If I Were The Devil - Pastor Stacey Shiflett
- Pastor Shiflett
- 4 hours ago
- 5 min read
If I Were the Devil
Genesis 3
Intro: Satan is a master at destruction.
· John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:
· 1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Genesis 3 is not just the story of the fall, but it is the unveiling of Satan’s strategy, his tactics, and his playbook.
If the devil spoke today, this chapter would be his autobiography.
He hates God. Anything he can do to hurt God, he will do it.
It’s not about me and you – it is all about his war with God.
If I were the devil, here’s exactly how I would operate—because this is exactly how he still operates today.
I. I’d Be Sneakier Than Anybody You’ve Ever Met
· Genesis 3:1 “Now the serpent was more subtil…”
Satan doesn’t show up with horns and a pitchfork.
He shows up quietly, subtly, slowly and deceptively.
He whispers. He suggests. He questions. He slips in unnoticed.
He doesn’t announce his presence; he disguises it.
If I were the devil, I would work in the shadows, in the gray areas, in the almost-right places.I would use half-truths, slight twists, subtle lies, and gentle nudges to get you off course.
II. I’d Approach You When You Were Alone
· Genesis 3:1 “And he said unto the woman…”
Satan waited until Eve was:
away from Adam
not with God
separated from spiritual support and authorities
The devil loves isolation because isolation amplifies temptation.
If I were the devil, I would:
get you out of church
keep you away from the Word
separate you from accountability
convince you that you’re fine on your own
He never attacks you at your strongest, but only at your loneliest.
III. I’d Convince You God Lied to You
· Genesis 3:4 “Ye shall not surely die.”
The first doctrine Satan ever taught was the denial of judgment.
If I were the devil, I would tell you:
sin isn’t serious
God doesn’t mean what He says
the Bible is outdated
consequences aren’t real
you can break God’s law without it affecting your life
Satan always attacks the authority of Scripture and the character of God.
IV. I’d Create a Victim Mentality
· Genesis 3:5 “For God doth know…”
Satan essentially told Eve, “God is holding out on you. You deserve better.”
If I were the devil, I’d convince you that:
God is unfair
God is withholding something good from you
God’s commands are restrictive, not protective
You are being cheated by obedience
Victim mentality is one of Satan’s strongest tools—it turns obedience into oppression and holiness into hardship.
V. I’d Promise to Make You A Superhero
· Genesis 3:5 “Ye shall be as gods…”
Satan taps into the pride in the hearts of mankind.
If I were the devil, I’d tell you that:
you can run your own life
you don’t need God
you deserve to be in control
you should decide what’s right and wrong
you are the center of your universe
God’s rules do not apply to you; you’re special
nothing bad will ever happen to you; that you are invincible
you will always win – no matter what
nobody will ever discover your secret
VI. I’d Make Sin Irresistible
· Genesis 3:6 “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes,”
Satan is a master salesman.
He packages sin beautifully.
If I were the devil, I would:
hide the consequences
glamorize the pleasure
exaggerate the benefits
Sin always looks good when you’re looking at what the devil is pointing at!
VII. I’d Get You to Pressure Others Into Sinning Too
· Genesis 3:6 “She gave also unto her husband, and he did eat.”
Once Satan gets one person, he tries to get everyone around them.
If I were the devil, I’d make you:
normalize your compromise
influence others to join you
bring down the people you love most
justify your disobedience by multiplying it
be the instigator of peer pressure
Misery loves company.
VIII. I’d Get You to Make A Fool Out of Yourself Trying to Cover It Up
· Genesis 3:7 “They sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”
When people sin, they don’t fix it, they fake it.
Can you imagine how tacky they looked wearing those fig leaves?
What about the next day when they were all dying and shriveled up?
It just got worse the longer they went.
Fig leaves represent:
human attempts to solve spiritual problems
shallow coverings
outward appearances
religious performance
foolish substitutes for the forgiveness of God
If I were the devil, I would let you try to cover your own sin, making you look silly doing it.
IX. I’d Urge You to Run from God
· Genesis 3:8 “Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God…”
Sin makes you run from the One who can actually save you.
If I were the devil, I would:
convince you that God was your enemy.
make you avoid prayer at all costs
make sure you never picked up your Bible to read it
dread church
hate conviction
ignore the Scripture
bury your guilt
doubt God instead of trust Him
Satan wants you far from the presence of the only One who can restore you.
If I were the devil, I’d urge you to get as far away as possible from the presence of God.
X. I’d Have You Blame Everybody Else for Your Sin
Genesis 3
· 12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
· 13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent.
No one took responsibility.
If I were the devil, I’d convince you that your sin is someone else’s fault.
You couldn’t help it. You had no choice.
A person who refuses responsibility will never find forgiveness or restoration.
XI. I’d Make Your Life as Miserable as Possible for Being So Gullible
Genesis 3
· 17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
· 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
· 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
When Satan finishes tempting you, he begins tormenting you.
If I were the devil, I’d leave you with:
broken fellowship
broken joy
broken relationships
broken peace
The devil promises pleasure but pays in pain.
He advertises freedom but delivers bondage.
He offers wisdom but delivers deception.
He promises godhood but delivers shame.
Conclusion: If I were the devil, I’d do everything that Satan did in Genesis 3.
But here is the good news: God came looking for them.
God covered them. God restored them. God promised a Redeemer (Genesis 3:15).
Satan’s plan is destruction. God’s plan is redemption.
Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.