A L S O by D R . J A C K T R I E B E R

Counsel

Lessons in Leadership

Men Ought Always to Pray

Passing the Torch

Principles of Stewardship

The Blessing of the Lord

The Comforter Has Come

Truth for Teens

Words to Live By

north valley publicationswww.nvpublications.org

un der s t a n di n g s at a n ’ s pl a n t o de vo u r

©2012 North Valley Publications

All Scripture references are taken from the King James Version.

North Valley Publications, a ministry of North Valley Baptist Church in Santa Clara, California, is dedicated to providing

resources to strengthen you, your family, and your ministry for the cause of Christ. We value your comments and suggestions.

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced,

distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except for brief quotations in printed reviews.

North Valley Publications3530 De La Cruz Boulevard

Santa Clara, California 95054408.988.8881

nvpublications.org

Editing TeamSalomé Schweitzer, Sarah Uson, Jo Winn, and Nathan Winn

Cover Design by Jad LimcacoLayout by Nathan Winn

ISBN: 978-1-60171-697-2

Printed in the United States of America

This book, Our Adversary, is lovingly dedicated to

my grandchildren—Ashlyn, Titus, Riley, TJ, Hudson,

Rhegan, Landon, Trey, and Lawson.

I love you,

Papa

September 2012

d e d i c a t i o n

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix

1 Giving Up Ground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 “Neither give place to the devil”

2 Look in the Mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 “Ye are of your father the devil”

3 Casting Doubt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 “Yea, hath God said”

4 Taking Advantage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 “Lest Satan should get an advantage”

5 A Defeated Foe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 “I am the resurrection, and the life”

6 Take a Stand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 “Resist the devil, and he will flee”

7 Self-Centered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63 “I will be like the most High”

8 Transformed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 “For Satan himself is transformed”

9 Under Attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79 “In all this Job sinned not”

ta ble of contents

10 Tampering with Truth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87 “Stand against the wiles of the devil”

11 It’s a Trap! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 “Lest he fall into reproach and the snare”

12 Shifting the Blame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 “There is therefore now no condemnation”

13 Turning to Satan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 “For some are already turned aside after Satan”

14 Sources of Suffering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 “There was given to me a thorn in the flesh”

15 Secret Sins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 “Thou hast set our iniquities before thee”

16 Hindrances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 “But Satan hindered us”

17 Powerful Opposition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 “From the power of Satan unto God”

18 Don’t Quit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 “We love him, because he first loved us”

19 Heavy Hearts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165 “Why hath Satan filled thine heart”

20 Fight for Your Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171 “Suffer the little children to come unto me”

I have dedicated this book to my grandchildren. What

a privilege my wife and I have to be called Papa and

Nana. Yet, with that privilege comes great responsibility.

We take that responsibility seriously. Thus, we pray daily

for our grandchildren. We also seek to love and encourage

them as they journey down the pathway of life.

Grandkids, I desire you to read this book regularly and

be fully aware of your adversary the devil who will actively

engage to destroy your life and testimony. Remember the

following:

• Resist the devil. “Submit yourselves therefore to God.

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” ( James 4:7).

• Recognize his tactics. “Lest Satan should get an

advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices”

(II Corinthians 2:11).

i n t r o d u c t i o n

x our adversary

• Stand your ground. “Put on the whole armour of

God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of

the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).

• He will attempt to snare you. “Moreover he must have

a good report of them which are without; lest he fall

into reproach and the snare of the devil” (I Timothy

3:7).

• He will attempt to destroy you. “Be sober, be vigilant;

because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion,

walketh about, seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter

5:8).

• He desires to condemn you. “Lest being lifted up with

pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil” (I

Timothy 3:6).

• He will accuse you. “For the accuser of our brethren

is cast down, which accused them before our God day

and night” (Revelation 12:10).

• He will seek to hinder you. “Wherefore we would have

come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan

hindered us” (I Thessalonians 2:18).

• He has the ability to physically affect you. “And

lest I should be exalted above measure through the

abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a

dr . j ack tr ieber x i

thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me,

lest I should be exalted above measure” (II Corinthians

12:7).

• He is a defeated foe. “He that committeth sin is of the

devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For

this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he

might destroy the works of the devil” (I John 3:8).

Though these thoughts have been written to my

grandchildren, they are written with the intent that each

reader will become informed and aware of our adversary

who seeks to devour each of us.

Because our flesh is weak, we need Christ’s help in

every area of our lives. Our flesh is so prone to

wander and do wrong; and, though we may not be able

to see it with our eyes, there is a battle. An evil, powerful

battle rages against God’s people. The Bible commands us

to be sober and vigilant because our “adversary the devil,

as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may

devour” (I Peter 5:8).

Often, the news media mocks and makes light of the

“devil,” speaking as though he may or may not actually

exist. Yet, the Bible tells us very clearly that the devil is real.

Ephesians 6:12 says very clearly that this spiritual battle

does exist, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but

c h a p t e r o n e

giving up ground

4 our adversary

against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of

the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in

high places.” The devil and his demons are after you. He

is out to destroy your life, your marriage, and your home.

Because Satan really does exist, the Bible commands us to,

“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and

he will flee from you” ( James 4:7).

I once heard a preacher tell of a group of Satanists that

regularly met together for several years, praying to Satan

by name for the destruction of Bible-believing preachers

across America. They committed themselves in prayer to

destroy these men. We must know that Satan is a very real

enemy we face. His power is real. His followers are real.

Anton LaVey began the church of Satan centered around

the teachings of the satanic bible he wrote in 1969.

