How Satan’s Involvement in Temptation Works

 Paul Tautges

In a recent sermon in our series in the Gospel of Mark, we took time to redirect to the Gospel of Luke, where we find a fuller account of Satan’s temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. In Luke 4:1-13, we see five important truths about Satan’s involvement in temptation.

Satan attacks when we are most vulnerable (vv. 1-3).

It’s important to note that Jesus was attacked after forty days of fasting in the wilderness. He was hungry. He was starving. Even then, however, Jesus resisted. The devil’s first temptation appealed to a legitimate physical appetite—the body’s desire to be fed. He struck at the point of greatest need—of greatest weakness—where Jesus was most vulnerable. Satan tempted Jesus to turn stone into bread.

Satan will often do the same to you; that is, he will take advantage of your weaknesses. He will tease his lies into the crevices of your heart, where fears and doubts exist, and tempt you to live out your natural tendency toward self-will and self-government—living for yourself, instead of for the Lord.

Now, it’s very important that you understand one major difference between our temptation to sin, and Jesus’ temptation. When Satan tempts us, it is often because we have already given him something to work with, something to use in his favor. Our temptation begins in our sinful heart (James 1:13-16). Jesus, the sinless Son of God, did not have a sinful heart and, therefore, did not have sinful desires. Nevertheless, the temptations that Satan threw at Him were not any less powerful. Jesus, in the fullness of His humanity, was hit full-force by the devil. Yet Jesus resisted.

Satan casts doubt on God’s Word (vv. 3, 9).

“If You are the Son of God” was a subtle attack on the integrity of God’s Word, since God had just declared Jesus to be His Son. Now the devil was challenging God’s statement. Satan has not changed. He is the same sneaky serpent who did the very same thing in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1). The Spirit’s goal in driving Jesus into the wilderness was to affirm who He is, while Satan’s goal was to disqualify Jesus from being the Messiah. Satan knew the promise of God’s curse, that one day a man would crush the devil’s head (Genesis 3:15).

In all of Satan’s temptations to get Jesus to act out in self-will, he twisted Scripture or cast doubt upon its authority. Satan does the same thing to you and me. He tries to get us to doubt the sufficiency or authority of Scripture over our lives. Through various forms of media and art, we have been led to believe that Satan’s chief mode of operation is in the weird, demonic stuff: séances, Ouija boards, witchcraft, horoscopes, and the like. Sure, he’s involved in all that stuff. But his chief mode of operation is in the realm of ideas and beliefs (2 Cor. 10:4-5).

The stronghold of the mind is Satan’s primary battleground. Spiritual warfare happens in the mundane, day-to-day decisions of life. Who will you live for? Yourself or the Lord? When you give in to the devil’s temptations and lies, Scripture becomes a mere suggestion—instead of the final authority for what you believe and the foundation for your life decisions.

Satan feeds our fleshly pride (vv. 6-8).

The devil’s attack came to Jesus in the form of appealing to man’s innate desire to have position and power. This desire is not evil in and of itself, since God did give man dominion over the rest of creation. But Satan often tempts men and women to act out their fleshly desire for power and position, by creating a position of prominence for themselves, rather than waiting until they have been approved by God. Satan tempted Jesus to grab hold of all power and authority before it was God’s time for Him to exercise it.

The devil tempted Jesus to break the very first commandment, to worship God, alone. What really was the temptation here? It was the temptation for Jesus was to grab hold of the power and authority that rightfully would belong to Him, someday, without having to suffer for it. The devil was essentially saying to Jesus, “You can have all of this apart from the pain and suffering of Mount Calvary. All Jesus had to do was bow one knee to the devil and it would all be His! But that was not God’s will. God’s plan for the exaltation of Jesus included—required—the cross. No cross, no crown. No humiliation, no exaltation. It’s because Jesus was obedient to the cross that He will one-day be exalted and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord (Phil. 2:8-11).

See, the second temptation was an issue of worship. The devil offered Jesus power and authority over earthly kingdoms if He would only bow before him. Such is the temptation that many world leaders cave under. But Jesus responded to the temptation for power differently. Jesus understood that the devil was tempting Him to submit His own agenda—not to God’s. He was tempting him to become a servant of the devil. And God was testing the obedience of His Son. He was testing His heart as the source and center of worship. “Jesus, what do you worship?” “Jesus, who do you worship?” Those are the questions He was being asked.

And we are being asked the same questions. Every time we are tempted to sin—to act out in self-will—we are being asked, “What will you worship the most?”; “Who will we love the most?” That is always the question.

Satan encourages us to test God.

The third temptation of Jesus was essentially a test of whether or not He would put God to the test, a sin that Israel did repeatedly while in their wilderness (Psalm 78:17-18). God is to be trusted, not tested. To tempt Jesus, the devil took him to the “pinnacle of the temple.” From here Jesus could see the entire Kidron Valley.

This would have been a 500-foot “leap of faith,” which would have been equivalent to putting God to the test. But, again, Jesus again quoted Scripture. He answered the devil with another text from Deuteronomy, where Israel put God to the test by demanding that Moses produce water for them to drink. To give in to the devil’s temptation would be to test God to protect Him in a moment of great foolishness.

