Again, I’ve had people tell me they did something bad in their past because the temptation was just too strong. That’s not true, because God’s Word says, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. [That means your temptation isn’t unique to you—others have faced it and resisted it.] And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.
But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (1Corinthians 10:13) Notice God always provides a “way out.” That means when you face a temptation, if you look around you’ll find an escape route, so RUN FROM IT! The best way to resist sin is to simply stay away from tempting situations, and if you find yourself in one, turn and run away from it as fast as you can. Don’t make a deal with the devil. Remember what Joseph did when Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him? He ran away so forcefully that he left his robe in her hand. The Bible says to “Flee evil desires of youth.” (2 Timothy 2:22) You may think of temptation as having a tug-of-war with the devil. If you do, you’ll lose every time because he is stronger. My advice is this: Drop the rope and run! Don’t negotiate! Memorizing God’s Word is the best weapon to resist the devil When Jesus was being tempted by the devil, do you think He could have disposed of the devil in a flash? Of course. Had Jesus so desired, He could have blinked His Divine eye and Satan would have been disintegrated in a “poof!” Or Jesus could have banished Satan to the coldest corner of the entire universe. Why, then, did Jesus allow Himself to undergo these three temptations? I believe He did it to teach us how to overcome Satan using the spiritual weapons that are available to us. Jesus dispatched the devil by quoting three verses from Deuteronomy. He was modeling to us that the best way for us to overcome the devil is by using the Word of God which is called “the sword of the Spirit” in Ephesians 6. That’s why the Bible says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11) There is a difference between holding God’s Word in your hand and hiding it in your heart. At each temptation, Jesus didn’t say, “Hold it, Satan, let me look here in my scroll and see if I can find a verse to read to you.” Jesus had memorized God’s Word and could quote it. If you memorize God’s Word you can be prepared to quote scripture in response to every temptation you face. One reason you may be giving into temptation is because you don’t have God’s Word hidden in your heart. If you are struggling with a certain sin, ask a Christian friend to help you find a scripture that addresses that issue and then memorize it. Whenever Satan comes at you, quote that scripture out loud and “swish, swish, hack, hack” you’ll send him running. If Jesus could prescription drugs without a prescription online resist the devil using three verses from Deuteronomy, just think what we can do with the book of Romans!
Waiting on God’s provision is always better than settling for the devil’s substitutes Did you notice what the Bible says happened after Satan left? “The Devil left. And in his place, angels! Angels came and took care of Jesus’ needs.” (Matthew 4:11 The Message) The NIV says the angels “ministered unto him.” That’s a word that literally means they served food to Jesus. After fasting for 40 days, can you imagine what that angelic feast was like? I imagine the menu included heavenly hash, celestial nectar, and for dessert, angel food cake, of course! Jesus could have turned stones to bread, but I don’t imagine it wouldn’t have tasted very good. That reminds me of my Aunt Gertrude. She was sweet, but she was a terrible cook. Whenever we would visit her, she would make home-made biscuits that could have been used for hockey pucks. My dad, her brother, used to kid her mercilessly. I remember one morning we were sitting at the table and she asked my dad, “How do you like my biscuits?” My dad took one and rapped on the table with it and said, “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone!’” I imagine bread made from stones would have been like that. But instead of settling for the devil’s stones, Jesus waited for His Father’s angel food cake. We get to make the same choice today—the devils stones or God’s best.
The great Puritan preacher Thomas Brooks wrote: “Satan promises the best, but pays with the worst; he promises honor and pays with disgrace; he promises pleasure and pays with pain; he promises profit and pays with loss; he promises life and pays with death.”
The best way to overcome Satan is not by trying not to think about temptation. I know that’s a double negative, but if you’re trying to lose weight and you’re tempted cialis 10mg price to eat an ice cream sundae, the best way to avoid it is not by thinking about that creamy, delicious, sweet ice cream sundae you shouldn’t have. You resist by thinking about how much better you’ll feel by saying fit. The best way to overcome Satan’s trials and temptations ISN’T by thinking about Satan; it’s by filling your mind with Jesus-thoughts.
I once knew a man who had a highly-trained dog that could obey many commands. He demonstrated a trick to me once when he placed a morsel of meat on the floor only inches from
the dog and said, “Don’t eat.” The dog didn’t eat the meat until the master said, “Eat.” I noticed
that while the dog was waiting, he wasn’t even looking at the meat—he had his eyes fixed on his
master waiting for the command. Even though there was this tasty morsel in front of him, the
dog only had eyes for his master.
I learned a great lesson that day about dealing with temptation. As long as the dog was looking
diligently at his master, the temptation of the meat wasn’t as great. Satan’s temptations are like
that. He enjoys placing the tasty, shiny bait in front of us to entice us. But if you will keep your
eyes firmly locked on your Master, instead of looking at the temptation you can overcome Satan.
Try it: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face; and the things of earth will
grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace!”
The Miracle of Overcoming Satan • Matthew 4:1-11 • March 8, 2009 • #1295A 8
By Dr. David O. Dykes. Part 5 in the “Parables & Miracles” series
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