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The Devil Shall Not Prevail: Unshakable Confidence in God's Almighty Power
Learn to Recognize and Resist the Enemy's Tactics
The devil is real, and his strategies are hidden in plain sight. He's created an atmosphere of distraction and temptation all around us, so that when you pick up your phone, turn on your television, or walk out your door, you're bombarded with images and messages that glorify evil and demean what is good.
In this never-before-published compilation of teachings, A.W. Tozer offers piercing insight and practical application to help you make God-honoring, life-giving decisions in a culture that prizes what is evil. You will learn how to
· recognize the tactics of the enemy
· resist temptation
· walk closely and confidently with God
The influence of this world is great, but we serve a God greater still. Here is the wisdom and biblical insight you need to resist the devil and stand firm on holy ground.
The devil is real, and his strategies are hidden in plain sight. He's created an atmosphere of distraction and temptation all around us, so that when you pick up your phone, turn on your television, or walk out your door, you're bombarded with images and messages that glorify evil and demean what is good.
In this never-before-published compilation of teachings, A.W. Tozer offers piercing insight and practical application to help you make God-honoring, life-giving decisions in a culture that prizes what is evil. You will learn how to
· recognize the tactics of the enemy
· resist temptation
· walk closely and confidently with God
The influence of this world is great, but we serve a God greater still. Here is the wisdom and biblical insight you need to resist the devil and stand firm on holy ground.
156 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 19, 2023
13 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
A.W. Tozer
664 books2,101 followersAiden Wilson Tozer was an American evangelical pastor, speaker, writer, and editor. After coming to Christ at the age of seventeen, Tozer found his way into the Christian & Missionary Alliance denomination where he served for over forty years. In 1950, he was appointed by the denomination's General Council to be the editor of "The Alliance Witness" (now "Alliance Life").
Born into poverty in western Pennsylvania in 1897, Tozer died in May 1963 a self-educated man who had taught himself what he missed in high school and college due to his home situation. Though he wrote many books, two of them, "The Pursuit of God" and "The Knowledge of the Holy" are widely considered to be classics.
A.W. Tozer and his wife, Ada Cecelia Pfautz, had seven children, six boys and one girl.
Born into poverty in western Pennsylvania in 1897, Tozer died in May 1963 a self-educated man who had taught himself what he missed in high school and college due to his home situation. Though he wrote many books, two of them, "The Pursuit of God" and "The Knowledge of the Holy" are widely considered to be classics.
A.W. Tozer and his wife, Ada Cecelia Pfautz, had seven children, six boys and one girl.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 13, 2024
A. W. Tozer once again spurs me on to delve with even greater sincerity into my walk with the Lord - and makes me remember just how much work I have to do, and that the task of working out salvation daily is truly never done until we have been called Home. This compilation of Tozer’s sermons and writings (collected and edited by James L. Snyder) has ministered to me at a very important time as I undergo significant changes and prepare to “start a new chapter” of my life. It was not my intention to read this book cover to cover in one day, but I found myself doing so anyway.
Spiritual warfare is so, so real. It is here, all around us. Every single day, every choice we make, every temptation which crosses our path - all of these make up the very real spiritual warfare in which we find ourselves. The Christian who believes he can “accept Christ” and get on with his life without any trials or sufferings, who believes he can “have the cake and eat it too” is surely, horrifyingly mistaken. Tozer’s teachings and reassertions of the basic truths of the devil are so critically important for the Church today. How easily we forget that we have no human enemies, but we are engaged against spiritual evil.
This book was extraordinarily humbling to me. Chapter by chapter, paragraph by paragraph, I am reminded that “I am overrated.” The Lord has used this book to remind me that apart from Him, I can truly do nothing; I truly AM nothing. It is only by the grace of Jesus Christ that I am justified and qualified according to His purposes. How much greater it is to know that true confidence lies not with the self whatsoever, but rather in the unshakable, unchanging power of an Almighty God who has already won the victory.
