“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11).
Introduction
We in live in an age when temptation faces us every step of the way. Almost unthinking we make unwise and sinful decisions or say something we know we should not. Genesis chapter 3 reveals that the devil is a crafty schemer who knows exactly what buttons to press to steer us away from the Lord. He is the master of covert, sly and sneaky attacks. Rarely does he assault us head-on. How should we respond when we realise that Satan is trying to defeat us and tempt us away from Christ? We seek to answer this question in two studies on the schemes of Satan.
The source
“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man: but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed” (James 1:13-14).
Temptation never comes from God; therefore the only other alternative is the devil. This does not mean that we blame the devil for our sin, for as we shall see, the problem lies within our own sinful hearts.
Satan knows what to do to get our attention onto sin and uses our own sinful desires to “entice” us. He does not bother tempting us with that which we have no desire for. Yes, the Lord allows us to be tempted otherwise we will never have opportunity to resist the “fiery darts” of the devil. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world” (1 Peter 5:8-9) … “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” (Ephesians 6:16).
The power
“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed” (James 1:14).
The devil normally uses that one sin that always defeats us, “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). We have to overcome this ‘besetting sin’ in the power of the Lord; otherwise it will continue to entice us from the pathway of holiness.
Like a fish to the bait [the meaning of the word “enticed”] we are caught hook, line and sinker. All the devil has to do is reel us in. Like that enticing morsel, most temptations appear to be appetizing and harmless. We would not even nibble on the bait unless we were hungry for sin. David said, “I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me” (Psalm 101:2-3). We must not underestimate the power of temptation, but “Abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:22).
The escape
“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthian 10:13).
There is no temptation that is irresistible to the believer. When the devil offers us sin, the Lord offers us strength to overcome, but what we choose is up to us. By choosing sin, we are led into defeat, but if we choose God’s strength our faith and victory is increased. Therefore no Christian needs to be defeated by Satan. If others have overcome him and his temptation, so can we. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). If a fire breaks out in a building we instinctively look for the fire escape door, but why do we not do this when the “fiery darts” of the enemy of our souls come our way? God has provided an escape route, not so we can flee from Satan, but to hide ourselves from his schemes; this is called “the shield of faith” (Ephesians 6:16).
When the devil opens a door to sin, Christ opens a door to victory and holiness. God will not allow us to be tempted above our ability to resist. This truth arms us against any of the devil’s schemes.
Conclusion
The devil is our foe, but he is not greater than the Lord who has bought us through His blood. “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
Page created 4 March 2006