When we set our hearts on becoming like Christ and accept His Commission to serve others, all Hell tries to discourage us and send us off in confusing directions. We must follow Jesus’ example for dealing with Satan. He and his demonic followers are formidable adversaries, but they are beaten! We have to be prepared and stay alert, but we can experience victory over the temptations coming from Satan. What’s more, we can go on the offensive and plunder the Gates of Hell.

Scripture Focus: Matthew 4:1-11, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Ephesians 6:10-18

Defeating Temptation:

Before we examine and apply Jesus Christ’s methods for defeating temptation, we need to understand what it is and who is behind it. Temptation is an enticement to sin. We are drawn to sin (i.e. tempted) because we either believe that it will bring us greater good than following God will bring, or we feel powerless to avoid it. It seems incredible, but the truth is most of us do not yet believe that all sin is destructive. After years of empirical evidence to the contrary, many of us still think that we can derive something good and pleasing by disobeying God. God says no, and we rebel because we think He is trying to withhold something good from us. Our conscience tells us to back off, and we rationalize it away saying, black is really white, and this won’t hurt anyone. Then there are the temptations in our lives that we clearly understand are destructive, but we just cannot seem to break free. We constantly find ourselves drawn into sin seemingly against our will. We worry, but we know we shouldn’t. We hear a gossip and just can’t help but listen and add our two cents worth. We lose our tempers and fly into rage only to mournfully regret it after we cool down. We vow to eat sensibly and find ourselves grazing for hours on junk food. We love our spouses dearly, but fantasize about sexual relations with others. The list seems endless and it makes us feel hopelessly trapped. This is the nature of temptation, and this is why we must learn how to defeat it.

James 1:13-16

When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death. Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. (NIV)

We are not victims who are powerless to overcome temptation. It can be defeated. We need to believe the Lord, rely upon Him to provide the way of escape from temptation, and then to follow Him be taking the way of escape.

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. 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. (NIV)

Satan is the author of temptation. His name means Accuser; he is the enemy. He is a formidable enemy, but not an all powerful one. He has been defeated by our Lord Jesus Christ, and we, in Christ, participate in the Victory! We are at war with Satan and his demonic forces of darkness. These are not flesh and blood but are spiritual principalities and powers. We need to understand the motives and strategies of our enemies to be effective warriors against them. Let’s look briefly at Satan’s history, character, and methods.

History:

Two Old Testament passages-- (Isaiah 14:12-15) and (Ezekiel 28:11-19)-- furnish a picture of Satan's original condition and the reasons for his loss of that position. These passages were addressed originally to the kings of Babylon and Tyre. But in their long-range implications, many scholars believe, they refer to Satan himself. They tell of an exalted angelic being, Lucifer, one of God's creatures, who became proud and ambitious. He determined to take over the throne of God for himself. When he rebelled, God removed him from his position of great dignity and honor. He and the angels that followed him were cast out of the presence of God. From there they came to inhabit Earth, where through cunning and deception Satan influenced Adam and Eve to sin. They had been given authority over Earth, but when they sinned that ownership or authority transferred to Satan and the spiritual forces of wickedness.

Characteristics:

As a result of his original status and authority, Satan has great power. So great is his strength that Michael the archangel viewed him as a foe too powerful to oppose directly (Jude 9). Satan has great influence in worldly affairs. His various titles reflect his control of the world system:

• "the ruler of this world" (John 12:31),
• "the god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4), and
• "the prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2).

The Bible declares, "The whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one" (1 John 5:19). Satan's nature is malicious. His efforts in opposing God, His people, and His truth are tireless. He is always opposed to man's best interests (1 Chronicles 21:1; Zechariah 3:1-2). Through his role in introducing sin into the human family, Satan has gained the power of death-- a power which Christ has broken through His crucifixion and resurrection (Hebrews 2:14-15).

