Have you ever heard it said, “I guess she’s got a method to her madness?” Well, that simply means that what appears to be bizarre behavior, is actually a calculated scheme. Now, did you know that is the way the devil works?
Satan is a cunning deceiver who delights in lies, and misrepresentations, and masquerades, and false impressions. He’s like a good illusionist – he can fool whole audiences of people with his trickery. In Ephesians 6:11 we are told, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” You see, the devil is wily. He entices and lures with his seductive advances.
This word, “wiles,” is the Greek word methodeia, from which we get out English word “method.” Actually there is a method to his madness. This is a word that means “scheming”, and “craftiness.” It is the use of trickery and strategy to deceive and ensnare.
The word “methodeia” is only used one other place in the New Testament. A little earlier in Ephesians (chapter 4, verse 14) it warns us to beware of false teachers. The verse says, “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, by which they lie in wait to deceive.” The words “lie in wait” to deceive is the Greek word, “methodeia.”
At Halloween thousands of people celebrate by dressing up in costumes and pretending to be something they are not. Well, that’s what Satan does. He pretends to be something that he is not. So, beware of the wiles of the devil!
Hey—Halloween is the devil’s holiday. Christians need to think about that.