Brooks' offers remarkable insight into the methods of our great adversary as well as the deceptive inclinations and maneuvers of our own sinful minds. This book is readable and emminently practical to everyday life. Following Christ is something we have to do in the midst of real life and that is exactly where Thomas Brooks meets his reader. In 2 Corinthians 2:11, we read this phrase about Satan from Paul: "For we are not ignorant of his devices." Satan has devices - i.e. schemes, strategies, ploys, and tricks he uses to draw our souls to sin, to keep us in a constant state of spiritual drought and uneasiness, and to cause us to neglect spiritual disciplines such as prayer and Bible reading.

As different as the world is now than it was in 1652 when this little volume was first published, the devices of our enemy have remained largely unchanged. He still hides the hook of sin under a very attractive bait. He still tries to convince us that wickedness is actually godliness and piety. He still works hard to convince us that the benefits of prayer, Bible reading and study, reading good books, attending church, and fellowshipping with God's people are not worth the effort.