Methods:

Of the various methods used by Satan in carrying out his evil work, none is more characteristic than TEMPTATION (Matt. 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 3:5). Satan leads people into sin by various means. Sometimes he does it by direct suggestion, as in the case of Judas Iscariot (John 13:2,27); sometimes through his agents who disguise themselves as messengers of God (2 Thessalonians 2:9; 1 John 4:1); and sometimes through a person's own weaknesses (1 Corinthians 7:5). His temptation is generally mixed with deception. He is the father of lies (John 8:32,44). The great falsehood which he uses so frequently is that good can be attained by doing wrong. This lie is apparent in practically all of his temptations (Genesis 3:4-5). As the great deceiver, Satan is an expert at falsifying truth (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). Satan's methods are designed ultimately to silence the gospel. He seeks to stop the spread of God's Word (Matt. 13:19; 1 Thes. 2:17-18). When the gospel is preached, Satan tries to blind people's understanding so they cannot grasp the meaning of the message (2 Cor. 4:3-4; 2 Thess 2:9-10). At times he opposes the work of God by violent means (John 13:2,27; 1 Pet. 5:8; Rev. 12:13-17). He brings disorder into the physical world by afflicting human beings (Job 1--2; 2 Cor. 12:7; Heb. 2:14).

Satan is destined to fail in his continuing rebellion against God. His final defeat is predicted in the New Testament (Luke 10:18; John 12:31; Rev. 12:9; 20:10). The death of Christ on the cross is the basis for Satan's final defeat (Heb. 2:14-15; 1 Pet. 3:18,22). This event was the grand climax to a sinless life during which Jesus triumphed over the enemy repeatedly (Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13). The final victory will come when Jesus returns and Satan is cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:1-15).

What did Jesus do when tempted?

Jesus was confronted by Satan throughout His life here on Earth. In Matthew 4:1-11 a particularly enlightening encounter between Satan and Jesus is recorded. Jesus has given us in these verses a sure method for handling temptation. However, before we look into His example we need to consider one very important fact. Jesus is the One who defeated Satan. We have no personal power over Satan and his evil forces. Our authority comes from Jesus Christ. In Him we have the authority to bind Satan and to cast him and his legions out of our lives, our relationships, our community, and our world. The key to all that we will discuss during this lesson is that we must do everything in the NAME OF JESUS. We will be totally ineffective unless we rely solely upon the POWER and AUTHORITY of JESUS.

Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.

After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.

"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.'"

Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.

"All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."

Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'"

Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. (NIV)

Jesus was tempted in all ways that we are tempted today. (cf. Hebrews 4:15) The above three temptations are examples and not the only temptations that confronted Him. What can we learn from these examples? Look how the first two statements by Satan begin - "If You are the Son of God..." Satan tries to get us off balance by instilling doubt. The doubt he is trying to foster in Jesus is about the truth of His Deity, His Relationship with The Father, and the methods of His Ministry. The first request by Satan might seem fairly harmless. Jesus had been led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness and was instructed to fast. Matthew says that after forty days of fasting, Jesus became hungry. That appears to be a huge understatement. I cannot speak from experience, but I have read that our bodies can be made to operate without food that long. The articles that I have read also say, however, that after forty days, a fast becomes harmful as the body starts to consume its own muscle tissue. Had He taken the "IF" to heart and fallen into the confusion it introduces, Jesus might have taken the instruction of Satan as good advice. What would you have done?

I can just see myself following a pathway of logic that begins with - "If I starve, who will perform the ministry God has given me?" Then it would proceed something like this - "Maybe I wasn’t led to this wilderness by the Holy Spirit, but rather by Satan himself." "Oh no, now I’ve wasted all of this time out here fasting when I should have been going throughout all of Israel proclaiming the Kingdom of God." "This voice I hear is probably the prompting of the Holy Spirit. "Wow, He wants to manifest His power through me to miraculously turn these rocks into loaves of bread!" "What an affirmation of my calling!" "Okay, let’s see if I can find a sour dough rock."