Do you sometimes give in to temptation in this way? Do you act irresponsibly and then expect God to protect you? Do you put God to the test?

Satan never gives up (Luke 4:13).

Finally, you need to recognize that Satan will never stop tempting you until you cave in. Verse thirteen says, “And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.” Satan’s attacks upon Jesus did not end when Jesus successfully resisted them. Satan just left Jesus alone for a bit, until another ideal opportunity arose. The same is true for you and me. Satan might leave us alone for a time, but he is simply waiting—waiting for another moment when we are at our weakest and most vulnerable. Therefore,

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

1 Peter 5:8-9

Listen to “Obedient in the Face of Tempation.”

Posted at: https://counselingoneanother.com/2020/07/30/how-satans-involvement-in-temptation-works/

Ten Truths about a Liar

by Sam Bierig

Editor's Note: The following article is adapted from the latest issue of the Midwestern Magazine. The full issue can be viewed free online.

Is Satan capable of inception? Does he whisper temptations in our ear? Is Satan’s authority, power, and relationship to unbelievers the same or different from Christians? These are all valid and, frankly, somewhat haunting questions. I am not left emotionally unmoved by the many destroyed marriages and ministries around me Satan has devoured. I trust your experience is comparable. It is vital that you and I rightly discern and evaluate Satan. He is not to be trifled with nor buffooned, but in Christ, his back was utterly broken on Calvary’s hill. Therefore, it is important we establish a few implications that help us to discern the person and activity of Satan:

1.) Satan is not omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent, nor eternal.

There was a time when Satan was not. In contrast, there was never a ‘time’ when the Son of God was not (i.e., The Son is eternal). Satan is created and contingent just as humans are (Col 1:16-17). In Job 1:6, the Lord asked Satan, “Where have you come from?” to which he responded, “From roaming through the earth.” He is physically positioned in the universe. He is not omnipresent and thus is unlikely to be personally tempting individual Christians. In Matthew 4 and Job 1-2, he fails to know the future and his potency is shown to be limited by God. 

2.) Satan exercises his otherworldly dominion by way of a hierarchical, geographical, and militaristic strategy.

In Matthew 4, Satan legitimately offers Jesus the kingdoms of the world. These kingdoms seem to have a geographical and governmental nature. This offer is textually grounded in Deuteronomy 32 and Psalm 82. But through the cross, Jesus took back the authority forfeited in Adam (Col 2:14-15). Therefore, in Matthew 28:18, Jesus states that all authority has been given to Him. In John 12:31 we’re told Satan is the “ruler of this world,” which rings of realm and region. Then, there is that peculiar reference to the “prince of the kingdom of Persia” in Daniel 10:13, 20. This dark prince opposes the angel Gabriel and the angelic prince Michael. It’s hierarchical. Experientially, this rings true. The nature of spiritual warfare varies depending on the continent and culture (North America, Asia, Africa, etc.). Satan leads a hierarchy of demons (Mt 12:24), a divergent and highly capable army, which implies he is leading an otherworldly ‘outfit’ that personally tempts persons (Col 2:15, 1 Pt 5:8-9) depending on the sinful sensibilities of a given culture.

3.) Satan can manipulate matter, weather systems, and bacterial life.

We see in Job 1 that Satan is able to manipulate matter and weather patterns and, in Job 2:8, he infects Job with a skin disease. His purpose is to afflict Job, and for our machinations, we note he is capable of feats not afforded to humans. 

4.) Satan can influence and sway legal proceedings and governmental structures.

In Revelation 2:10, Jesus states that Satan is in the process of influencing Smyrna’s legal proceedings by throwing a collection of Christians into prison. Likewise, in Job 1:17, he manipulates the Chaldeans, encouraging them to steal Job’s livestock. Though we are not told how he exerts his influence, we surmise he is the agent of these activities. 

5.) Satan aggressively seeks to trap individual Christians.

1 Timothy 3:7 says he seeks to trap elders. He is spoken of as a federal head type of figure. His minions study individuals and then seek to tempt and twist them in accordance with particularized patterns of sin. They cater and concoct a seemingly irresistible elixir of poison just for you. Television, social media, fast food, biology, age, and gender are all thrown into the recipe.

6.) Satan is more skilled at deception than any other created being. 

John 8:44 says his nature is to lie. If his mouth is moving, he is lying. He is the original liar and, therefore, the father of lies. Every lie was and is birthed in him. However, deception is all he has in his arsenal against Christians. As Colossians 2:15 teaches, this side of Calvary, Satan can accuse, but he knows—and his rebel realm know—that he has been reduced to utter fragility at the cross.

7.) Satan is able to kill Christians.

He is able to kill you physically (Job 1-2), but not eternally (Rom 8). In Job 2, when Satan goes a second time to the LORDin the divine courtroom, he asks permission to kill Job, but God denies his request. I take that to mean Satan could have killed him, but God would not allow it. Everything Satan does comes crashing down on his own head, eventually crushing his skull (Gn 3:15) unto the glory of the Son of God and for the Christian’s good. 

8.) Satan is the Lord’s lackey for the Christian’s holiness.

