Delay, Distraction, Discouragement: The Enemy’s Favorite Tactics

• By candidasullivan
• December 17, 2025
• No Comments

Do you recognize the enemy’s battle plan?

The enemy has a strategy, and it is surprisingly consistent. Once we recognize it, we can fight back with truth.

Delay:
The enemy wants us to put things off for another time or another day. Sometimes, one of his greatest schemes is simply getting us to delay doing what the Lord wants us to do. He doesn’t usually tell us not to do it because he knows we would become suspicious and recognize his tactics. Instead, he whispers, “Later.” And later quietly turns into never.

Distraction:
If he can keep our minds focused on everything else, we will forget what God placed on our hearts. We slip into autopilot, living the same day over and over again. For some, this lasts for years. One day, we wake up and realize time has passed, and we still haven’t done what God asked us to do.

Discouragement:
This is where Satan gets loud. He tells us we’ve failed, that we’ve messed up too badly, and that it’s too late for redemption. If he can convince us that failure defines us, then we won’t even try. We will accept defeat and sit in misery—believing the lie that God is finished with us.

But while the enemy has a battle plan, the Lord has one that is far greater.

The key is sitting with Him—daily. When we sit with God each morning, He equips us to recognize and overcome every tactic the enemy throws our way. The truth is, we cannot do this on our own. We need the Lord every step of the way—His strength, His guidance, and His wisdom.

God offers forgiveness when we fall, encouragement when we feel weak, and direction when we feel lost.

Imagine if David had listened to Goliath.

He could have been distracted by the insults, discouraged by the size of the enemy, or delayed by fear. But David didn’t listen to Goliath—or the crowd. He went in the name of the Lord. God’s voice was the only one that mattered.

David didn’t let others tell him how to do God’s work. He followed the Lord exactly as God instructed him to. And the result was victory.

1 Samuel 17:47 KJV
“For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands.”

This is one of the most powerful truths in Scripture. David knew who was fighting the battle. He trusted that obedience—not strength or armor—would lead to victory.

Can you imagine what the crowd thought?
A young boy with a slingshot facing a fully armed giant.

But God used that moment to reveal the power of obedience.

When we follow the Lord and trust Him fully, He brings victory—not only in our lives, but for His glory. When we walk by faith and allow God to use us, great things can happen.