Jesus did not fall apart like I would have because He knew who He was, He knew Whose He was and He had not just been going without food these past forty days. He had been in conversation with His Father. The depth of His relationship having been developed through frequent in-depth conversations such as these of the past forty days had enabled Him to clearly distinguish the voice of Satan from the Voice of God. He had no doubt Who led Him into the wilderness, and He was not confused as to who was instructing Him to break His fast. This is the first step in handling temptation. Spend time in conversation with God. When you deeply know the Truth, the Counterfeit and the Lie stand out in sharp contrast.

In addition, Jesus was not caught in this temptation like we might have been because He had a different set of priorities than we typically have. The primary concern of Jesus was not His personal well-being, but rather His Father’s Will. He clearly understood that He did not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. You become a very difficult target for Satan to hit when your will is submitted completely to the Will of God. If your life is wrapped up in pleasing God rather than pleasing yourself, the Tempter will find very little opportunity in you. If the word of God is life itself for you, you will not be caught speechless when the Deceiver tries to beguile you.

Fasting is an excellent way to practice putting God first ahead of even basic physical needs. It helps to free us from what we think is essential and sets our minds on the Lord. Thomas a Kempis said, "Refrain from gluttony and thou shalt the more easily restrain all the inclinations of the flesh." The practice of fasting can be varied. Both the duration and the degree can be adjusted. There is nothing ritualistic or mystical about it. Fasting is not a means of giving more weight to our prayers as if somehow it obligates God to listen more closely to us. It is simply a conscious action on our part to put the Lord first in our lives as we replace, for a time, physical nourishment with spiritual nourishment.

Fasting:

• Enables your spirit to gain control of your mind and body
• Is an opportunity to rely, in a very concrete fashion, upon God to sustain you. Your faith is increased.
• Helps to realign your priorities with God’s
• Eliminates or reduces for a time some of the daily distractions and replaces them with time with the Lord.

Look again at the passage in Matthew 4. The second temptation recorded there is Satan’s attempt to inaugurate Jesus’ ministry with a spectacular display. He took Jesus to the top of the temple and told Him to prove Himself and His Father’s promised protection by jumping from this pinnacle.

I can just imagine Satan saying to Jesus, "You know how difficult these guys who hangout here in the Temple are." "Those Pharisees are so closed minded and self assured; it’s going to take something really spectacular to get them to come around." "Besides isn’t it written that His angels will keep you from harm?" "Go ahead, jump; show them You are Someone to be reckoned with, then they’ll pay attention!" Continuing with this paraphrase, Jesus said to Satan, "Nice to see you’ve been reading your Bible, but don’t you agree that Almighty God, Ruler of Heaven and Earth is just a little above this kind of silly test?!?"

Jesus did not "toy" with Satan or any thought that he tried to suggest. He simply dismissed it. We get into trouble when we begin to ponder the potential truth and possible benefit to be derived from anything that Satan offers.

The final example of satanic temptations given in Matthew 4 appears to be an attempt to stir up a hunger for power in Jesus. If we look a little further, however, we may see that the Devil is really trying to destroy Christ’s whole mission by having Him take a short-cut to His Goal. Satan offers Him all of the kingdoms of the world if He will simply bow down to him. This is why Jesus came into the world - to redeem it. Satan had extracted the ownership of this world from Adam when Adam and Eve sinned. Jesus came to pay the price for sin that He might redeem (buy back) all of creation from Satan. Here the Deceiver is offering to give it back without the suffering, and without the rejection. Jesus did not fall prey to "the end justifies the means" kind of argument. The lesson we might learn here is that we must be clear about both the goal and the path to the goal that God sets before us. When we are called by God to serve Him in some way, we are not simply given an assignment that we are expected to carry out with the best of our abilities. We are called and continuously guided and empowered to fulfill every assignment. God just doesn’t take short-cuts. He loves us too much to "short change" us. The path of least resistance is usually not the path of God. Be especially alert when the path you are trodding appears to be "Easy Street".

