Satan's Three Favorite Types of Temptation

 A preview of February's email-only article.

Glenn Carstens-Peters

Did you know I write a monthly article just for email subscribers? It's true!

This month we're discussing the three most effective temptations Satan uses against us, and why they're so effective.

Here's how the article starts:

 

Have you ever asked God to strengthen your faith? 

 

I have, but I didn't really think through what I was asking for. How else can he strengthen our faith except by testing it? My faith isn't going to get stronger by magic, but instead by opportunities to exercise it. Had I thought things through, maybe I would have been more reserved in asking for a stronger faith. 

 

Jesus, in order to sharpen his resolve, focus, and faith went to the wilderness at the prompting of the Spirit in order to be tested. But first he had to fast for forty days. I don't know about you, but I get cranky after fasting for four hours. The Scripture, though, tells us he went a month plus without food. 

 

As a result, I imagine the first temptation Satan brought upon Jesus must have been pretty enticing. "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread" (Matt. 4:3). 

 

The tempter is shrewd. He loves setting up these false conditions to cause us to stumble. What's the connection between being the Son of God and turning stones to bread? Well, certainly, the Immanuel would have the power to transform rock to rye, no sweat. But is doing so a condition of being God incarnate? Of course not. But Satan was trying to play both to Jesus's physical weakness (hunger) and to the psychological weakness of humanity (pride) in tempting Jesus to prove his divine status. 

 

Jesus didn't take the bait. He responded, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Jesus quoted Deuteronomy here, referencing the manna God provided the Israelites in the wilderness. In doing so, he acknowledged God's role as provider and sustainer of life. Just as Moses didn't provide water from the rock, Jesus knew that God would provide the sustenance he needed. 

 

Realizing he couldn't take advantage of Jesus's hunger, Satan tried another play at his pride.

 

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How to Tell If You're about to Do Something Awesome

What’s the most significant thing you’ve ever done? The most awe-inspiring?

If you were to ask me I wouldn’t say, “Graduating college.” Although I consider that a great feat. I wouldn’t say, “Running eleven miles in a row.” Or, “Writing two books." 

Beadmobile (CC)

No, without hesitation I’d tell you that fostering and adopting two boys is the most significant endeavor Katie and I have ever undertaken. 

But it almost never happened.

3 Essential Tests That Will Transform Your Heart Forever

My wife and I have a weakness, and that weakness is called leftover pizza.

Leftover pizza is the one thing that will never go bad in our house. Sure, it might be tucked away in aluminum foil far back in the recesses of the fridge. But we know it’s there, calling out to us.

We’ll eat it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or maybe a late night snack. I literally had a slice of pepperoni and black olive just before writing this post. I wasn’t hungry, but I ate it anyway. Why? Because it was there. And it was delicious.

Alberto G. (CC)

If I have such a hard time resisting cold, leftover pizza, I wonder what it was like for Jesus in the wilderness when he underwent temptation. At forty days without food, He was at the weakest he could be.

Then came Satan.

And it wasn’t just with food that he tested Jesus. In all, the enemy administered three tests he thought for sure would ensnare the would-be messiah.

These three tests are tests we all face on some scale or another. And they are essential tests God uses to transform our hearts.

What to Do If God Is Ignoring You

Lee Haywood (CC)

You pray, and you don’t feel anything.

You plead with God. Dead air.

Have you ever been there?

I have.


When God Stopped Talking to Me

A few years ago I read through the Bible in ninety days. It was exhilarating. It was exhausting.

That, coupled with the step of faith my wife and I took to be foster parents, led to one of the most intimate periods of my life with God.

I could feel his presence at church and when I prayed. There were multiple times when I felt God impressing things on my heart. Life was stressful and emotional, but it was all okay because me and God were tight.

Then one day it stopped.

No more tingling sensations in worship. No more direct messages from God.

I was still reading my Bible every day. Still praying. Still going to church.

Why was God ignoring me?

Does God Test His People? Part 2

Read Part 1: Does God Test His People?

Part 1 examined God’s testing of the Israelites in the wilderness. He used their hunger and His provision of manna as tests of obedience and faith. Some passed. Some failed. But the test came from The LORD, and God’s people had to choose whether to obey.

Fast-forward about 1500 years to the time of Christ. Just like the Israelites, Jesus was also tested in the wilderness. It is no coincidence that the story of Jesus’ temptation parallels the story of the Manna and Quail in many ways. And Jesus was obviously aware of these similarities, because He quotes a passage straight from that story when resisting the devil. 

Does God Test His People? Part 1

Deuteronomy 6:16 tells us that we are not to test God. But what about the other way around? Have you ever wondered if something you are going through is a test from the LORD? Does God test his people?

The answer, unequivocally, is yes.