At the end of 'Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices', Thomas Brooks has these 10 rules or helps. The whole book is a Puritan gold mine!
How are we to avoid being taken by Satan's devices?
1. Be men of the word. ‘Walk by rule.’ Follow up Rev 3 v 10.
2. Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4 v 27-30. Don’t give the devil a foothold, do not grieve the Holy Spirit.
3. Plead for more heavenly wisdom
‘It is not the most knowing Christians, but the most wise Christians, that sees, avoids, and escapes Satan’s snares.’
‘The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell underneath.’ Prov 15 v 24
4. Take a zero tolerance to sin. ‘He that will play with Satan’s bait will quickly be taken by Satan’s hook.’
‘The way to fight any sin is to fight all sin.’
‘The only way to fight big sins is to fight little sins.’
5. Be filled with the Spirit
We cannot fight sin without the Holy Spirit of light and power.
Eph 5 v 18 commands us to be ‘filled with the Spirit.’
6. Be humble
‘The devil hath least power to fasten a temptation on him that is most humble.
‘Humility keeps the soul free from many darts of Satan’s casting, and snares of his spreading; as the low shrubs are free from many violent gusts and blasts of the wind, which shake and render the taller trees.’
7. Keep a strong, close and constant watch
‘But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.’
8. Keep close communion with God
'The closer we are in union and communion, the devil struggles to get a foot hold.'
'Job keeps communion with God and defeats Satan on the dunghill, Adam loses communion with God and falls inn paradise.'
9. Do not engage Satan in your own strength but in the power of Jesus Christ.
Peter assures Jesus that he will never deny Christ in Matt 26 v 35.
‘When the snare is spread look to up to Jesus Christ, who is lifted up in the gospel as the brazen serpent was in the wilderness.’
10. Remain constant in prayer.
‘Watch and pray lest ye enter into temptation’ Matt 26 v 41
‘Prayer is a shelter to the soul, a sacrifice to God and a scourge to the devil.’
We need to be in much in prayer.
1. Be men of the word. ‘Walk by rule.’ Follow up Rev 3 v 10.
2. Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 4 v 27-30. Don’t give the devil a foothold, do not grieve the Holy Spirit.
3. Plead for more heavenly wisdom
‘It is not the most knowing Christians, but the most wise Christians, that sees, avoids, and escapes Satan’s snares.’
‘The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell underneath.’ Prov 15 v 24
4. Take a zero tolerance to sin. ‘He that will play with Satan’s bait will quickly be taken by Satan’s hook.’
‘The way to fight any sin is to fight all sin.’
‘The only way to fight big sins is to fight little sins.’
5. Be filled with the Spirit
We cannot fight sin without the Holy Spirit of light and power.
Eph 5 v 18 commands us to be ‘filled with the Spirit.’
6. Be humble
‘The devil hath least power to fasten a temptation on him that is most humble.
‘Humility keeps the soul free from many darts of Satan’s casting, and snares of his spreading; as the low shrubs are free from many violent gusts and blasts of the wind, which shake and render the taller trees.’
7. Keep a strong, close and constant watch
‘But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.’
8. Keep close communion with God
'The closer we are in union and communion, the devil struggles to get a foot hold.'
'Job keeps communion with God and defeats Satan on the dunghill, Adam loses communion with God and falls inn paradise.'
9. Do not engage Satan in your own strength but in the power of Jesus Christ.
Peter assures Jesus that he will never deny Christ in Matt 26 v 35.
‘When the snare is spread look to up to Jesus Christ, who is lifted up in the gospel as the brazen serpent was in the wilderness.’
10. Remain constant in prayer.
‘Watch and pray lest ye enter into temptation’ Matt 26 v 41
‘Prayer is a shelter to the soul, a sacrifice to God and a scourge to the devil.’
We need to be in much in prayer.
'Greater is he that is in you that is in the world.' 1 John 4 v 4