In 2 Corinthians 12:7, Paul says his thorn is “a messenger of Satan,” and yet the Lord kindly uses the thorn (against Paul’s will!) to produce sanctification and spiritual power in Paul’s ministry. How kind of the Lord to give Paul his thorn! Satan plays the pawn in God’s economy, and the thorn stays against Paul’s will. Thus, Satan is ever regulated by Romans 8 and, therefore, is providentially powerless to wound Christians in any resurrected or eternal sense. Neither Satan nor death, neither “angels nor rulers … nor powers … will be able to separate us from the love of God” (Rm 8:38).

9.) Satan will be thrown into hell in the end.

Satan can and surely has read Matthew 25:41, which states he will ultimately be thrown into hell. That is what I mean by “Satan is so smart he’s stupid.” This is his end, yet he rages against all “born of God” (1 Jn 3:9). He lies. He accuses the brethren (Rv 12:10). But he cannot succeed in bringing a guilty sentence upon the Christian anymore (Col 2:14). 

10.) Satan is resistible.

James 4:7 says, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” He will flee from you, Christian. Resist him. If Christians resist temptation, hold firm the promise of resurrection, and do not give in, do not accept the enemy’s lies, and do not give into his accusations—Satan will eventually depart. He is limited. He is finite. He will eventually move on to easier prey. 

Conclusion

 In the final analysis, we are not told precisely how or why Satan does certain things, but when we analyze the pertinent texts and take into account all of the data, we see what he does and what he is capable of. The Christian, then, is broken over the plight of the unregenerate, properly sobered, and bolstered that Jesus so decisively routed Satan at Calvary. 

Sam Bierig

Sam Bierig serves as Dean of Spurgeon College. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Theology from Ouachita Baptist University and received his Masters of Divinity from Southern Seminary. Sam pastored in Arkansas for six years and now serves as an elder at Liberty Baptist Church in Liberty, Missouri. Sam is married to Mallory and they have one daughter, Abby Mae, and two sons, Levi and Owen. You can follow him on Twitter @ecclesiologian.

Posted at: https://ftc.co/resource-library/1/5039

Satan’s Strategy #6: Just Say Sorry

Robert Spinney

Satan tells us that repentance is easy and forgiveness is available, so yielding to temptation is not serious. We are tempted to think that we'll only commit a sin a few times and then claim God's forgiveness. “Correcting the situation after you sin is easy,” the Tempter tells us.

But this is dangerous thinking for several reasons. First, consider how nauseating even we humans find insincere repentance. Here's an example of what I mean: Imagine that you heard me saying to my young daughter,

“I am about to smash your finger with this hammer I will do this deliberately and with no regard for the pain it causes you. I know it’s wrong for me to crush your finger like this, but I'm going to do it anyway because it is fun. And tomorrow, I will apologize and ask for your forgiveness.” 

I then proceed to wallop my little girl's finger and, as expected, she screams in anguish. The next day, I say to my injured daughter, “I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Don't hold this against me. I apologize.” Wouldn't you be horrified that I could manipulate concepts like “I'm sorry” and “forgive me” so mechanically? Wouldn't you be outraged at my hypocrisy and malice? Surely you would doubt that I was truly repentant, since by definition repentance includes sincerity and genuine remorse.

Humans reject insincere repentance like this; surely God rejects it as well. Satan will tempt you to think that God will accept such insincere repentance. But He will not; the Holy One of Israel will not accept it, since it is not true repentance at all, but an insulting attempt to manipulate God. And this will result in judgment. 

And what if Satan is successful at getting you to think like this? What if the devil persuades you to sin now on the assumption that it will be easy to find forgiveness later? If Satan is so successful at getting you to sin today, what makes you think he won't be equally successful at getting you to avoid repenting? Once you have committed your sin, Satan will work just as hard to persuade you that repentance is unnecessary. After your sin, the Adversary will point out (accurately, I might add) that repentance is often humiliating. It may involve tears and sleeplessness, shame and anguish of soul, perhaps even public confession and costly restitution.

Anyone who has repented knows that repentance is not easy! If Satan persuades you to sin now, isn't it likely that he will persuade you to not repent later? The power of Satan's temptations today should convince you that Satan's temptations tomorrow will be equally powerful. Your easy repentance and easy forgiveness will not be so easy. 

Nor can we even be certain that we will want to repent after we sin. This is because indulging in sin desensitizes us to sin. Frequent sinning diminishes our sense of moral outrage at sin. When sin becomes commonplace and routine, we are more likely to sin again. We all know calloused men who sin repeatedly and no longer wish to repent of their sins. They continue in their sins precisely because they don't want to repent of them. This is the process that Scripture characterizes as a searing of the conscience (1 Timothy 4:2).

Your deliberate sins today may make you unwilling to repent tomorrow.>

Robert Spinney (PhD, Vanderbilt) is professor of History at Patrick Henry College, where he teaches American history and historiography. He is the author of City of Big Shoulders: A History of Chicago and World War II in Nashville: Transformation of the Homefront, as well as an American history textbook and numerous ministry-related booklets. Dr. Spinney formerly served as a pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Hartsville, TN, and at Winchester Baptist Church in Winchester, VA.

