How Do You Stop the Devil? (Part 3)

How did Jesus stop the devil and overcome temptation?

Three specific temptations are recorded in the gospel accounts of Matthew and Luke. The first temptation:

And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

--Matthew 4:3

The bread idea generally receives a lot of attention because Jesus was really hungry. (Remember? Forty days of fasting.) So, the devil used the natural physical hunger of Jesus as a smoke screen to tempt Jesus.

Was the temptation all about food, or was there something more?

Look at the ‘if’ statement: “If you are the Son of God….” The ‘if’ statement draws into question the identity of Jesus as the Son of God. The ‘if’ statement suggests the possibility that Jesus was not the Son of God. The devil asked the question and tried to get Jesus to question his identity.

With one miracle Jesus would be able to satisfy his physical hunger AND he would be able to prove that he was indeed the Son of God.

Think again.... 

Turning stones into bread proves nothing. Other people did miracles, but that did not mean that they were the Son of God. There was no prophecy in the Old Testament that connected a stone-to-bread miracle with the Son of God. So, the only thing such a miracle would have proven was that the miracle-worker was able to turn a rock into nourishing bread.

Jesus saw the disconnect and did not fall for the devil’s deception. In fact, Jesus KNEW with absolute certainty His identity. After being baptized by John the Baptist the Holy Spirit descended and rested on Jesus. John had been assured by God that the Holy Spirit would come and rest on the one who was the Son of God. So, with the testimony of the Holy Spirit John testified that Jesus was the Son of God (John 1:33-34). In addition, the voice of God declared, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17). So, Jesus had the testimony of the Father and the Holy Spirit that he was God’s Son.

The devil simply used the physical longing for food to plant the seed of doubt in the mind of Jesus. The food miracle was a temptation, but a deeper temptation was that of proving his identity.

So, how did Jesus overcome these temptations?

He addressed both levels of temptation saying:

“It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”

--Matthew 4:4)

Jesus was basically saying, "I don't need eat now...and I am confident in my identity because of what came out of the mouth of God; I don't have to prove anything."

Jesus demonstrated contentment by refusing to personally satisfy his physical appetite. He was committed to wait on the Lord for strength. In addition, he did not allow the devil to create doubt about his identity. He KNEW that he was the Son of God because of the declarations of the Father and the Spirit, so there was nothing to prove.

The devil cleverly appeals to our appetites making us think that we are the only one who can satisfy our needs. In reality the human being can go without food for days; can survive without a big house, without the latest fashion in clothing, without cutting edge technology, without entertainment, without sex, etc. Jesus trusted God and chose contentment over indulgence.

The devil also challenges our identity by making us doubt that we are children of God. Yet we, like Jesus, have nothing to prove. After all, God has declared:

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

—Galatians 3:26

So, when temptation knocks at your door...

Remember, who you are in Christ: Sons of God.

Wait on the Lord; choose contentment.

How Do You Stop the Devil? (Part 2)

A group of ladies met together for a luncheon. The hostess had asked a Christian friend to present a lesson for spiritual encouragement. In the course of her lesson she talked about how to live the Christian life. When asked to explain a couple of verses in the Bible that described God’s assistance, she corrected with an explanation that went something like, “You don’t understand, you just have to try harder.”

My friend who related this story was stunned; I was stunned. It sounded as if God gave us his Holy Word and then left every thing else up to us. If anyone failed, it was because he/she did not try hard enough. Is that really the case?

In John 14:16-18 we read how Jesus encouraged his disciples just before his arrest and crucifixion:

I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that he may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive…. 

I will not leave you as orphans.

It sure sounds like divine help would follow after Jesus had left the earth.

In Acts 2:38-39 we read about Peter presenting the gospel to a large crowd of Jews. Many were pierced to the heart because they realized that they had killed the promised Messiah. They asked what they should do.

Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as man as the Lord our God will call to Himself.

It sure sounds like assistance from the Holy Spirit was promised to ALL who would make a proper response to Jesus Christ, not just apostles.

So, Christians DO have present-day help, the Holy Spirit. We might not be able to describe ‘how’ the Spirit helps, but God promised help.

Now, on to the point of today’s article. In my January 14th blog, I emphasized the need to use self-restraint and say, “No!” to our desires (lusts). In the book of James (4:7) we read:

Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Is it simply by force of will that we stop the devil? It reminds me of the lesson of the ladies’ luncheon lecturer. It is as if to say, "If you fall to temptation, you just didn’t resist enough. Try harder!!"

However, the key to understanding and to overcoming temptation is found in the words preceding this instruction. Here’s the full text:

Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

If I have not submitted to God, then I really am ON MY OWN. If I fail, it is because ‘I’ have not achieved; because ‘I’ have not resisted enough! Yet, when I submit to God, I am assured of divine assistance.

