Aug 22, 2021
2 Corinthians 2:11
lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
- ...that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
- ...he is a murderer there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
- ...he disguises himself as an angel of light.
Matthew 4:1-11
1Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
1 John 2:16, KJV: "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."
The lust of the flesh is everything that appeals to carnal and physical appetite. Although natural body desires are not inherently evil (e.g., the need for food, drink, and sexual fulfillment), the devil can use these normal desires to enslave man (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:12). In this category of temptation, Satan uses internal lawful desires to produce illicit carnal passions (e.g., gluttony, fornication). The devil tried to tempt Jesus by the lust of the flesh when he urged him to turn stones into bread (Matthew 4:3).
The lust of the eyes is everything that appeals to the eye’s insatiable demands (Ecclesiastes 1:8). In this category of temptation, Satan uses external attraction (whether inherently good, as a desire for a house or a car, or inherently bad, as a desire for a neighbor’s wife) to produce covetousness. Eve (Genesis 3:6), and Achan (Joshua 7:21) succumbed to this type of sin when they coveted what was prohibited. The devil tried to tempt Jesus by the lust of the eyes when he “showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me’” (Matthew 4:8-9).
The pride of life is everything that appeals to haughtiness, arrogance, and pride. In this category of temptation, Satan uses contemplation of personal achievement (e.g., popularity, academic success) to produce an anarchical self-sufficient attitude. When a person falls prey to the pride of life, there is not longer a battle against the flesh; the wicked one has won the sensual and intellectual battle. The devil tried to tempt Jesus by the pride of life when he “took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple”, and urged Him to defy God (Matthew 4:5-7).
Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.
Read these:
Satisfied
- Philippians 4:11-13
- Hebrews 13:5
- 1 Tim 6:7-8
- Psalms 107:9
- Psalms 90:14