3 Ways Culture Makes it too Easy for Satan

We live in a culture unaware of the enemy’s presence, unaware of his true existence, unaware that he’s keeping us from reaching our God-given purposes.

The enemy is real. If we ignore his existence, we will constantly be fighting the wrong battle; the wrong culprit. Yes, these people have the free will to make decisions for themselves, yet they still fall into the lies of temptation. All of us have been in that position.

Satan has one goal from the moment you wake up every day, and that’s to “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10). All the divisions and chaos in our culture and all the divisions amongst your friends and family, is caused by the real enemy behind it. People are not your problem, the enemy is.

The enemy may be invisible, but we can see him in our everyday lives trying to cause division wherever he can. Another name for Satan is Diabolos, the Greek word for “the one who divides.”

In recognizing the division-maker, the source of madness in our culture, let’s take a look at ways we as a culture make it easy for Satan to cause division.

Here are three ways culture makes it too easy for Satan.

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One of the biggest tactics in today’s culture where Satan can sit back and relax and not have to work hard is through the distractions at large. We live in a world of information overload. We have it all at our fingertips. One of the tools Satan uses to distract us is social media.

Social media does not cultivate personal relationships and more often times than not, it doesn’t promote a place of love and peace. Rather, it’s a place that stirs up jealousy, strife, comparisons, idolatry, pride, low self-esteem, and loneliness. As a result, Americans are more depressed, anxious, and worried than ever. Satan doesn’t have to do much because the platform of social media does the work for him.

As Christians, we can counter Satan’s social media darts by limiting its consumption. If it’s something you are looking at more than directing your thoughts “on things above, not on earthly things” as Paul teaches us in Colossians 3:1, then perhaps it’s become an idol for you. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you if your consumption is causing it to consume you. Then take steps to limit yourself.

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The news is another avenue that is so easily available at our fingertips where culture is making Satan’s job too easy for him. We get notifications and alerts daily with the greatest and latest news. And let’s be real, the news this past year as been a nightmare.

From the 1960’s to the early 1980’s, the evening news brought our culture together. During this time, only a few television networks existed, therefore watching the news was a shared experience. This was until the invention of cable where news was now broadcasted 24 hours a day. Suddenly, we had more choices than ever, creating an increasingly competitive environment for our attention. We didn’t want to miss the most breaking news and shocking headlines. Today, networks fight each other to gain the most viewers, dividing society with their tailored content.

As Christians, if we don’t establish healthy boundaries with our news consumption, we buy into Satan’s schemes. We must recognize that not all news is good news, nor is it true. And what isn’t true is a lie. And do you know who is known as the father of all lies? You guessed it, Satan. John 8:44 says the devil “does not stand in the truth, because there is not truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” Set up good boundaries between yourself and the news, and do your research to find well-rounded, news sources, as unbiased as they can be.

We are so desensitized in our culture—numb and lazy and completely unaware at times with what is going on around us. We have been so unaware of the enemy’s schemes and strategies that we have made it easy for Satan. We scroll all day, multiples times a day on our phones and end up spending an average of eight hours a day on our devices. We mindlessly, endlessly scroll. We have a long day at work, and numb out to reality tv or music, or take the edge off with a few drinks rather than focus on what God wants us to do this day to help advance His Kingdom.

We help Satan and make his job so easy because we are so numb to what’s around us, and numb to our numbness.

Christians—we need to wake up. Rise up. Satan and the darkness are hoping you’ll be disengaged and disinterested instead of being aware and active. I Peter 5:8 gives us this strong instruction telling us to “be sober, be vigilant, be alert, for the enemy prowls around us like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” If we as Christians are lazy, while an angry hungry lion is out there stalking us, waiting for our moments of weakness, itching to pounce, then we will never experience the full abundant purpose God has called us to.

As believers, let’s not partner with this side of culture, let’s not help the enemy by making it easy for him.

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I believe the Lord can bless us with many roles. The work we’re tasked with may come and go depending on the season. But the greatest role we will ever play in this life won’t be waging war against flesh and blood, but standing in our armor, as a mighty prayer warrior, fighting against the culprit behind the chaos in our culture.

Ephesians 6:10-12 says, “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

Let’s not forget—we have the victory, we have the armor of God with God on our side, and the enemy is already a defeated foe. The enemy was defeated on the day our Savior, Jesus, died on the cross for us (John 3:16). He took the victory. He defeated death for eternity. Satan may have small wins on earth, and he may be running around our culture wreaking havoc, but he is forever defeated. His time will come. And as believers, we can choose to fight him, the real culprit, rather than fight others in our culture.

Let’s stand up today and partner with God, for He is the winning team, and “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). We can stand and fight with the greatest confidence because “greater is He that is in us, than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

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