(by Dr. Larry Ollison)

Satan's greatest fear is that the body of Christ will discover the principles that will enable them to escape his snares. Once they do, he will lose his ability to entrap them. Second Timothy 2:25-26 reveals a three-step principle that will help you avoid the devil's snare.

The first step that is revealed in escaping the snare of the devil is to "know the truth." You may be thinking, "But how do I know what truth is?" Jesus himself answers that question in John 8:31-32, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." In other words, the Word of God is truth. John 17:17 bears this out. It says, "Your word is truth."

Furthermore James 4:7 says, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." How do you submit to God? By obeying His Word and by knowing the truth.

As an exhortation to praise God, the psalmist said, "For the word of the Lord is right, and all His work is done in truth" (Psalm 33:4). God's Word and His works are on a collision course. In other words, when His Word is obeyed, His works will result.

Numbers 23:19 further declares, "God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" When you obey the Word of God, He will perform what He promises and nothing less. The works of God are a direct result of His Word.

The second step revealed in this verse is to "come to your senses." Coming to your senses simply means that you snap out of the stupor that you have been living in. Have you ever seen someone in a stupor suddenly snap out of it? Perhaps you have experienced it personally. God calls His people to awaken from their stupor in Isaiah 60:1. He said, "Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you." Those who remain in a state of slumber will undoubtedly become ensnared by the enemy.

In Ephesians 5:14, the Apostle Paul's cry is to awaken believers: "Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light." Once again, the call of God to awaken believers out of their stupor is so that the light of Christ will shine upon them.

And finally, the result of knowing the truth and coming to your senses is "escaping the snare of the devil." How badly do you want to be set free? How desperate are you to escape future snares of the devil? Only when you saturate yourself in the Word of God and snap out of your stupor will you avoid the devil's snare. Say this out loud: "I know the truth and have come to my senses; therefore, I will escape the snare of the devil." Too many people are trying to get set free in some other way, but if there was another way, Jesus would have used it. Instead, every time the devil attempted to ensnare Jesus, He drove him away by speaking the truth-God's Word. Notice Jesus' response when the devil tempted Him in the wilderness. Matthew 4:3-4 says, "Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, 'If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.' But He answered and said, 'It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"

Jesus repeated this process of speaking the truth three times before the devil left. The Word of God-the truth-must be applied before freedom is experienced. Although the method may sound simple, don't miss the blessing of God because truth appears to be simplistic.