I must submit my desires (yes, even my lusts) to God. Instead of depending upon myself to satisfy my urges and longings and needs, I give them up to God trusting that he will fulfill my needs. For example, if I lack career satisfaction, lack financial satisfaction, lack satisfaction in my marriage, or lack satisfaction in other areas of life; I must surrender my desires for satisfaction to God. I must stop striving to fulfill my longing and allow God to satisfy.

I must have faith in God’s promises. I must choose to be content.

I can then expect God’s assistance.

How Do You Stop The Devil?

I remember a children’s song from my youth: Roll the Gospel Chariot Along. It was a fun song for kids because it had hand motions. In one verse of the song we sang: “If a sinner’s in the way, we will stop and pick him up.” Our favorite verse, however, said: “If the devil’s in the way, we will roll right over him.”

We were going to just ‘roll right over’ the devil. Strong! Brave!...and out of touch with reality.

Don’t get me wrong; it’s a fine song; and I do believe that, figuratively speaking, the gospel ‘rolls right over the devil.’

The problem is that so many Christians who have responded to that ‘devil rolling’ gospel lose their strength and lose their courage in the face of temptation.

The devil is so cunning. He uses different strategies of deception, the most insidious, I think, is our own personal desires. That’s what James explains:

But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.     — James 1:14

Do you know why temptation is so difficult to resist? 

Answer: We actually LIKE the object of our temptation. In other words, the thing that tempts us IS tempting because it is rooted in our inner desires. (‘Lust’ is really nothing more than ‘a longing desire,’ but cast in a negative context.)

Whenever we long for something, our mind works overtime to construct thinking that will give us permission to satisfy our desire. Here are a few examples (some, rather silly):

• Chocolate comes from the cocoa bean. A bean is a vegetable. Health food.
• I cannot afford it, but it is a great deal; too good to pass up. Savvy shopper.
• “Surely God would not deprive a person of true love,” the adulterer told himself.
• “I was born this way,” said the young person involved in a homosexual relationship.
• “No one will find out,” said the thief.
• “He deserved it!” said the murderer.

The mind has to create a line of reasoning that will pacify the conscience. The conscience has the task of informing the mind of right and wrong. It approves of right and disapproves of wrong. When a person does wrong, the conscience shouts, “Guilty!”...unless the mind is able to cleverly present a reasonable explanation to make the wrong seem right. In reality, any explanation that justifies wrong is masquerading as ’rational’ thinking. There’s a word for that kind of lie: Rationalization.

The conscience is really serious about not feeling guilt. So, rationalization justifies wrong and soothes the conscience. Or, put another way, rationalization mutes the conscience and finds a way to say, “Yes,” to wrong.

Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. — James 1:15

The word ‘conceived’ literally means to ‘take hold of’ or ‘take control of.’

Question: Is that what you want? Do you want your inner desires (lusts) to take control of your life and drag you into sin?

Have you ever considered saying, “NO!” to your desires? That is, in part, how you stop the devil.

Would you like to make the devil run? Or do you just want to excite your desires?

Stopping the devil’s deceptions begins with a true rational mind deciding that ‘desire’ will not be in control of your life. That will require self-restraint. You'll have to be willing to say "No!" to your desires.

Resist the devil and he will flee from you. -- James 4:7

(More, next time.)

Destroyer’s Brother

Destroyer.

How about that for a nickname!?

Perhaps a warrior, a wrestler or a football player would have a sense of pride in the nickname ‘Destroyer,’ but in general it would not be a flattering name. 'Destroyer' is associated with violence and pain.

Look at a photograph of the aftermath of a tornado or hurricane. Chaotic. Good things broken; beautiful things twisted, often beyond recognition; valuable things ruined or lost.

We understand that the storm is just a storm. It has no intent of its own, no vengeance of its own. However, when a person is the force behind destruction, we are angered. And why!?...Because of the senseless nature of acts of destruction.

We may ask, “What was his motive?” We may struggle to understand. Yet, our deeper desire is for justice. The destroyer deserves punishment! The destroyer must be stopped! He can no longer be allowed to threaten society!

The destroyer does not merely destroy physical things, he confuses minds, inflames emotions, interrupts and destroys lives. The destroyer is evil.

If I told you that Destroyer has a 'brother,' would you understand the personification and the play on words? Surely, you would recognize that Destroyer is given human qualities. The 'brother' is not one and the same as Destroyer, but rather, so closely related that the two are tightly bonded together having the same character. Consequently, they are very, very similar in their behavior. You might even come up with a synonym for Destroyer as a nickname for his brother.

How do you think about someone who destroys?

How do you feel about someone who destroys?

How would you deal with a person who destroys?

Capture all of those thoughts and feelings; then let me introduce you to the brother of the destroyer.

He also who is slack in his work
Is brother to him who destroys.
--Proverbs 18:9

What will you do with the new year!?