"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
The phrase “able to stand against” is derived from the word pros, and it denotes a forward position or a face- to-face encounter. By employing the word pros in this verse, Paul is portraying a soldier who is looking his enemy directly in the face — eyeball to eyeball.
This is a soldier who is standing tall. His shoulders are thrown back, and his head is lifted high. He is so bold, daring, and courageous that he is glaring fearlessly right into the eyes of his adversary. This is the eye-to-eye confrontation that the word pros undoubtedly depicts. This clearly demonstrates that, with God’s mighty power and His armor on our side, we are more than a match for the enemy.
With the armor of God in hand, we are so mighty and powerful in Jesus Christ that the devil and his forces don’t have a chance. When we are dressed in this suit of armor, we become mighty spiritual warriors who are dressed to kill.
Why do we need this armor? What are we supposed to “stand against” in this conflict? Paul tells us: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11). But what are “the wiles of the devil”? The word “wiles” is one of three key words you must know and understand when studying the subject of spiritual warfare. The other two words are devices and deception. It is impossible to have a correct and balanced view of spiritual warfare without having an understanding of these three foundational words.
The word wiles is taken from the Greek word methodos. It is a compound of the words meta and odos. The word meta is a preposition that simply means with. The word odos is the Greek word for a road. Compounded together, they form the word methodos. Literally translated, the Greek word methodos means with a road. It is from this word methodos that we derive the English word method. However, the word method is not really strong enough to convey the full meaning of methodos. This Greek word was carefully selected by the Holy Spirit because it tells us exactly how the devil operates and how he comes to attack and assault a believer’s mind. The word wiles (methodos) is often translated to carry the idea of something that is cunning, crafty, subtle, or full of trickery. However, the most basic translation of this word is its literal meaning, with a road. By electing to use this word methodos, Paul tells us how the devil puts his cunning, crafty, subtle, and tricky deception to work.
The word wiles clearly reveals that the devil operates with a road or on a road. What does this mean? This means that, contrary to the common belief of most people, the devil does not have as many tricks in his bag as he would like us to believe. The word wiles (methodos) plainly means that the enemy travels on one road, one lane, or one avenue. In other words, he primarily has only one trick in his bag — and he obviously has learned to use that one trick very well. What is that one trick the devil uses against people? Or perhaps we should more correctly ask, “If the devil operates on one single avenue, what is the destination that diabolical road is headed toward?” These questions lead us to the second important word to understand when discussing spiritual warfare: the word devices. In 2 Corinthians 2:11, Paul gives us a clue as to where this road leads that the devil is traveling on. Paul says, “... We are not ignorant of his [Satan’s] devices.” The word devices is taken from the word noemata, which is derived from the word nous. The word nous is the Greek word for the mind or the intellect. However, the form noemata, as used by Paul in 2 Corinthians 2:11, carries the idea of a deceived mind. Specifically, this word noemata denotes the insidious and malevolent plot of Satan to fill the human mind with confusion.
The word “devices” (noemata) actually depicts the insidious plots and wicked schemes of Satan to attack and victimise the human mind. One expositor has even stated that the word “devices” bears the notion of mind games. With this in mind, you could translate the verse, “...We are not ignorant of the mind games that Satan tries to pull on us.” Paul used this word “devices” to describe attacks that he had personally resisted, so we know that even he had to deal with the adversary’s mental assaults from time to time. Paul knew from experience about the mind games the devil tries to pull on people. It was for this very reason that Paul said, “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
The devil loves to make a playground out of people’s minds! He delights in filling their emotions and senses with illusions that captivate their minds and ultimately destroy them. He is a master when it comes to mind games. Like Paul, we must make a mental decision to take charge of our minds, “…bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” We must stop listening to ourselves and start speaking to ourselves. The devil always tries to manipulate our emotions and physical senses in order to pull a mind game on us. Therefore, we must speak to our emotions and senses, dictating to them exactly what to believe. By considering the words “wiles” and “devices,” we have now seen two vitally important things that we must know about the devil’s strategy to attack and victimise the human mind.
First, the word “wiles” (methodos) explicitly tells us that the devil travels with a road or on a road. This road the devil is traveling on is obviously headed somewhere. Where is that road headed? The word “devices” clearly demonstrates that this road of the devil is headed toward the mind. Whoever controls a person’s mind also controls that person’s health and emotions. The enemy knows this. Therefore, he seeks to penetrate a person’s intellect — a person’s mental control centre — so he can flood it with deception and falsehood. Once this is accomplished, the devil can then begin to manipulate that person’s body and emotions from a position of control.
When Satan succeeds in penetrating and paving a road into a person’s mind and emotions, the process of mental and spiritual captivity in that person’s life is well under way. What comes next is up to the individual who is under attack. He can abort this devilish process by renewing his mind with the Word and by allowing God’s power to do a work within him. But if that person does not choose to renew his mind and yield to the work of the Holy Spirit, it will be only a matter of time before a solid stronghold of deception begins to dominate and manipulate his self-image, his emotional status, and his overall thinking. This leads us to the third word we must understand when discussing spiritual warfare: the word deception.
Deception occurs when a person believes the lies that the enemy has been telling him. The moment someone begins to accept Satan’s lies as truth is the very moment those wicked thoughts and mind games begin to produce the devil’s reality in his life. For instance, the devil may assault your mind by repeatedly telling you that you are a failure. However, as long as you resist those demonic allegations, they will exert absolutely no power in your life. But what if you begin to give credence to these lies and to mentally perceive them as the actual truth? Those lies will then begin to control you and to dominate your emotions and your thinking. In the end, your faith in those lies will give power to them and will cause them to create a bona fide reality in your life and you will become a failure.
