Paul writing to the church at Corinth wishes to warn them to not be taken advantage by Satan: Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.—2 Cor. 2:11

Of this verse Thomas Brooks writes

Lest Satan should get an advantage of us; lest Satan over-reach us. The Greek word πλεονεχτηθῶμεν, signifieth to have more than belongs to one. The comparison is taken from the greedy merchant, that seeketh and taketh all opportunities to beguile and deceive others. Satan is that wily merchant, that devoureth, not widows houses, but most men’s souls.

‘We are not ignorant of Satan’s devices,’ or plots, or machinations, or stratagems, Νοήματα. He is but a titular Christian that hath not personal experience of Satan’s stratagems, his set and composed machinations, his artificially moulded methods, his plots, darts, depths, whereby he outwitted our first parents, and fits us a pennyworth still, as he sees reason.

The main observation that I shall draw from these words is this:

Doct. That Satan hath his several devices to deceive, entangle, and undo the souls of men.

In Precious Remedies for Satan’s Devices he lays out may ways we can be led to sin. When we think of Satan’s devices we have taught to think of ghostly supernatural effects. But as Brooks makes clear, these are things which appear mundane, human: thinking of sin as a small thing, presuming upon grace, toying with temptation.

But one device he does not discuss is the sin of refusing to forgive, which Graham Cole in Against the Darkness does set forth as a device of Satan to destroy a church

Eighth, another avenue for Satan’s malevolence to express itself is when forgiveness is withheld. Such a withholding appears to provide a devilish opportunity to work harm. This seems to be Paul’s concern in 2 Corinthians 2:5–11, where he encourages the Corinthians to be forgiving toward a repentant congregational member (vv. 10–11): “Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.” Paul Barnett comments, “Satan, who is ever ready to destroy churches, will, in the absence of love and forgiveness, quickly bring bitterness and division. Now that the man has turned from his evil ways it is important that he, and the group who support him, be reconciled through forgiveness with the main body of the congregation.”

See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; Heb12.15