Too many Christians view themselves as victims with respect to Satan and his evil forces. It’s as though they see themselves as pilgrims who are subject to ambush at any time. We are not only given the ability to ward off attacks from the rulers of darkness, but we are given the Power to initiate the attack. Jesus essentially said in Matthew 16:18 that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Body of Christ. The gates are mentioned because we are laying siege against Hell. An army on the attack does not take its fortress gates with it. The army returns to the fortress for protection from an enemies attack. We are the enemy of Satan! Through the authority given us in Christ, we can invade the Domain of Darkness! The spiritual weapons at our disposal are effective at tearing down satanic strongholds!

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (NIV)

What are the strongholds that have been set up, and how do these bring us into arguments, pretensions, speculations, evil imaginations, and lofty ideas that are setup against the knowledge of God. Examine your own thought life. What are the strongholds that Satan has there? What have you found yourself arguing or at least trying to rationalize or justify with God? Are your thoughts interrupted by tangents of fantasy that originate out of these satanic strongholds? Now think of the walled fortresses that Satan has erected in your marriage or between you and your Discipleship 101 partner? Do the walls keep you from really sharing yourself with each other? Turn your attention to the Body of Christ. What strongholds exist in the Church that need to be torn down? Are there attitudes that consistently quench the Spirit and prevent us from ministering Christ to a broken world? Finally, observe the citadels of Satan in the world today. Where are the destructive forces of sin seemingly impenetrable?

The spiritual weapons we have been given can demolish these satanic fortresses. With these we can plunder the gates of Hell. Examine with me

Ephesians 6:10-18

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (NIV)

Imagine trying to go into battle with a long, bulky robe on. When faced with that prospect, the Israelites "girded their loins" - made a pair of shorts out of the lower half of their robe by bringing the back of the hem of their robe between their legs and tucked it into the front of their belt. This belt is made of TRUTH in the armor of God. Just like a long robe might trip a warrior during battle, deception can get us so entangled that we become easy prey for Satan’s attacks.

A warrior in the Apostle Paul’s day wore a breastplate into battle to protect his vital organs. Think of it as a bullet-proof vest. God’s armor includes a breastplate or bullet-proof vest of righteousness. Jesus clothes us in His Righteousness; we cannot forge our own breastplate or any other part of our armor for that matter. We can, however, allow it to fall into disrepair. As we allow sin into our lives, we put holes of spiritual weakness and guilt in our armor.

Imagine fighting on hot desert sand, rocky mountain terrain, or cold and slippery grassland without any shoes. You would not be a very effective soldier. In God’s armor we are equipped with shoes made of "the preparation of the gospel of peace." This presents an interesting allegory. We are suiting up for WAR, but standing in PEACE. In short, we are fighting against the rulers of darkness to bring redemption and reconciliation to "flesh and blood". Our shoes provide a sure foundation during the battles and complete protection when we march against the spiritual forces of wickedness in our conquest to bring good news to those in slavery to the Evil One.

One more article of armor that the soldier wears into the battle against the rulers of darkness is a helmet made of Salvation. Satan cannot destroy the Children of God, but he can render them unconscious. If we can be convinced that we should add a little of our own effort to secure and maintain salvation or if we doubt the reality of our salvation, Satan can easily make our heads spin. We will be unconscious to the battle going on around us because we’re too busy battling with ourselves and the people around us.

Truth, Righteousness, Peace, and Salvation are found exclusively in Jesus Christ. The belt, breastplate, shoes, and helmet just need to be put on and worn to be effective. The next two items, however, need to be wielded. We must practice at becoming effective in their use. First, what do you suppose the "fiery darts" are? Satan hits us with temptations to doubt. He tries to get us to doubt that God knows best or that He truly loves us. He works at making us doubt that we are really God’s children. He wants to make us believe that we don’t have the Power to vanquish his attacks. What an appropriate shield! The perfect solution to doubt is FAITH!!! Our faith is increased as we put it into practice. The next weapon against doubt is understanding. This we get from the Word of God - the Sword of the Spirit.

