6. Show from the Scriptures how the Devil can use different tactics in order to undermine our faith.

⁶ The Devil may act like a serpent, a roaring lion, or even an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:3, 14; 1 Peter 5:8) He can use human agents to persecute or discourage us. (Revelation 2:10) Since Satan has the whole world at his disposal, he can exploit its desires and attractions in order to ensnare us. (2 Timothy 2:26; 1 John 2:16; 5:19) He can employ worldly or apostate thinking to mislead us, just as he deceived Eve.​—1 Timothy 2:14.

Aware of Satan’s Designs

8, 9. What trials did Satan bring upon Job to break his integrity, and what spiritual dangers do we face today?

⁸ We are not ignorant of Satan’s designs because the Scriptures reveal his basic tactics. (2 Corinthians 2:11) Against the righteous man Job, the Devil used severe economic problems, the death of loved ones, family opposition, physical suffering, and unfounded criticism from false friends. Job became depressed and felt that God had abandoned him. (Job 10:1, 2) Although Satan may not directly cause these problems today, such hardships do affect many Christians, and the Devil can use them to his advantage.

⁹ Spiritual dangers have proliferated in this time of the end. We live in a world where material pursuits override spiritual goals. The media constantly portray illicit sex as a source of happiness rather than heartache. And the majority have become “lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5) This way of thinking can threaten our spiritual balance unless we “put up a hard fight for the faith.”​—Jude 3.

10-12. (a) What was one warning Jesus gave in his illustration of the sower? (b) Illustrate how spiritual values can be strangled.

¹⁰ One of Satan’s most successful ploys is that of getting us absorbed in this world and its materialistic pursuits. In his illustration of the sower, Jesus warned that in some cases “the anxiety of this system of things and the deceptive power of riches choke the word [of the Kingdom].” (Matthew 13:18, 22) The Greek word here rendered “choke” means “strangle completely.”

¹¹ In tropical forests, one may find the strangler fig. It grows slowly as it surrounds the trunk of a host tree. Little by little, the vine envelops its host with roots that get stronger and stronger. The strangler fig’s multiple roots eventually absorb most of the nutrients in the soil at the base of the tree, while its canopy deprives its host of light. Finally, the host dies.

¹² In a similar way, the anxieties of this system and the quest for riches and a comfortable life-style can gradually absorb more and more of our time and energy. With our attention diverted to the things of the world, we might easily neglect personal Bible study and make it a custom to miss Christian meetings, thus being cut off from spiritual nourishment. Materialistic goals now replace spiritual pursuits, and we finally become easy prey for Satan.