The Wiles of the Devil: Temptation-Part 1 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 1 Peter 5:8–9 We will conclude our wiles of the Devil series by looking at the subject of temptation (2 parts). Satan’s most notorious activity is that of tempting mankind. Temptation is the solicitation to do evil and is the common experience of all people, whether they are Christians or not. Yet, Satan puts forth extra effort in tempting Christians. He knows that if he can bring down a Christian, he can, to some degree, discredit the church and bring reproach upon the name of the Lord. As David’s sin with Bathsheba gave “great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme” (2 Samuel 12:14), so it is with sinning Christians. This is one of Satan’s motives for tempting believers. Another reason Satan will tempt you is simply because he hates you and wants to destroy you. He knows that “sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:15). When Peter referred to Satan as “a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour,” he was no doubt thinking of Satan’s activity in tempting man. Author John Phillips gives us a very graphic picture of what that looks like: [Satan] has been studying human nature ever since man was created. Satan helped forge fallen human nature. He is a master psychologist. One person he assails with lusts of the flesh. He has a whole arsenal of darts that can set the senses aflame. Another person he assails with lusts of the eye; someone else with the pride of life. The lust of appetite, the love of applause, and the lure of ambition are among the host of darts Satan uses to kindle fierce fires in our souls. He knows our weaknesses and strengths. He sends his legions of evil spirits to titillate our senses, inflame our desires, corrupt our souls, weaken our wills, deceive our minds, deaden our consciences, and distort God’s truth. Satan has a thousand wiles and he never gives up.1 With death and destruction as the aim of the tempter, we cannot afford to take temptation lightly. On the contrary, we must be sober and vigilant in dealing with our adversary, the devil. Recognizing Temptation The first thing we need to do in relation to temptation is to learn to recognize when we are being tempted. One of Satan’s attributes is subtlety. He disguises himself so well that quite often the one being tempted is oblivious to his involvement. In other words, Satan doesn’t manifest himself to you in all of his hideousness, announcing, “I’m the devil. I’m here to lure you into a trap so I can ultimately destroy you. Now watch me work.” No. Instead he hides in the shadows. We don’t even realize that he’s there behind the scenes, pulling strings and manipulating circumstances. He oftentimes poses as one who is greatly concerned for our welfare. Recall Eve in the Garden of Eden: Satan suggested to her that God was selfish, that He was holding back something that was good for her. He used the same approach in the temptation of Jesus. Satan came to Him saying, “Now if You are the Son of God, You shouldn’t be starving to death out here. Is that any way for the Son of God to live? Why don’t You take these stones over here and turn them into bread? Satisfy Yourself. You deserve it. After all, You’re the Son of God.” Like the seasoned angler who knows just the right lure, Satan knows your areas of weakness and tempts you accordingly. He can appear as an angel of light, a damsel in distress, the solution to your financial problems, or the answer to your poor self-image. The list goes on and on. Paul referred to this attribute of Satan when writing to the Corinthians. He said: I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:3–4 Though temptation is sometimes difficult to recognize, you can be sure you are being tempted whenever you are faced with a situation that could lead you to rationalize, compromise, or in any way disobey the Word of God. By Brian Brodersen
Posted on: Wed, 04 Sep 2013 11:04:48 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015