THE ENEMIES PLAN FOR YOU PT. 4

The Enemy’s Plan For You – Pt. 4: Destruction

Scripture warns us that the enemy never stops at simple doubt or discouragement. His path, if left unchecked, always moves toward destruction. Jesus made this plain in

John 10:10

10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

That is not just some poetic type saying, it is a spiritual reality.

The enemy’s goal is not merely to make life difficult; it is to tear down what God is building.

The destruction I am speaking of has nothing to do with your Salvation, which is secure in Christ, but refers to the constant attempt to destroy your purpose, your reputation, and your ability to serve the Lord.

Remember our Scripture this week,

1 Peter 5:8

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”

The word devour here carries the sense of being consumed, swallowed up, or destroyed. It paints the picture of something being completely overtaken, not just injured, but consumed.

That is the intent behind the enemy’s strategy, total spiritual ruin if possible, which is why vigilance is not optional for the believer.

Destruction rarely begins with something that looks devastating. It usually starts small like a compromise that you excuse, a truth you ignore, a warning that is resisted.

That thought process quickly becomes a pattern. A pattern becomes a habit.

A habit then becomes a stronghold.

What once felt uncomfortable now begins to feel normal.

That is how erosion works — slowly, quietly, steadily decaying until nothing is left.

Spiritual destruction shows up in several ways. First, it attacks identity. If the enemy can convince a believer that they are defeated, unworthy, or beyond recovery, he has weakened their footing.

Second, it attacks relationships, with God and with others.

Isolation as we talked about yesterday is one of his favorite tools.

Third, it attacks your purpose.

If he cannot keep you from being saved, he will try to keep you from being effective.

But this must be said carefully and clearly: not every hardship is destruction, and not every struggle is the enemy’s victory. Many battles are places of growth. Many trials are places where God refines us.

The difference is direction. God’s work, even when painful, moves toward restoration always moving us up to the next level of Faith.

The enemy’s work moves toward ruin, hopelessness, and separation.

Destruction also accelerates when truth is replaced with justification.

When wrong is renamed as acceptable, when conviction is called judgment, when surrender is called weakness, the guardrails come down and we become double minded in all our ways.

Without truth, there is no compass. Without repentance, there is no course of correction.

Yet even here, there is hope. The enemy may plan destruction, but God specializes in rescue.

Throughout Scripture we see lives that looked completely ruined, and yet God rebuilt them.

The warning this week has been  real, but so has the promises.

We are not left defenseless.

When we walk close to God, the enemy’s destructive path is exposed early.

Destruction is the enemy’s goal, but restoration is God’s guarantee for those who turn back to Him.