Posted at: https://www.reformation21.org/blog/satans-strategy-6-just-say-sorry

Satan’s Strategy #5: God Doesn't Judge

Robert Spinney

Satan tempts us to think that God is so indulgent that we need not fear punishment for our sins. Few of Satan's lies are more widespread and more dangerous today,

"God is a God of love. He does not punish. He never judges. God expects people to sin and simply overlooks our sin, much as would a lenient and permissive grandfather. So don't get too alarmed about sin."

Not true. Here we see Satan resorting to a common ploy: He obscures a portion of the truth to create a falsehood. God is indeed a God of love, but He is also holy. God forgives sin, but He is also a consuming fire (Deut. 4:24; Heb. 12:29). Although rich in mercy, God also cast the angels out of Heaven and expelled Adam from Paradise. God's patience is great, but He also destroyed the entire earth in a catastrophic flood. God displays compassion, but He also sent fire from Heaven to judge the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. 

Nowhere is God's righteous anger against sin more clearly demonstrated than at Calvary. When the Lamb of God hung on the cross bearing the sins of all God's people, the thrice holy God poured out His divine punishment upon the Messiah. The Bible makes this clear: The God who gives grace is also the God who judges sin. 

It is an error—and sometimes a fatal one—to misinterpret God's patience as God's indulgence. God mercifully withholds chastisement as He calls us to repentance. But Satan tempts us to regard withheld punishment as God's lack of concern for our sin. We are then emboldened to continue in sin. “Do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?" (Rom. 2:4). The Holy Spirit displays God's goodness to us and directs us to repent; Satan tells us that God's goodness is evidence that He won't punish sin, and therefore we don't need to repent. 

God does not indulgently ignore our sins. “Do not be deceived," the Bible says to we who are so easily deceived. “God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap." (Gal. 6:7) There is a reaping that is inevitably linked to our sowing: If we sow in sinful actions, we will reap a harvest of sin's consequences (which include God's judgment). There are several good protections against temptation, but one of the best is a healthy fear of God's hand of punishment. 

Brooks cautions that we should be most alarmed over our spiritual health when we can break God's laws and not sense God's holy displeasure with us. “When God lets the way to Hell be a smooth and pleasant way," warns Brooks, it is "a dreadful sign of God's indignation against a man; a token of His rejection, and that God doth not intend good unto him."

Robert Spinney (PhD, Vanderbilt) is professor of History at Patrick Henry College, where he teaches American history and historiography. He is the author of City of Big Shoulders: A History of Chicago and World War II in Nashville: Transformation of the Homefront, as well as an American history textbook and numerous ministry-related booklets. Dr. Spinney formerly served as a pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Hartsville, TN, and at Winchester Baptist Church in Winchester, VA.

Satan’s Strategy #4: Great Men Sin

Robert Spinney

Satan tempts us to excuse or ignore our sin by showing us the sins of great men. We need not turn to tabloid newspapers to read of such sins; the Bible will suffice. Noah got drunk. Abraham lied. Jacob deceived his father and cheated his brother. David committed adultery and murder. Peter denied the Lord Jesus Christ and behaved hypocritically toward Gentile Christians. Satan tells us that such examples prove sin comes with few negative consequences. "These men continued to be useful servants in God's kingdom," Satan says. "They sinned, found forgiveness, and the whole mess was over. They recovered and all was well."

Satan also tells us that such examples prove that sin is inevitable. "There is no avoiding sin," the Devil says. "Sin will happen to the very best of men. God expects us to sin, so He is neither surprised nor terribly disappointed when we do sin. Don't get overly concerned about sin," the Deceiver tells us.

When Satan tempts us in this manner, he neglects to tell us the rest of the story. He hides the tears, heartaches, misery, and painful repentance that result from yielding to temptation. David's infamous sins with Bathsheba and Uriah were followed by his humiliating encounter with Nathan, his public disgrace, and his soul-wrenching repentance. We also know that God punished David for his sin. (See Psalm 51 and 2 Samuel 12:10.) Peter's denial of Jesus before a lowly servant girl resulted in a night of tears. According to early Christians who knew the elderly Peter, whenever the apostle heard a cock crow he would be reminded of his sins, fall upon his knees, and beg for pardon anew.

Great saints sin, but they also feel the pain of sin acutely. “Though God doth not, nor never will, disinherit His people for their sins," writes Brooks, "yet He hath severely punished His people for their sins."

Nor does Satan tell us that great men do not make it a habit to sin. They fall into sin, but they do not stay there. They are overtaken by sin; they do not remain in it. As Brooks put it, they fall accidentally, occasionally, and with much reluctancy; they do not sin obstinately, readily, delightfully, or customarily. Great saints grieve over and fight their way out of sin.

Seeing the sins of great men should certainly affect us: It should persuade us that sin is deceitful and powerful. It should convince us that we are not strong enough to experiment with sin. Every Christian should realize that he is not so mature that he is immune to the allure of sin. Great men's sins should cause us to fear sin all the more and be even more vigilant in resisting it. Believers who think they stand should take heed lest they fall (1 Corinthians 10:12). It can encourage our own repentance when we see that even great saints sinned and yet found restoration through forsaking their sin.

