Temptation

 

The beginning of temptation – Gen. 3

The devil tempted Adam and Eve to disobey

Truths to consider:

• The devil twisted the Word of God….Did God really say that??????
• The devil knows the desires of the flesh
• The devil did not make them do it

 

The devil is still alive and well today – 1 Peter 5:8-9

Truths to consider

• The devil is busy, He has a mission…a plan
• Sometimes Satan masquerades as an angel of light – 2 Cor. 11:12-15
• Sometimes Satan uses other people – Prov. 1:8-16

 

God will never tempt us – James 1:12-18

• God would not entice someone to sin
• It comes from ourselves

 

Keep proper alignment – James 4:7-10

• submit – Stay in the ranks of His lordship
• resist – Keep away from the evil one

 

Pay attention to what you are doing – 1 Cor. 10:12

• Take heed – Focus, pay attention, over confidence

 

The key is staying focused on our daily walk – Matt. 26:41

“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation, the Spirit is indeed willing, but the body is weak.”

 

 I came across the following from Sam Storms….thought it was pretty good.

Seven Tactics of Temptation:

1.      Satan especially likes to tempt us when our faith is fresh, i.e., when the Christian is only recently converted and thus less prepared to know how to resist his seductive suggestions.

2.    Satan especially likes to tempt us when our faith feels strongest, i.e., when we think we are invulnerable to sin. If we are convinced that we have it under control, we become less diligent.

3.    Satan especially likes to tempt us when we are in an alien environment.

4.    Satan also likes to tempt us when our faith is being tested in the fires of affliction. When we are tired, burnt out, persecuted, feeling excluded and ignored, Satan makes his play. His most common tactic is to suggest that God isn’t fair, that he is treating us unjustly, from which platform Satan then launches his seductive appeal that we need no longer obey. 

5.    Satan especially likes to tempt us immediately following both spiritual highs and spiritual lows. Periods of emotional elation and physical prosperity can sometimes lead to complacency, pride, and a false sense of security. When they do, we’re easy targets for the enemy’s arrows. 

6.    Perhaps Satan’s most effective tactic in tempting us is to put his thoughts into our minds and then blame us for having them.

7.    A related tactic of temptation is for him to launch his accusations as if they were from the Holy Spirit. In other words, he couches his terms and chooses his opportunities in such a way that we might easily mistake his voice for that of God.

Sam Storms
Tactics of Temptation, November 8, 2006, www.enjoyinggodministries.com