Do you know that there’s one hacker that can wreak havoc in your life? He is the greatest hacker of all time. He doesn’t hack computers or websites, but rather, he hacks the system of this world and directly hacks your mind. Do you know who this hacker is? He is no other than Satan the Devil.
Satan is the hacker and he wants to hack into our hearts and minds to compromise our spiritual life. That’s what I want to talk with you today. How can Satan hack into our lives, what happens when he has successfully hacked us, and most importantly, how can we prevent him from hacking us?
How Satan hacks us
Today, there are different ways hackers do their tricks. However, there are three main categories that these methods fall into. These categories are breaches, social engineering, and middleman. Among these three, the most commonly used are breaches and social engineering.
So, let’s talk about breaches first. In breaches, the hacker will not attack your account directly. Instead, it will hack your service provider. The hacker attacks a website and breaches its security. Once they do that, they will then steal the personal details and sensitive information about the accounts within that website.
For example, hackers can hack Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and then steal account information. That’s why, aren’t you wondering how people got your phone number? How did they get your bank account details? They even know where you live, where you go to school, and went on vacation!
Did you know that the average cost of a cyber breach in 2022 was $4.35 million? According to some estimates, cybercrime has cost the global economy roughly $7 trillion and this is predicted to increase to $10.5 trillion by 2025.
Now, don’t think that you’re safe from data breaches. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have all been hacked before. So, if you’re on these platforms, your personal information is already out there. Not only that, but in the Philippines, we have government websites hacked such as NBI, PhilHealth, PNP, and BIR.
Satan as the Ruler of this World
Satan also uses the same tactics to hack into our minds. He will not directly attack us but will use other things, situations, and people to get into our system. Satan has already hacked into this world’s system. Just like hackers, Satan has a strong influence and control of this world.
We read in 1 John 5:19:
We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
We don’t have to turn there, but just write these down. II Corinthians 4:4 tells us that the god of this world is Satan and that He has deceived the whole world as written in Revelation 12:9.
So, how does Satan use the world to get through our system? We must be wise enough to recognize these evil tactics, brethren, so we can be better equipped to overcome them. Let’s read 1 John 2:15-16:
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
This world doesn’t refer to people, which God loves, but rather it refers to the system of this world. This world system is positioned in rebellion against God. These systems include the political system, educational system, financial system, legal system, media system, economic system, health system, and even religious system.
Satan has already hacked all these systems. His fingerprints are all over the place. Just to give you an example, in our political system. The political system now is built on secularism. They have pushed God out of the picture. Think about our educational system. Professors teach their students that we came from monkeys! Prayers are taken out from schools and people wonder why there are shootings.
Now, what was the command? We must not love the world. Why? Because if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. What’s wrong with the world that we should not love it? It is because this world is corrupt and in verse 17, it says, that the world is passing away.
If you’re going to put your trust, your hope, and security in this world, let me tell you, you’ll just be disappointed. It’s like building a sand castle. No matter how elaborate, big, and beautiful it is, sooner or later, the water will come and wash away the sand castle. The saddest part of life is when you come to the end of your life and find out that you are building your life on the wrong foundation.
Don’t Love the World
Now, going back, it says, that if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. In other words, the more we love the world the less love we will have for God. In the same manner, the more love we have for God, the less love we will have for the world. We can’t love both God and the world at the same time. It doesn’t work that way. You have to choose which one to love. In the same way, you can have two wives and honestly say that you love them both equally.
Evil tactics of Satan
So, what are the tactics that Satan will use to hack our hearts and minds? Notice in verse 16:
16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
I mentioned to you the two most common ways hackers get into your system. The first one is data breach and the second one is social engineering. Social engineering uses deceit to fool and scam people. Hackers can pretend to be someone else to get your password or account details. They can also convince you to install an app or software that looks legitimate but actually, it comes with a Trojan malware. That’s why, it is so important to download from a secure website.
If you look into the strategies of Satan, they are actually deceitful. At first, we think these things will bring us happiness and contentment. Yet, in reality, these things will eventually destroy us!
Notice, how Satan gets through us — is through the lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. You see, loving the world is easy. The world offers a lot of attractive and impressive rewards to its lovers. These things appeal to our flesh, to our eyes, and pride.
The lust of the flesh refers to our fleshly desires, anything that excites, stimulates, and satisfies our fleshly cravings. It could come in the form of food, sex, and substance abuse.
The lust of the eyes refers to our desires for things that are visually appealing, which involve greed, materialism, and covetousness.
The pride of life refers to our desire to feel important and to be higher in status than any others. This is basically the me-first attitude and the tendency to boast of all your accomplishments, abilities, and skills.
How do these all work? Think of a TV commercial. The most successful TV commercials appeal to the flesh, eyes, and pride of life. Think about the most successful companies in our world. These companies satisfy one or more of these lusts.
How to Fight Satan’s Hacking Tactics
So, how do we increase the security of our minds? How do we avoid getting hacked by Satan?
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Do not be conformed to this world means that we should not love the world. Don’t let the worldly system get into your system. Don’t let the world pollute your mind. Instead, we must transform our minds by renewing our minds.
Satan wants to hack into our minds. He knows if he can get into our minds, he can destroy us from within. The battle is not out there, it’s in here. If Satan wins the battle here, he knows he can win the war. Thus, we must guard our minds by renewing them. This means that we install God’s antivirus software, which is the Holy Spirit living in us. Now, just like a physical antivirus software, you don’t simply install it once. You have to update it regularly. In the same manner, we can update God’s antivirus software by studying God’s word daily, meditating on His word, praying, and fasting.
With that brethren, I hope that we have now a better understanding of the evil tactics of the greatest hacker in history — Satan the devil. He has already hacked this world and he is after our mind. By not loving this world and renewing our minds, we will surely win this spiritual battle.
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