Satan's showing us the sins of great men often has another effect: It encourages us to think that we lack the power to resist sin. "If that great saint could not resist temptation," the Devil tells us, "then how can you? You are much weaker than he!" We see godly Christians succumb to temptations and come to the conclusion that resisting sin is futile.

Not true.

“No temptation has you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are with the temptation will provide the way of escape a you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

This assures me that I always possess the ability to resist on temptations. I never face a temptation that is stronger the provision of God's grace. God is faithful to restrict temptations to snares I am able to resist. This verse also tells me that there is always a way to escape from the temptation without sinning. I can never surrender and cry out, “I can't endure this temptation any longer!" Because a sovereign God controls all events and gives grace, I am always able to endure it. The question is never whether I have the ability to resist this temptation to sin, because the answer to that question is “Yes.” Rather, the question Christians face is whether they are willing to resist this temptation to sin. The Bible tells me that I am never in a situation where I must sin. "The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation.” (2 Peter 2:9).

Robert Spinney (PhD, Vanderbilt) is professor of History at Patrick Henry College, where he teaches American history and historiography. He is the author of City of Big Shoulders: A History of Chicago and World War II in Nashville: Transformation of the Homefront, as well as an American history textbook and numerous ministry-related booklets. Dr. Spinney formerly served as a pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Hartsville, TN, and at Winchester Baptist Church in Winchester, VA.

Posted at: https://www.reformation21.org/blog/satans-strategy-4-great-men-sin

Satan’s Strategy #3: Downplay the Danger

Robert Spinney

Satan downplays the seriousness of sin so that we think it poses no danger to our soul. “But it's such a harmless sin," he tells us, 

“It's so small. No one will be hurt. It's just a little pride, a little worldliness, a little compromise, a little sexual immorality. Only you and God will know, and God understands. There will be no victims and no negative fallout. You may engage in this sin (carefully, of course) without harming your soul.” 

This is a lie. Despite its appeal to your flesh, you must rject this temptation as a falsehood straight from Hell. All sin is a vandalizing of God's world; all sin is a criminal violation God's authority. Sin both offends and betrays God. As Cornelius Plantinga explains: 

"Sin is not only the breaking of law but also the breaking of covenant with one's Savior. Sin is the smearing of the relationship, the grieving of one's divine parent and benefactor, a betrayal of the partner to whom one is joined by holy bond." (Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary, of Sin, p. 12) 

This is why the Bible never suggests that so-called small sins are insignificant. Every sin is big. Of course, some sins carry more obvious consequences, and some sins hurt more bystanders than other sins. But even the smallest sin is an act of treason against the Creator. Sin is a personal affront to God: Deliberate sin is the equivalent of slapping God in the face. This is why Adam plunged the human race into misery and was banished from Eden for what we would likely consider a small sin. Adam didn't murder or commit adultery; he ate a piece of fruit! This was a massively serious sin, however, because it (like all sin) was a defiant rejection of God's legitimate authority. 

Is not resisting so-called small sins a better test of true love for God than avoiding what we regard as big sins? The earthly consequences of big sins are frequently so frightful that even non-Christians refrain from them. Because of the threat of legal punishment or the prospect of public scorn, even unbelievers often frown on adultery, condemn murder, and disapprove of theft. But in small sins, the issue of obedience or disobedience is more clearly a matter of principle. When the consequences of sin are less apparent, do you still obey God? Do you obey God simply because He is God? Do you avoid sin only because of its painful earthly consequences, or rather because you love your Creator? 

Sin corrupts our thinking so that we do not see how "small sins" damage our souls. Due to sin's very nature (and not its smallness or bigness), it distorts our character and perverts our abilities. Small sins are like small amounts of the HIV virus: They weaken our spiritual immune system, compromise our overall spiritual health, increase our vulnerability to other sins, and insure that we will grow only more ill in the future. Small sins numb our consciences. They nurture soul-level corruption and lead to other sins. Brooks is right: in the end, there is more misery in the smallest sin than in the most severe hardship. 

Small sins also often lead to big sins. We frequently entertain small sins when we feel empty, lonely, depressed, or angry. We want our spirits to improve-we want a “mood enhancer” – so we indulge in a sin in hopes that it will make us happy. Often it does; there is usually a momentary thrill when we do something forbidden, and sin is often pleasurable (at least initially). Our little sin seemingly has the desired effect of injecting excitement into our lives. 

However, this sin-induced mood enhancement wears off. Only the Lord Jesus Christ can create sustained fulfillment and contentment in our souls. And ao qe soon find ourselves back where we started: Empty, lonely, depressed, or angry. But now, the little sin that electrified us last month no longer carries the same thrill that it had before. It is no longer exotic, because we have explored it. Indulging in our little sin has normalized that sin to us. 

At this critical moment, temptation does not say to us, “The old course of action-finding pleasure in sin-failed.” Instead, the Tempter says, “Finding pleasure in sin is the right course of action; just do more sin." To enhance our mood now, we must graduate from our little sin to a bigger and more exciting one. In time, however, we will become bored with this bigger sin as well ... and will need an even bigger one to obtain the same mood-enhancing effect. 

