also special targets of Satan. The reason for this is easy to see - destroy a Christian leader and you may destroy the faith of many others who are looking to him as an example. But how can we keep from being eaten up by the termites of compromise and sin or from falling under the traps of the devil? That will be covered in our next lesson—Part Three.

(To Be Continued)