The 4 Ways the Devil Tries to Destroy You | Msgr. Charles Pope | Last Call Ep. 36
October 15, 2026
AI Summary
5 min read“The very word diabolical comes from the Greek diabolin, which means to tear asunder,” Monsignor Charles Pope explains on Last Call. He is describing the devil’s core strategy: to divide, distract, and ultimately destroy. Drawing on decades of pastoral experience and deliverance ministry, Msgr. Pope lays out a four-part framework for understanding how the demonic operates. The tactics are deception, division, diversion, and discouragement—and each one targets a different vulnerability in the human soul.
Deception: Being Carried Off as Prey
The Latin root of deception, decipere, means “to be picked up and carried off.” Msgr. Pope insists the image should be violent: you are prey in the mouth of a lion, half-dead, being dragged to its lair. This is not an intellectual mistake; it is a spiritual abduction. The devil works through half-truths, beginning with the same question he asked Eve: “Did God really say?” Today that question manifests as a culture that separates what God joined together—sex, marriage, and children. The result is a “free-floating” sexuality that has distorted marriage, driven down birth rates, and normalized abortion. On a personal level, deception also means remaking God in our own image. “God made man in his own image,” Msgr. Pope says, “and we keep wanting to return the favor.” When people say “my Jesus” or “the God of my understanding,” they a
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What you'll learn
- 1 (01:32) **Introduction: The Four Tactics of the Devil** - Msgr. Charles Pope joins the show to discuss his article on the four primary tactics Satan uses against Christians, drawing from his experience in deliverance ministry.
- 2 (02:11) **Deception: The Violent Act of Being Carried Off as Prey** - Msgr. Pope explains that deception is not a passive mistake but an active, violent carrying away of the soul by lies.
- 3 (05:58) **Deception About God and Self: The Idolatry of Our Own Making** - The devil deceives us by convincing us to recreate God in our own image, which is a form of idolatry.
- 4 (07:11) **Division: The Diabolical Work of Tearing Asunder** - The second tactic is division, where the devil turns people against family, friends, spouse, the Church, and God.
- 5 (09:23) **Guarding Against Division: Dogma vs. Preference** - The key to resisting division in the Church is to hold fast to dogma while not dogmatizing personal preferences.
- 6 (11:44) **Diversion: The Trap of Being Busy with Lesser Things** - The third tactic is diversion, where the devil keeps us occupied with trivial matters so we neglect what is essential.
- 7 (16:58) **The Danger of Outrage and the Slippers Principle** - Getting angry about national or global issues feels productive but is often a waste of energy that could be used on our actual duties.
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Show Notes
It’s Last Call! Msgr. Charles Pope is here to discuss the devil's four tactics of deception, division, diversion, and discouragement and how to combat them.
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Pints: Last Call Ep. 36
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📚Resources Mentioned:
More from Msgr. Charles Pope: https://msgrpope.com
The Hell There Is - Msgr. Charles Pope: https://tanbooks.com/products/books/the-hell-there-is-an-exploration-of-an-often-rejected-doctrine-of-the-church
Theotokos Rosaries: https://dwplus.shop/TheotokosRosaries
Truthly 30 Day Free Trial: https://get.truthly.ai/TlbX/MATT30
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