This is the classic process of addiction which alcoholics and drug addicts know it all too well. The longest running addiction on planet earth is the addiction to sin. When we say that we are sinners, we mean that are sin addicts; Christians are recovering sin addicts who suffer relapses. As with the alcoholic, so with the sin-oholic; he hopes to find in his vice the satisfaction that only God gives. A little sin is to the sinner what a little whiskey is to the alcoholic: A doorway to self-destruction. 

Both sinner and alcoholic desperately need to resist temptations in order to be healthy. “It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich," says Proverbs 10:22,"and He adds no sorrow to it.” God gives spiritual highs that come with neither hangovers nor destructive addictions.

Robert Spinney (PhD, Vanderbilt) is professor of History at Patrick Henry College, where he teaches American history and historiography. He is the author of City of Big Shoulders: A History of Chicago and World War II in Nashville: Transformation of the Homefront, as well as an American history textbook and numerous ministry-related booklets. Dr. Spinney formerly served as a pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Hartsville, TN, and at Winchester Baptist Church in Winchester, VA.

Posted at: https://www.reformation21.org/blog/satans-strategy-3-downplay-the-danger

Satan's Strategy #2: Sin that Seems Virtuous

Robert Spinney

Scripture reports that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14). Understand that Satan's deception extends beyond disguising his person; he also disguises his activities. Especially when Satan tempts Christians, he presents sins as things that are not so bad, and sometimes even good.

Wasn't this what Satan did in the Garden of Eden? He claimed the forbidden fruit would open the eyes, make man like God, and impart the ability to know good and evil. Eve’s conclusion: It was good to eat the fruit (Gen. 3:6-7). 

Brooks gives several examples of this kind of temptation that resonated with his seventeenth-century culture. Believers are tempted to be proud (says Brooks) when Satan deceives us into thinking that pride is really only neatness and cleanliness. Christians are tempted to covet when covetousness is repackaged as thriftiness. Drunkenness is recast as nothing more than enjoying fellowship with friends. Riotous living is excused as merely a stage through which all youth pass. 

Here are several examples that may resonate with today's culture:

• Men are tempted to give free rein to their bad tempers when this sin is portrayed as merely exercising firm leadership as the head of one's family. 

• Women are tempted to nag and manipulate their husbands when they are deceived into regarding such behaviors as only encouraging their spouses to do what's right. 

• Children are tempted to dishonor their parents when they think they are only exercising their God-given rights as individuals.

• We allow ourselves to wallow in self-pity when we rationalize it as suffering unfairly for Christ's sake. 

• Believers are tempted to indulge in pornography when Satan persuades them that they are merely fulfilling normal sexual desires in a way that doesn't hurt anyone. 

• Impatience is justified as a determination to get things accomplished. 

• Irreverence in worship is excused as friendliness, warmth, and avoiding stuffiness. 

• When we are argumentative in religious discussions, we are tempted to justify our lack of kindness because we are defending the truth. 

• We are tempted to wear immodest clothing when we recast the subject as fitting into our culture for the sake of the gospel. 

• An employee is tempted to steal from his employer when he regards his theft of money, goods, or time as a just compensation for the employer's alleged injustices. 

Sadly, sin corrupts our minds so that we make ingenious defenses for sinful conduct (e.g. Eph. 2:3; 4:17, 18; Titus 1:15; 2 Tim. 3:8; Col. 1:21; Rom. 8:6-7). Indeed, we are chillingly adept at putting a virtuous face on sin. Satan encourages this activity; he excites the remnants of sin in us to think about sin itself in an unbiblical (and sinful!) manner. 

A sanctified mind is one of our best defenses against temptation. Sin frequently appeals to our feelings; in this regard, it is often irrational. It uses our emotions to overwhelm our better judgment. But when our mind is informed by the Word of God, it exposes sin to the purifying light of God's truth. It is our mind that says, "No! This sexual lust will not make me happy. It will not fulfill; it will make me miserable. It will destroy the joy and contentment that only God gives.” 

A biblically-informed mind argues against the often emotional appeal of temptation; it unmasks sin that masquerades as virtue. In so doing, a sanctified mind promotes real godliness (and real contentment).

Robert Spinney (PhD, Vanderbilt) is professor of History at Patrick Henry College, where he teaches American history and historiography. He is the author of City of Big Shoulders: A History of Chicago and World War II in Nashville: Transformation of the Homefront, as well as an American history textbook and numerous ministry-related booklets. Dr. Spinney formerly served as a pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Hartsville, TN, and at Winchester Baptist Church in Winchester, VA.

Posted at: https://www.reformation21.org/blog/satans-strategy-2-sin-that-seems-virtuous

Satan's Strategy #1: Bait and Hook

Robert Spinney

This is Satan's most common scheme: He presents the bait and hides the hook. Satan presents sin as fun, satisfying, profitable, and pleasurable, while concealing the miseries and pain that always accompany sin. 

