The god
of this age, who tempted our Lord, has made hedonism, materialism and
humanism the foundation of worldly philosophy (1 Jn. 2:15-17). He appealed to this, both in the Garden of
Eden (Gen. 3:1-6) and the desert of Judea.
·
The lust of the flesh (hedonism), 4:2-4. Eve saw that the fruit was good for
food. She ate it and gave it to
Adam. Adam disobeyed God. Jesus was hungry. It is not a sin to eat when you are
hungry. But for Jesus to use His divine
powers to diminish His earthly affliction would deny His incarnation. He would not be our High Priest because He
would not be able to say He shared our weaknesses. He concluded from Scripture (Deut. 8:3) that
hunger did not drive His life; His life was driven by every word of God. How often
have we assumed that the path with the least pain must be God’s will?
·
The lust of the eyes (materialism), 4:5-8. Eve saw that the fruit was pleasant to the
eyes. She ate it and gave it to
Adam. Adam disobeyed God. The devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms of
the world, kingdoms that were promised to Him by His Father (Ps. 2:6-9). The devil ruled these kingdoms, whereas in
God’s plan Jesus would only get them after great suffering. The devil offers them without the pain if He
would only bow to him. Scripture is
clear: we must worship and serve God and God alone (Deut. 6:13). How often have we sought the prize (Phil. 3:14), assuming that the easy way must be God’s
way?
·
The pride of life (humanism), 4:9-12. Eve saw a tree that was desirable to make one
wise. She ate it and gave it to
Adam. Adam disobeyed God. Jesus must have followers from Israel. The devil had a great idea and even quoted
Scripture to back it up. “Put yourself
in harm’s way, in front of the people.
God will miraculously save you. You’ll
be famous in Israel. It will be
great.” The problem was that it defied
Scripture (Deut. 6:16) and that meant it was a very bad idea. Jesus waited until the time God exalted Him. How often have we thought that the accolades
of men are proof of the blessing of God?
Satan used all his tricks. He covered all the points we experience. He would return at an opportune time to try again.
He comes to us, often, and with better results for sure. How can we resist the devil so he will flee
from us? Submit to God (Jas. 4:7). Be steadfast in the faith (1 Pt. 5:8-9). But how do we do that?
It is time that we recognize that Spirit-filled
people resist the devil with Scripture.
The Spirit does not work apart from Scripture. We need all the armor of God (Eph. 6:10-20)
but what we lack is the sword of the
Spirit, the word of God. Jesus said,
It is written … it is written … it has
been said. He had it memorized. He resisted the devil the same way we
must. He did not have any advantage over
us. Your word have I hidden in my heart, that I
might not sin against You (Psalm 119:11). Failure in this area is the reason why we and
our children cannot stand up to the god of this age!
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