When it comes to tempting God’s people to sin, Satan has both age and experience on his side. But he’s also not that original. What we see in Scripture and what many of us know from experience is that he seems to use the same old tricks, just gussied-up in modern clothes. This is bad news because it means we too easily fall for the same old tricks, but also good news because it means we can learn from our mistakes and be better prepared for the future.
One excellent resource for this spiritual warfare is Thomas Brooks’ little book, Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices. This book is an extended meditation on the devices, or strategies, Satan uses to tempt God’s people. More than that though, Brooks gives biblical means of overcoming those temptations. The result is a work that is both biblical and practical–pastoral theology at its best.
I suggest you get the book and read it. But in the mean time, I want to make available this outline of the book that I made up for a discipleship class at our church (Precious Remedies Outline). Though Brooks works out his thoughts more fully in the book, just the outline is enough to render aid and assistance in our war against sin and the Tempter. Here’s an example:
II. Satan’s Devices to Draw the Soul to Sin
1. By presenting the bait and hiding the hook;
for remedies, consider that,
1) We ought to keep the greatest distance from sin and from playing with the bait (Rom 12:9; Prov 5:8).
2) Sin is but bitter sweet (Job 20:12-14).
3) Sin will usher in the greatest and saddest losses (2 Chron 15:3-4; Ps 51:12; Isa 59:8).
4) Sin is very deceitful and bewitching (Heb 3:13).
2. By painting sin with virtue’s colors;
for remedies, consider that,
1) Sin is never [any] less filthy, vile, and abominable, by its being coloured and painted with virtue’s colours (Luke 16:14-15).
2) The more sin is so painted [with] the colour of virtue, the more dangerous it is to the souls of men (Prov 5:3-5; 21:2).
3) [We ought] to look on sin with that eye with which within a few hours we shall see it (Matt 27:3-5).
4) Even those very sins that Satan paints, and puts new names and colours upon, cost the best blood, the noblest blood, the life-blood, the heart-blood of the Lord Jesus (Rom 5:8-9; 1 Pet 1:17-19).
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You can download the outline of the entire book, with Scripture references here: Precious Remedies Outline
MAGNIFY CHRIST 