Surely this is part of what Scripture calls the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:13). We are tempted to believe that our happiness and fulfillment require us to indulge some sin. The “passing pleasures of sin” (Hebrews 11:25) seem irresistible, in part because temptation presents to me only the alleged benefits of sin. Far from conferring benefits, however, sin is the very thing that cripples us. When we commit sin, as Brooks puts it, wrath, misery, shame, and loss are always close behind (p. 29). 

Sin is bad for many reasons; one of them is that it wreaks havoc in a man's soul. It promises satisfaction, but delivers emptiness. Sin leads to more and bigger sins. It either makes us feel guilty and ashamed (which is bad), or creates moral numbness in us so we no longer feel guilt and shame over our sin (which is worse). But Satan hides these hooks and presents only the bait. 

Satan used this ploy successfully in the Garden of Eden. He told Eve that the forbidden fruit would open her eyes, thus causing her to be like God (Genesis 3:4-5). The serpent presented the bait, and said nothing about the hook. Richard Sibbes, one of Brooks' contemporaries, wrote, "Satan gives Adam an apple, and takes away Paradise. Therefore in all temptations let us consider not what he offers, but what we shall lose." Satan also tempted the Lord Jesus Christ in this manner: He offered Christ the largest bait imaginable, namely all the kingdoms of the world (Matthew 4:8-9). 

The bait looks attractive because we believe that sin leads to happiness. Temptation offers shortcuts to fulfillment; it promises quick contentment. But obedience to God is the only sure route to satisfaction. God's laws are guidelines given by a loving Creator who desires for His creatures to flourish. Holiness—not sin— leads to happiness. Sin's remnants in us rebel against this truth, which is why we often struggle with obedience to God's will. Satan exploits these vestiges of sin in us and fans our doubts about whether God's way is truly the best way. 

When we are tempted, the alleged benefits of a sin appear large-just like a juicy worm appears large on a fisherman's hook. The worm does taste good to the fish when he swallows it. But along with the worm comes a hook. Expect Satan to entice you with bait that has special appeal to you. "Satan, like a fisher, baits his hook according to the appetite of the fish," observed Thomas Adams, one of Brooks' fellow pastors. 

Sin's hook is painful. It injures, damages, enslaves, and sometimes disables. Sin leaves long-term (and occasionally life long) scars. Although God forgives sin, He frequently allows us to live with the consequences of our sins.

Christian, believe God's assessment of sin: It brings misery. 

Robert Spinney (PhD, Vanderbilt) is professor of History at Patrick Henry College, where he teaches American history and historiography. He is the author of City of Big Shoulders: A History of Chicago and World War II in Nashville: Transformation of the Homefront, as well as an American history textbook and numerous ministry-related booklets. Dr. Spinney formerly served as a pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Hartsville, TN, and at Winchester Baptist Church in Winchester, VA.

Posted at: https://www.reformation21.org/blog/satans-strategy-1-bait-and-hook

How Much Authority Does Satan Have?

John Piper

Audio Transcript

What legitimate authority does Satan have over this world? It’s a very important question, and it arrives today from a listener named Aaron in Texas. “Hello, Pastor John! In Matthew 4:9 and in Luke 4:6, what authority is Satan talking about? Is he lying that he has authority to give? Or does he truly have authority over the earth? If so, what is it, and how does this relate to God’s complete sovereignty over all things?”

Who Owns the World?

Here’s what the devil actually said to Jesus at the temptation in the wilderness that creates the question we were just asked: “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me’” (Matthew 4:8–9).

“God considered it wise, as part of his curse on the world after the fall, to give Satan a huge power in this world.”

And here’s Luke 4:5–7: “And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, ‘To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’”

My first answer is that if Jesus had worshiped Satan, of course Jesus would have abdicated his divine authority. He would have ceased to be God. If he were worshiping the devil, he wouldn’t be God. The devil would be God. Satan would then give him the whole world and still control the world because Jesus would not be God. He’d be Satan’s lackey. All of this, of course, did not and could not happen. Satan, as usual, was a fool to suggest it. He’s an idiot. He’s always saying stupid, half-true things.

All Power by Permission

But notice the words of Luke 4:6. Satan is not the ultimate authority in the world because, in Luke 4:6, he admits this: “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me.” By whom? God. In his sovereignty, God considered it wise, as part of his curse on the world after the fall of Adam and Eve, to give Satan a huge power in this world.

But he doesn’t have ultimate power. We’re not dualists. We don’t think there’s God and Satan duking it out for power in the universe. God is God, not Satan. Satan’s not God. All Satan’s power is by permission. He has no autonomy to do anything God does not permit for infinitely wise purposes.

We see Satan given permission to afflict Job, right? This is the same kind of paradigm. The Lord said to Satan in Job 1:12, “The Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.’ So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.” All his acts of opposition to God and God’s people are part of God’s plan as he gives Satan permission to exercise tremendous power in this world.

Real but Defeated

Nevertheless, Satan’s sway in this world is terrible and vast. Here’s what we read.

“All Satan’s power is by permission. He has no autonomy to do anything God does not permit for infinitely wise purposes.”

The whole world lies in the power of the evil one. (1 John 5:19)

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. (Ephesians 2:1–2)

The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers. (2 Corinthians 4:4)

Jesus says in his last night,

I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. (John 14:30)

The note that is struck in the New Testament is that in Christ’s death and resurrection, the decisive blow against Satan has been struck. As Satan comes against Jesus in his final hours, Jesus says, “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out” (John 12:31). In John 16:11, he says, “The ruler of this world is judged.”

