The Devil is Always Scheming

Day 239: 2 Corinthians 1:12-24, 2:1-11

“When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.” - 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 NLT

Paul is here referencing the man he had rebuked in 1 Corinthians 5 for sleeping with his stepmom (I know, gross). As you can imagine, it caused a stir throughout all the house churches.

Whenever there is division among Christians, we know who the initiator is: The Devil (our adversary). God, on the other hand, is always trying to bring us together. Friends. Spouses. Even those we naturally bump heads with.

The last word in these two verses is noema in Greek (schemes). In a more fleshed-out view, the word means the content of thinking and reasoning. (Nida/Louw Lexicon)

The mind of the Devil never stops working to tear us apart, and his method is to encourage us to see another human as standing in our way, preventing us from happiness.

Can you see how Eve, then Adam, gave in to the deceit of the Devil in the Garden of Eden?

The temptations that come are always sugar-coated with something that seems like it will satisfy.

Let’s pray the last part of the Lord’s prayer as often as possible:
”And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”
- Matthew 6:13 NIV