Christmas is a time for us to remember what God has done by sending His one and only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to save us. That said, the enemy will always try to ruin this time of remembrance and thanksgiving unto God.

But how will the enemy do it? How will he spoil your Christmas celebrations?

Here are a few ways how.

1) By directing the focus towards something else

The enemy has been diverting people's attention away from Jesus on the very holiday He ought to be remembered. The enemy has been at this for many years making Christmas more and more about family and gifts and less and less about Jesus.  And yet many of us fail to see it.

At times, we are distracted by wrong beliefs such as Santa Claus. At times we are distracted by the thought of great (yes, expensive) holiday vacations. At times we are distracted by the Christmas shopping rush, so much so that we end up stressed and with our focus taken away from Jesus.

2) By causing all sorts of unnecessary pressure and trouble

The enemy also loves to put heavy and unnecessary burdens on our shoulders, and Christmas time is no exception.

Where I'm from, for example, people tend to prepare great feasts every Christmas. And so, when people aren't doing well in the area of finances, the Christmas season becomes a burden, not a joy to celebrate anymore. Some will even borrow money just to prepare something great to eat, which then results in another problem.

Have you ever experienced the pressure of preparing the best Christmas party at home on a tight budget? Have you ever felt the pressure of making sure the kids have gifts and the relatives are pleased? If you have, then you know what I'm talking about.

These things are all important to some extent, but remember this: God wants you first and foremost to rejoice in the birth of His Son this Christmas and there are lots of ways this can be done without spending a lot or anything at all, for example by going to free carol concerts and Christmas Day church services, or sitting down to read the Nativity story together.  

There's no shame in asking other guests to chip in with the cost of the Christmas Day dinner - maybe by having a potluck dinner and asking everyone to bring something, for example - or giving inexpensive gifts to the grown-ups in the family so that the kids get something decent. 

Satan is smart when it comes to getting us all stressed out over things that don't matter half as much as we think they do.  

3) By causing disappointment

Lastly, Christmas is a time wherein we should remember that the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth, taking the form of a servant who was born in a lowly place away from public applause. It's supposed to be a time when we remember just how much God loved us.

The enemy, however, will want to distract us from the simplicity of Christmas by making us hope for many things we really don't need.

Some, especially children, expect to receive Christmas gifts from family and friends. Some workers hope to receive a Christmas bonus. All of us long to have a "merry" Christmas. But we don't always get what we hoped for and end up disappointed.

Friends, the enemy will do all that he can to distract us from seeing Christ this Christmas. Let us not allow him to do that by simply focusing on the real reason why there's Christmas in the first place: God.  When we have a real encounter with Jesus at Christmas, everything else will fade in comparison.