Here’s Luke 22:53. Jesus says — I love this phrase; he’s just so sovereign — “This is your hour, and the power of darkness.” Jesus basically says, “You know, you get an hour. You get one hour. I know when it starts. I know what it ends. That’s your hour. It’s all by sovereign permission that you can do your dastardly deed in Judas and in me tomorrow morning.”

Power of the Cross

The most important passage on Satan’s defeat in the cross of Christ is Colossians 2:13–15. It goes like this: “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands.” That’s a sweet sentence. The entire record of your life that you regret — canceled. Here comes the decisive second verse: “This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”

“Satan’s one damning weapon against God’s elect is taken out of his hand. There is no unforgiven sin anymore.”

So, in dying for your sins, in nailing your record of debt to the cross, he disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in him. He disarmed them by nailing our record of debt to the cross, because Satan’s power is that he’s a great accuser.

If he has nothing in his court folder as he stands before the bar to accuse us, what’s he going to do? He becomes powerless in this courtroom because our record of debts has been canceled. His one damning weapon against God’s elect is taken out of his hand. There is no unforgiven sin anymore. We’re forgiven. So what’s he going to condemn? Nothing.

God Is Greater

Now in every battle with the devil, we can have total confidence of final victory. This is why Romans 8:38–89 says what it says: “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers [satanic power included], nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” He has been decisively defeated.

A friend told me once about the time when he was converted in college, along with several other athletes. He’s a big, hulking, football-player type. He was converted by an old, elderly woman — a little petite woman. She hosted discipleship groups at her house for these football players twice the size of her. She insisted as her discipleship method that every one of them after their conversion say one hundred times a week, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). I thought, “Wow, that’s a wise way to start a Christian life because that’s really true.”

Posted at: https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/how-much-authority-does-satan-have-in-the-world

Sleep With Your Boots On

Article by Jared Wilson

Do you know that the devil is fully aware of your weaknesses? He knows your particular blind spots, your vulnerabilities. He knows which sins you struggle with the most. He knows what things irritate you, frustrate you, and distract you. He knows exactly what desire or longing is specific to your personality and wiring. And he is every day working the angles to exploit them and bring you down. Satan has a file on you, and he is working it every minute of every day to make sure you fall.

Do you ever think about it that way? The enemy is often more conscious of our weaknesses than we are. And he will do whatever it takes to get us to neglect our faith and forget the grace of God. If he can get us to stumble or use us to get others to stumble, he will not let up until he’s done it. All because he hates Jesus and wants to see Jesus’ glory obscured or diminished in the world.

It is for this reason that Paul’s words are so strong on the subject of the spiritual war. This is not something we can afford to be nonchalant about. The apostle Peter warns us: “Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). This is how Paul informs our preparation:

Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by His vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the tactics of the Devil. For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens. (Ephesians 6:10-12)

The first rule of warfare is practical awareness of the enemy. You can’t fight well if 1) you don’t know who you’re fighting, and 2) you don’t know where they are. Knowing your enemy’s character (what they’re willing to do) and their position (where they may be attacking you from) is a key component to successful warfare. Paul is telling us two things here that are of utmost importance. He’s telling us that our enemy is the Devil, not our fellow man. This is important because we often mistake the unbelieving world as our battle targets. But Paul says we don’t war against “flesh and blood.” Because sin is in all of us, even those justified by the blood of Christ cannot justly carry out the fight against other sinners. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. Unbelievers, by definition, are unenlightened to the things of the Spirit. They are not the enemy.

But we also need to remember the enemy’s position. He attacks us from the spiritual realm. Very often, Christians try fighting the devil’s wiles in the devil’s ways. We assume legalistic behavior will solve our sin problems, for instance. But the devil is totally fine with all of us becoming more religious, so long as we don’t actually love Jesus. No, we cannot wage a spiritual war with human strength. We have to be “strengthened by the Lord,” operating under “His vast strength.” We can’t do it in our own power.

When the enemy attacks our hearts, we don’t want our self-righteousness standing guard, but the breastplate of actual righteousness, Christ’s righteousness. When the enemy whispers his accusations into our ears with his forked tongue, we don’t want some trite, social media-quality daily affirmations sitting there; those would protect us about as much as cotton-ball earmuffs. But the helmet of salvation is another story. If my mind is ready with the great salvation of the gospel encasing it like a force-field of grace, I am really prepared.

Which is why we must wear this armor constantly. We should never take it off. We should wear it to bed as pajamas. We should make sure we’ve got it on first thing in the morning by turning to the gospel as immediately as possible. This is wartime. Don’t take the armor off. You don’t try putting on your seatbelt when you see the Mack truck bearing down on you at 60 mph; you put it on before you pull out of the garage. Likewise, don’t wait for the enemy to show himself before you start suiting up. You don’t know when the attacks will come; best to sleep with your boots on and your sword by your hand.

Posted at: https://ftc.co/resource-library/blog-entries/sleep-with-your-boots-on