I would not hesitate to pick this book up immediately. It has opened my eyes (as Tozer always tends to do) and awakened me to action. Frankly, I consider this essential reading for any serious Christian. (I do not claim to be a “serious Christian” in the prideful sense; even I didn’t realize I needed to read this book until I found it at random at the bookstore.) Arguably one of the most important books I will have read this year - and in my walk as a Christian.
“When a Christian comes and says, ‘Pastor, I’m being tempted,’ I want to reply, “Well, you’re a soldier now. You’re in a fight. And what do you think you’re here for if it isn’t to get shot at?’” - A. W. Tozer
Spiritual warfare is so, so real. It is here, all around us. Every single day, every choice we make, every temptation which crosses our path - all of these make up the very real spiritual warfare in which we find ourselves. The Christian who believes he can “accept Christ” and get on with his life without any trials or sufferings, who believes he can “have the cake and eat it too” is surely, horrifyingly mistaken. Tozer’s teachings and reassertions of the basic truths of the devil are so critically important for the Church today. How easily we forget that we have no human enemies, but we are engaged against spiritual evil.
This book was extraordinarily humbling to me. Chapter by chapter, paragraph by paragraph, I am reminded that “I am overrated.” The Lord has used this book to remind me that apart from Him, I can truly do nothing; I truly AM nothing. It is only by the grace of Jesus Christ that I am justified and qualified according to His purposes. How much greater it is to know that true confidence lies not with the self whatsoever, but rather in the unshakable, unchanging power of an Almighty God who has already won the victory.
I would not hesitate to pick this book up immediately. It has opened my eyes (as Tozer always tends to do) and awakened me to action. Frankly, I consider this essential reading for any serious Christian. (I do not claim to be a “serious Christian” in the prideful sense; even I didn’t realize I needed to read this book until I found it at random at the bookstore.) Arguably one of the most important books I will have read this year - and in my walk as a Christian.
“When a Christian comes and says, ‘Pastor, I’m being tempted,’ I want to reply, “Well, you’re a soldier now. You’re in a fight. And what do you think you’re here for if it isn’t to get shot at?’” - A. W. Tozer
January 19, 2024
First sentence: Every battle begins with understanding who the enemy is. If soldiers do not know who the enemy is, how then are they going to be prepared to deal with them? I believe a lot of Christians today do not know their real enemy. The enemy is not in the church pews. Many Christians spend a lot of time in conflict with one another, much to the great delight of our enemy the devil. It's in our understanding of the enemy that we can begin to prepare ourselves for the battle and ongoing conflict that is before us. As Christians, we are engaged in what is called spiritual warfare, and this war cannot be fought with physical or military might, guns, and torpedoes. How we comprehend spiritual warfare says a lot about our relationship with Christ.
Almost all of the A.W. Tozer books being published in the past forty to fifty years are really more compilations of sermons grouped together by theme, subject or topic. The topic in this one is either a) spiritual warfare in general or b) the tactics of the devil our adversary.
The chapter titles:
Facing Our Real Enemy
The Danger of Compromising Our Confidence
Causes of Backsliding, the Devil's Toolbox
Symptoms of Backsliding the Devil Uses
Self-confidence vs. Confidence in God
How We Can Prevent the Devil from Taking Advantage of Us
Discouragement: A Valuable Tool of the Devil Against Christians
The Mistakes of Israel and Possibly Ours
How the Devil Manipulates the Plague of the Heart
The Dangers of Arrogance and Defeat
The Root of Our Spiritual Warfare
The Wall Between Us and the Devil
The Ultimate Spiritual Temptation
Standing Against the Wiles of the Devil
I will say you can tell this is a compilation of different sermons. The flow isn't super-polished; the chapters don't always build upon one another. All of the chapters--many of which have a stand-alone feel--do share a common theme or subject. Some chapters were incredibly helpful and beneficial--true must reads. Other chapters perhaps less so.