The sword is both a defensive weapon like a shield and an offensive weapon. Jesus used the Scripture to defeat Satan. We too can use the Bible to combat the attacks of the Evil One. Just imagine how it makes him feel to be caught in a lie. He works best in the dark and shining the light of God’s Word on his schemes simply makes them ineffective. Suppose he is trying to encourage you to worry. Strike him with your SWORD - It is written, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God." It will devastate him!

The Sword of the Spirit, however, is not just the Bible. We have discussed this earlier. The Word refers both to the Scriptures and the Lord Jesus. He is the Word and the truly effective Sword.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it... And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:1-5, 14)

The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, Jesus. What He says is alive and powerful and able to guide you through the perplexion brought on by the satanic "IF". He spoke and the storm ceased. He spoke and creation was accomplished. He has defeated Satan; He has been tempted by this deceiver in all ways possible. Listening to and following Jesus is true "Swordsmanship". Learn well the art of raising your Shield and deftly wielding your Sword! The Gates of Hell shall not prevail.

Satan is a master of disguise. His most effective techniques seem to be covert operations. His mode of operation is to insert temptations into our thoughts. We tend to feel comfortable with these thoughts because they "feel" like our own. If we aren’t careful, they will begin to shape our attitudes and actions in a way that is more pleasing to Satan than to God.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (NIV)

We must examine our thoughts in the light of God’s Word and place each of them under the authority of Christ. During a war, when a regiment of soldiers are encamped for the night, they post sentries to guard against intruders who would bring harm to the unit. We are told here in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to post sentries at the gates of our minds and examine every thought that would enter into our control center. We will be infiltrated by satanic forces if we complacently allow any thought to come in and take up residence.

Several years ago, I had an assignment to perform a security audit on the computer center of a mid-western university. Anti-establishment sentiments were running high during these times, and there had been several student protests. During the audit, one of the tests I performed was to see how difficult it would be to gain access to the main computer console. If I was able to do this, I would be able to control the computer and could easily destroy files and system libraries and effectively shut down the university. It was surprisingly easy to do, because some of the people in the computer center had seen me talking with their Director. They thought therefore that I was one of them and they allowed me to enter the control room, walk to the console and enter commands. If I would have looked like a campus radical, I suppose I would not have gotten within a hundred feet of this place. However, I looked like I belonged in the computer room, and therefore, I was not challenged.

I didn’t shut down the computer or corrupt the integrity of their system, I performed some rather benign status commands and then walked away. Satan is not as forgiving as I was in my security test. He is seeking to destroy you and when given an opportunity, he will implement insidious "computer viruses" in your system. Be aware of the fact that he will not appear to be an enemy until he has placed you in bondage. He will appear as your most trusted confidante - your own private thoughts. So examine your thoughts constantly. Take each one captive and measure it against the TRUTH.

Taking conscious thoughts captive is usually not very difficult once we get into the habit of taking charge of what we allow to enter our minds. However, the times of day dreaming, or mind wandering are not so easy. We must stay alert. The best "Swordsman" can easily be overtaken when he is oblivious to the presence of his enemy and is caught napping. We are all prone to allow our minds to wander, so recognize this and watch for it. When you become aware of this occurring, stop and examine the thoughts. Do they measure up to Christ? If they do not, stand firm in the full armor of God and turn your full attention toward the enemy. Let him know that his "cover is blown"; call him by name and strike with the Sword.

When Nehemiah went to Jerusalem to help rebuild after the years of exile in Babylonia, he examined the weak spots in the wall and posted sentries. We need to examine our weak spots too. Look at your personalized list of satanic strongholds. These are your weak spots. Watch for the enemy to attack in these areas. Prepare for battle by searching the Scriptures for specific verses that will enable you to take the thought captive, examine it in the Light, and strike it down with the Sword. For example, suppose you have a weak spot called worry and anxiety. Memorize

Philippians 4:6-7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (NIV)