Exposing Satan's Playbook The Perry Stone

believers is his age-old experience and skill and the ability to time his attacks according to the weakest moment in a person’s spiritual, emotional, or physical life. As an example, during Christ’s forty days of fasting in the wilderness, it was after Christ “hungered” that the tempter came (Luke 4:2–3, KJV ). D ECEPTION C AN B E C AUSED BY S PIRITUAL B LINDNESS AND D EAFNESS Christ spoke of having eyes and not seeing, having ears and not hearing (Matt. 13:14–15). This does not refer to natural deafness and blindness, but to those who see and hear in the natural but cannot spiritually discern and comprehend spiritual truth. Christ rebuked the Pharisees for their inability to recognize who He was and His purpose. They were “dull of hearing,” and their “eyes they have closed” (Matt. 13:15, KJV ). After Christ’s resurrection, while walking to Emmaus, He engaged in a detailed conversation with two disciples who did not recognize who He was. The Bible says that their “eyes were restrained” (Luke 24:16). Later, when Christ prayed over the bread, breaking it and giving it to His disciples, “their eyes were opened and they knew Him” (vv. 30–31). Deception blinds the spiritual eyes and dulls the hearing (or understanding). There is both inward and outward deception. Inward deception is self-deception ; a person places his or her personal approval upon his or her own negative actions. Outward deception is peer-deception ; other individuals pressure a person to follow their acts of disobedience. Peer