Uncovering the Temptations of the Enemy

This morning I was going to read a few verses later in Matthew, Chapter 4, but the story of Jesus' temptation caught my eye. Here are the scriptures - Matthew 4:1-11 NIV:

[1] Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. [2] After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. [3] The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” [4] Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

[5] Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. [6] “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ ” [7] Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

[8] Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. [9] “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” [10] Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ ” [11] Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

My first thought on reading these was that they probably only cover the high points of the temptations, because the enemy is very deceptive and works in many behind the scenes ways that were not described here. However it is good to look at these temptations and the enemies tactics so that we are aware and can recognize his ways.

First, he waits until Jesus has fasted for 40 days. The enemy generally doesn't tempt us or attack us when we are strong, but rather at our weakest. He doesn't fight fair, nor does he want a fair fight, because those he can't win. He will always attack us at our weakest point, at our most vulnerable spot. I heard one preacher say that he always goes for our Achilles heal in other words the single spot we are most vulnerable.

Second, he doesn't give up and can lay in wait for many days and even many years. I heard another man who ministered to fallen pastor's say that in most cases the pastors he worked with had fallen into sin after years of walking in an area in victory. His point was that the enemy will wait for years, even decades to try and snare us, so we must always be on guard, and never believe we are beyond the point of temptation in any area of our life.

Third, he hits us in not only the vulnerable spot, but in the spot that hurts the most. Jesus was hungry after fasting for 40 days, so where does the enemy strike first? In the same way, if we have areas of wounding in our lives, that is where the enemy will strike, right where we are wounded. If we have been betrayed in relationships, or wounded by rejection, the enemy will aim for those spots first as we often lack faith in those areas. It is easier for him to deceive us or cause us to loose our grip on the truth that we have been living in these areas.

Fourth, he is relentless and will change tactics if we are victorious in one area of temptation. He is like the door to door salesman who won't take no for an answer, he keeps on coming up with new and creative ways to attack us and tempt us. So its important to not let down your guard after scoring a victory, for he will be coming back, and often with a new approach.

Fifth, the enemy is the deceiver, so anything he says is half-truths, and may sound good, but the underlying affect is to have us fall short of God's glory and presence, and purpose for us. He also isn't beyond twisting scripture to his own end, so not only do we need to know the Word, we need to grasp the heart of the messages of God so we can judge correctly that which we hear. It's knowing what is true that will help us recognize that which is false.

Finally, he tempted Jesus in the areas of provision and need, power and authority, and in assumption, unbelief and idolatry. He will often test us in any or all three of these areas.

Lord, thank You for uncovering the enemies ways, so that we can recognize them and resist them. The final point is that Jesus has authority over the enemy in all areas of our life, so we can command the enemy to leave and he will have to leave!