The Strategy of Satan: How to Detect and Defeat Him
William W. Wiersbe, 1982, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.  Fifth Printing.

Reviewed by Tonya Foust Mead

This compact 156 page book provides a plethora of resources and strategies for the Christian living in today’s modern times. Although there are ten chapters of the book, the bulk of this review will focus on the first five chapters which succinctly provide ample defense to the Christian to detect, fight and defeat the strategies of Satan.

 Satan’s Strategies- The Deceiver

Target: Your Mind

Wiersbe writes in the first chapter that Satan targets the followers mind because ‘it is the part of the image of God where God communicates with you and reveals his will to you.’

 
Most Favored Weapon: Lies

According to Wiersbe, Satan questions Gods word, he may deny God’s word and he will often substitute his own lie.

 
Purpose: To make you ignorant of God’s Will

Satan attacks God’s Word because God’s word reveals the will of God. Wiersbe argues  further that, ‘the will of God is God’s expression of love for us.’

Christians Defense Against Deception

The Inspired Word of God

Wiersbe encourages Christians to read and study the inspired word of God. Wiersbe tells of the story in Matthew 4: 1-11 when Christ was in the wilderness and had been tempted three times by Satan. Each time, Christ referred to the divine word of God to defeat the Satan’s cunning reasoning.  Making the case, Wiersbe stated that Christ’s followers must (a) know the word of God,  (b) must memorize God’s word,  followers should  (c) mediate on God’s word, and finally Christians must (d)  use God’s word.

Satan’s Strategies- The Destroyer

Second Target: Your Body

Job, theorized Wiersbe represented a prime illustration of a bodily attack by Satan.  Wiersbe reasons that Satan acts a followers body simply because a follower’s body is God’s temple. As God is invisible, it is ‘our conduct in the body that glorifies and exalts the Lord’, says Wiersbe.

 
Another Weapon: Suffering

Again, Wiersbe refers to the biblical story of Job to prove his point. The postulates that Satan attacked Job’s body through circumstances around him. Job lost his children, his wealth, the favor of his wife and friends.

 Purpose: To make you Impatient with God’s Will

Satan’s purpose when using the weapon of bodily suffering and causing misery through negative circumstances and events is to make God’s followers impatient with God’s will, to give up, and at the extreme to deny the goodness of God.

 Christians Defense Against Bodily Attacks

Wiersbe proposes that through God’s Grace (earned through suffering, serving, sacrificing, singing and speaking) followers can endure Satan’s trials. He advocates that (1) Christians should immediately submit oneself to God. (2) Thank God for the trials. (3) Spend time reading the word of God. (4) Look for ways to glorify Christ.

 Satan’s Strategies- The Ruler

Target: Your Will

Wiersbe writes in the third chapter that Satan’s ultimate goal is to get to the person’s will and to control it. Wiersbe aggressively argues that the world as it is known belongs to Satan. Christian followers are merely ‘rebellious aliens living in his territory.’

 Weapon: Pride

According to Wiersbe,  pride glorifies man and robs God of the glory that only he deserves. He poignantly refers to the story of David whereby David had accumulated much success, victories, possessions and fame. In turn, Satan used these victories to inflate David’s ego and entice him to rebel against God.

 Purpose: To make you independent of God’s Will

The essence of sin is to seek to be independent of God. Wiersbe warns the Christians to ‘beware when you feel you have arrived!’

Christians Defense: The Interceding Son of God

Wiersbe implores Christians to confess our sins and  return to the fellowship of God. The simplest way in which to do so would be to turn  to Christ to intercede in their behalf.

Satan’s Strategies- The Accuser

Target: Your Heart and Conscience

After a follower momentarily succumbs to the will of Satan, Satan shouts to the Christian, ‘you will never get away with this.’ Wiersbe states that this heartless accusation is enough to thwart the Christian away from his divine mission.

Weapon: Accusation

Wiersbe declares that once a Christian gives in to Satan’s temptations, Satan turns on this individual in a hateful, judgmental way. With vengeance, Satan bellows to God that, this follower is no longer worthy of God’s love.  

 Purpose: To bring an indictment by God’s Will

A feeling of shame overwhelms the follower, making him feel helpless and hopeless. Such despair and spiritual paralysis has often led to suicide.  Satan wants Christians to feel regret ‘but not repentance,’ writes Wiersbe.

Christians Overall Defense Against Satan: Refrain from Sin

In the remaining five chapters, Wiersbe changes his writing style from the specific strategies that Satan uses to destroy the word, temples and body of Christ to general approaches to Christian life to lessen the threat of evil. He prays to Christians to refrain from (1) lying, (2) anger, (3) stealing, (4) filthy speech, (5) unforgiving spirit,  and (6) slander.  He prophesies that once a Christian commits one of these sins, he ‘gives Satan a beachhead.’

Defensive Armor Against Satan

Wiersbe maintains that for Christians to win the battle against Satan, they must put on the armor of God.

(1)               The girdle of truth.

(2)               The breastplate of Christ’s righteousness.

(3)               The shoes of peace to maintain solid footing.

(4)               The shield of  faith.

(5)               The helmet and hope of salvation.

(6)               The sword of the Sprit through God’s scripture and holy word.

(7)               The act of putting the armor on- through prayer

 Defense Against Satan’s Army:  Spirit of God

This chapter is but eight pages long. In an unwavering manner, Wiersbe identifies demons has working in and  through saved and unsaved people. Turning to the bible verse, ‘Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world’ 1 John 4:4, Wiersbe directs Christians to defeat demons by the Spirit of God.

 Defense Against Satan’s Army:  Purity in the Home

In this final chapter, Wiersbe indicated that Satan’s first attack on God’s creation was though Adam and Eve. For instance, Wiersbe argues that  (1) Satan teaches doctrines that forbid marriage, (2) Satan seeks to reverse the headship,  and (3) Satan wants to tempt married couples to infidelity. Wiersbe stipulates that a Christian home should be armored with the same spiritual defenses as the individual, ie (1) inspired word of God, (2) imparted grace of God, (3) the indwelling Spirit of God, and (4) the interceding Son of God.

 Conclusion

Having read many, many spiritual books over the course of ten years or so, I recommend this book for inclusion within the personal libraries of Christians. It is particularly recommended for students of the faith who are looking for the meaning of life and question the duality of Man. If God created the earth and all that is in it, why is it so evil? This book may provide solid answers and strategies.

 Dr. Mead, PhD, MBA, MA http://www.ishareknowldge.com/ is a consultant specializing in human behavior, school and social psychology. She can be contacted at: tonya@ishareknowledge.com