The Tempter’s Job
Satan and his demonic forces are seeking to steal, kill and destroy what we are and what we have (John 10:10). We all have obstructing temptations, and Satan is a creative strategist who knows how to use our fleshly desires against us, and to manipulate us into his grasp.
The Tempter’s job is to tempt (Matthew 4:1, 13:25-39; 1 Thessalonians 3:5); so, we really cannot fault the devil for drawing us away from God’s perfect plans for us (1 Corinthians 2:12; Ephesians 2:2). The main item he uses to hook us by his deception is our flesh, in which dwells no good thing (Romans 7:18), with a healthy dose of our pride, selfishness, and rebellion.
As we submit our soul – our thoughts, emotions, and choices – to the leadership of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Spirit conforms our mind into the mind of Christ, and we have a whole new way of looking at life, our needs, and our choices (Romans 12:2). The ball is always in our court, and the choice is always ours to make.
The good news is that Satan can only influence an authentic Believer if we are willing to be his victim. God uses our temptations to give us the opportunity to submit to Him rather than to satanic forces.
We break God’s heart when we choose to sin, rather than to walk in His Spirit and avoid iniquity. He enables us to make the correct choice, because of the power of His Trinity within us that is greater than Satan and all his deceiving spirits (1 John 4:4; 1 Corinthians 10:13).
Demonic forces use our own desires and lusts to draw us into sin and away from God’s blessings in our life (James 1:14-15). If we fail to avail our self to God’s help, and we fall to temptation, there is always forgiveness once we honestly repent. This means that we walk away and leave sin behind us.
Prayer:
Father God, the cry of our heart is to serve You with our life. Help us to plug into Your joy, which is our real strength (Nehemiah 8:10), so that we can draw near to You, resist the devil, and he will flee from us (James 4:7). We want to be a beacon for Your glory in our home, family, neighborhood, and community. Give us Your divine appointments so that we can reach the lost for Your glory.
If anyone does not have Your Spirit within them, they are doomed both now and throughout eternity (John 3:18, 15:5). Since we can resist temptation solely through the presence of Christ in us (John 15:5-7), strengthen our spirit and transform our mind to pursue only Your plans and purposes for us. We want to heed Your direction and to abide on the straight and narrow road that You provide for our safety (Matthew 7:13-14).
Thought for the Day:
Temptation is never a sin, because it comes from a source outside of our self; it is how we respond to the temptation that determines whether we please God with our thoughts, words, and actions or submit to the devil’s plans for us instead.
– 1 Corinthians 10:13
