‘Your minds may somehow be led astray.’ 2 Corinthians 11:3 NIV
Paul writes, ‘I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray.’ Temptation always begins in your mind, and in order to protect it, you need to dwell on God’s Word. It was Satan who planted the idea in Eve’s mind to eat the forbidden fruit. Eve wasn’t standing around trying to figure out how to disobey God.
So remember when you’re tempted, it’s not God speaking to you. The new nature you have from God doesn’t think that way. The devil studies you in the same way an experienced coach studies the game videos of the opposing team. And because he does, he knows your weak spots and which temptations have the best chance of success.
How many times have you said, ‘I promised myself I would never do that again’? Yet you did it. That’s because Satan knows what works on you. But you don’t have to go around feeling defenceless and discouraged. The Bible says: ‘No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. 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 endure it.’ (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV)
Satan waits until your defences are down before he strikes, but God always provides ‘a way out’. For every temptation you’ll ever face, God has an escape plan for you. That means while you’ll never be exempt from temptation, you can be victorious over it. And once Satan discovers his tactics no longer work, he goes looking elsewhere.
SoulFood: Rom 1:1–3:20, Matt 13:1–9, Ps 67, Pr 4:1–2
The Word for Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from UCB International Copyright ©