A.W. Tozer, I believe, died in 1963. In some ways, his writings turned out to be prophetic. Yet if Tozer was alive and preaching, it would be a whole new world to him. I don't know that the state of the church in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s is similar enough to the state of the church the past twenty or thirty years that his statements still ring true. I will try to clarify. Truth does not change. I believe--and Tozer believed--in absolute truth. The Bible is the VERY Word of God--inerrant, infallible, inspired, God-breathed, TRUE. When Tozer is preaching the Word (which is often, his sermons are saturated in the Word) then he's always going to be relevant and worth reading. I am referring to Tozer's assessment of the world, the culture, the church. Like when he says that the enemy is NOT in the church. I think enemies can be found IN the church--in positions of power and influence, coming from the top down. I think that spiritual warfare includes discerning the dangers within the church as well as those outside the church. Tozer lived at a time perhaps when that was rarer. He saw no reason at all for denominations and saw [almost] all differences between denominations as insignificant and petty. While I do tend to agree that there won't be divisions and denominations in heaven, I do see them as a 'necessary evil' of sorts in the here and now. We are called to discern between truth and error.
Quotes:
You cannot have the armor of God and indulge the flesh.
Confidence in God releases us from the need to understand all that God is doing.
Whatever threat to our spiritual health we choose to ignore, the enemy twists around so as to compromise our confidence in God.
Because of the fall, we have been robbed of the power and desire to do this naturally. Sin remade our nature, thus it's not natural when we go to pray. We must override all the accumulated ages of sin if we are to say with sincerity, "Our Father in heaven." If sin hadn't entered the picture, we wouldn't have anything to override. Rather, we'd simply raise our voices like the songbirds that sing God's praises without effort.
People, then, tend to turn away from God, their desire and passion for Him growing cold, and go back to what comes natural to them.
We are backsliding when we have lost the relish for the Bible we once had.
We are backsliding when we're more tolerant of evil than we once were, when we don't have the horror of sin that we pray and sing about.
We are backsliding when we have less enthusiasm for spiritual things than we used to have.
I doubt that discouragement is the greatest enemy the Christian has, but it can easily be the greatest nuisance a Christian has to deal with. It is valuable to the devil in his war against us because it is seldom recognized for what it is. When Christians become discouraged, common sense tells them they are just begin realistic. We forget that it is not realism but discouragement, and it often works when no other temptation will. A Christian who would not be guilty of any sin willingly, and who has victory enough not to fall into temptation unwillingly, may yet be visited by this infernal dark shadow from the pit, which we call discouragement. And this greatly hinders the Christian life. Discouragement can easily become a ruling emotion. It is more than an emotion; after a while, it becomes a disposition, an outlook, and an attitude. A darkened lens through which we view everything before us. The mood is the mental climate. IT isn't the individual person so much as the weather on the landscape of their life, which has captivated the person. Just as the weather isn't the field or the farm, and yet it goes a long way in determining if the farm will yield a good crop or not.
You must go to God completely alone as if He were in the desert or in a cave.
We must respond to God's Word with a "Yes, He means what He says, and I surrender my life to Him."
We need to restore in the Church today that passionate love for God that nothing else can satisfy. If you're satisfied with something else, you haven't met the God of the Bible. The more of God you have, the more of God you want.
If you're not worshiping God in our prayers, we're not praying.
Almost all of the A.W. Tozer books being published in the past forty to fifty years are really more compilations of sermons grouped together by theme, subject or topic. The topic in this one is either a) spiritual warfare in general or b) the tactics of the devil our adversary.
The chapter titles:
Facing Our Real Enemy
The Danger of Compromising Our Confidence
Causes of Backsliding, the Devil's Toolbox
Symptoms of Backsliding the Devil Uses
Self-confidence vs. Confidence in God
How We Can Prevent the Devil from Taking Advantage of Us
Discouragement: A Valuable Tool of the Devil Against Christians
The Mistakes of Israel and Possibly Ours
How the Devil Manipulates the Plague of the Heart
The Dangers of Arrogance and Defeat
The Root of Our Spiritual Warfare
The Wall Between Us and the Devil
The Ultimate Spiritual Temptation
Standing Against the Wiles of the Devil
I will say you can tell this is a compilation of different sermons. The flow isn't super-polished; the chapters don't always build upon one another. All of the chapters--many of which have a stand-alone feel--do share a common theme or subject. Some chapters were incredibly helpful and beneficial--true must reads. Other chapters perhaps less so.