Just as described in the Bible regarding the last days,

we live in a day of worldwide economic chaos, increasing

unemployment, wars and rumors of wars. The nations of

the world are in complete upheaval today. We are seeing

worldwide religious confusion. The world is looking for

someone to lead them. It is during this time the Bible

prophesies of the antichrist who will rise to prominence

and lead the world. He will bring temporary peace to the

chaotic world, as well as to Israel, for a short time. Then,

one of the greatest bloodbaths ever known to man will

dr . j ack tr ieber 5

take place in Israel. God’s Word says Israel’s enemy will invade from the south, through Egypt, China will come from the east, and Russia from the north. Although troublesome to think about, these future events are not our greatest battle. Our greatest battle is the one we face every day with the devil. You must understand how much he hates you, and how desperately he is seeking to destroy your life. In Ephesians 4:27, the Bible commands us, “Neither give place to the devil.” The word “place” is an interesting word. It’s the word topos in the Greek language which means “a plot of ground, a little space.” Literally meaning, we are not to give one tiny part of our hearts to the devil, not one space or opportunity. Obviously, the devil is cunning. He isn’t going to completely take over your life in one fell swoop. He will be satisfied with just a small piece of your life, one little area of your life that you aren’t willing to give over to God. Then he will start building on that small piece you give him, and slowly, he will begin to take over another seemingly insignificant area. What small area of your life threatens to be controlled by the devil? Is it an anger problem? Do you fight bitterness, pride, fear, envy, carnality, or deceit? While these problems may seem comparatively small, we must realize the devil will begin to control the “small” areas in

our lives if we allow him.

6 our adversary

But, God says “neither give place” to him. For, if we do

give over even just a small piece of our lives to the devil,

he will begin to build. It can be compared to building a

skyscraper. These huge superstructures aren’t built on acres

and acres of land. Instead, they are constructed on just a

few thousand square feet. The

devil doesn’t need large areas of

your life to begin construction;

he just needs a small plot. With

just that small little plot, he

will begin to rule your life. Pretty soon, your heart will

look like New York City with skyscrapers of deceit, anger,

bitterness, and hypocrisy.

Adam and Eve never surrendered their whole lives over

to the devil, just a little area. They were given dominion

over the entire garden, except for that one tree. Yet, because

they had a free will, they decided to take the fruit of the

knowledge of good and evil. The devil did just as he always

does—he cast doubt and captured just a small part of their

lives.

Notice what the Bible says in II Corinthians 10:4,

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but

mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds.”

Strongholds are fortresses, strong buildings that have been

erected. If we aren’t careful, we will become resilient to sin

Because our flesh is weak, we need Christ’s help in every area of our lives.

dr . j ack tr ieber 7

and help fortify those strongholds in our lives. Oftentimes, when one chooses to sin, it is difficult at first. Yet, the more frequently he sins, the easier it becomes. It has often been said that nearly 1,700 pastors resign every month in America, including Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, and others. Many are forced to resign because they committed some moral sin. How is it possible for someone so apparently holy to do such an evil thing? Somewhere along the line, they surrendered a small place to the devil. Please don’t indict every preacher or every politician in America. But remember, you need to pray for your pastor to never surrender any ground of his life to the devil. Don’t ever surrender any ground to Satan where he can create a stronghold or superstructure. I recently had a member of my church tell me that one of his dearest friends was leaving his spouse of thirty years. It isn’t uncommon anymore to hear of similar scenarios. It seems as if our nation is self-destructing. A police officer in my church tells me that each week, he deals with children getting into serious criminal trouble. He said, “Without fail, Mom and Dad are having problems, and the kids act out what Mom and Dad are going through.” Parents, you must show your children what a Christian home is. Don’t just tell them how a Christian family should act—show them. Your actions are speaking so loud, they can’t hear a word you’re saying.

8 our adversary

At times, resisting the devil in my life has been

difficult. Yet, as a pastor, I have been conscious of Satan’s

attacks on my life. Because I know he would love to see

me fail and have to surrender my ministry, I have never

handled the offerings of North Valley Baptist Church.

I don’t even know where the money is counted on our

property because I don’t want that to be a small area where

the devil is given a place in my life. I’ve never cashed a

check with the church; I have my own bank. I’m not going

to start handling any of our church’s money, even if it is

completely legal or expected of a pastor.

Forty years ago, God brought my wife, Cindie, into

my life. I can tell you I have been completely true to her,

and she has been completely true to me. Yet, sometimes I

fail in the area of my faith. Sometimes it is so easy to trust

the Lord. Other times, my faith is so weak, and I give place

to the devil.

Oftentimes during the midnight hour, I will wake up

and begin to fret over my ministry and my family. Our

family is just one phone call away from disaster. I begin

to worry for those in my church who are backslidden and

away from God. Some people have been on my prayer list

for years, and I think, “Lord, what is wrong with me? Why

can’t I love them back to You?” Then, I sometimes think

of the ones who have rejected the faith of their pastor and

dr . j ack tr ieber 9

church, and my heart grows so heavy. I think to myself,

“How did I fail?” Then in the midst of my worrying, I am

convicted that I just need to pray and share my burdens

with the One Who can heal all. What will fretting

accomplish, other than allowing the devil to have that

small place in my life?

For thirty-five years, I have crossed America preaching

in Bible-believing churches. It is disheartening to revisit

some of the churches where I have preached and see

that they have allowed the church to adopt a nightclub

atmosphere. Though they were once Christ-honoring

places of worship, they are now carnal, self-willed churches.

Often, Christians think they can love God and church,

but still maintain a life with no accountability. They want to

listen to contemporary music,

dress more like the world, and

act more like the world. Why

is it that Christians think it

is acceptable to dress like the

world outside the house of

God, much less during the

summer? As soon as the weather heats up, God’s people

begin to peel their clothes off, and girls think it’s acceptable

to dress like harlots, advertising they are for sale.

If we aren’t careful, we will become resilient to sin and help fortify those strongholds in our lives.