A.W. Tozer, I believe, died in 1963. In some ways, his writings turned out to be prophetic. Yet if Tozer was alive and preaching, it would be a whole new world to him. I don't know that the state of the church in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s is similar enough to the state of the church the past twenty or thirty years that his statements still ring true. I will try to clarify. Truth does not change. I believe--and Tozer believed--in absolute truth. The Bible is the VERY Word of God--inerrant, infallible, inspired, God-breathed, TRUE. When Tozer is preaching the Word (which is often, his sermons are saturated in the Word) then he's always going to be relevant and worth reading. I am referring to Tozer's assessment of the world, the culture, the church. Like when he says that the enemy is NOT in the church. I think enemies can be found IN the church--in positions of power and influence, coming from the top down. I think that spiritual warfare includes discerning the dangers within the church as well as those outside the church. Tozer lived at a time perhaps when that was rarer. He saw no reason at all for denominations and saw [almost] all differences between denominations as insignificant and petty. While I do tend to agree that there won't be divisions and denominations in heaven, I do see them as a 'necessary evil' of sorts in the here and now. We are called to discern between truth and error.
Quotes:
You cannot have the armor of God and indulge the flesh.
Confidence in God releases us from the need to understand all that God is doing.
Whatever threat to our spiritual health we choose to ignore, the enemy twists around so as to compromise our confidence in God.
Because of the fall, we have been robbed of the power and desire to do this naturally. Sin remade our nature, thus it's not natural when we go to pray. We must override all the accumulated ages of sin if we are to say with sincerity, "Our Father in heaven." If sin hadn't entered the picture, we wouldn't have anything to override. Rather, we'd simply raise our voices like the songbirds that sing God's praises without effort.
People, then, tend to turn away from God, their desire and passion for Him growing cold, and go back to what comes natural to them.
We are backsliding when we have lost the relish for the Bible we once had.
We are backsliding when we're more tolerant of evil than we once were, when we don't have the horror of sin that we pray and sing about.
We are backsliding when we have less enthusiasm for spiritual things than we used to have.
I doubt that discouragement is the greatest enemy the Christian has, but it can easily be the greatest nuisance a Christian has to deal with. It is valuable to the devil in his war against us because it is seldom recognized for what it is. When Christians become discouraged, common sense tells them they are just begin realistic. We forget that it is not realism but discouragement, and it often works when no other temptation will. A Christian who would not be guilty of any sin willingly, and who has victory enough not to fall into temptation unwillingly, may yet be visited by this infernal dark shadow from the pit, which we call discouragement. And this greatly hinders the Christian life. Discouragement can easily become a ruling emotion. It is more than an emotion; after a while, it becomes a disposition, an outlook, and an attitude. A darkened lens through which we view everything before us. The mood is the mental climate. IT isn't the individual person so much as the weather on the landscape of their life, which has captivated the person. Just as the weather isn't the field or the farm, and yet it goes a long way in determining if the farm will yield a good crop or not.
You must go to God completely alone as if He were in the desert or in a cave.
We must respond to God's Word with a "Yes, He means what He says, and I surrender my life to Him."
We need to restore in the Church today that passionate love for God that nothing else can satisfy. If you're satisfied with something else, you haven't met the God of the Bible. The more of God you have, the more of God you want.
If you're not worshiping God in our prayers, we're not praying.
July 12, 2024
Fantastic book! Easy read but really challenging and really insightful! This is my third or fourth book of Tozer’s sermons/writings compiled by Snyder, who I think does a splendid job. This was by far the best one I’ve read, and honestly it’s up there with my favorite Tozer books. Some really strong truths shared here, I think every Christian should read it, it’s that good!
Rating: 9/10, five stars!
Rating: 9/10, five stars!
September 8, 2025
Tozer walks through the ways the devil tries to kill our faith. Through comparison, pride, discouragement. He also addresses how to grow our faith when the devil attacks.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews