The Nature of Temptation

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.' But he answered, 'It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.' Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, 'If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, He will command his angels concerning you,' and 'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.' Jesus said to him, 'Again it is written, 'You shall 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 glory. And he said to him, 'All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.' Then Jesus said to him, 'Be gone, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.' Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him" (Matthew 4:1-11). Every believer is born again into spiritual conflict which will last his or her life time. This is why we must be aware of the wiles (schemes) of our common enemy. In the account of the first temptation of Jesus we learn that Satan tempts our Lord to carry out his mission in an unfaithful manner by using the powers that He had voluntarily set aside by becoming a man. The temptation sequence was real and not a vision. This temptation takes place immediately after Jesus' baptism and the declaration that He is God's Son. Satan wants Jesus to test (or prove) that declaration.The first temptation is for Jesus to trust Himself rather than God the Father to meet His physical needs. Every believer will be like wise tempted. When times of financial hardship come we must trust the Lord for His provision. Faith is living without scheming. The second temptation is for Jesus to "force" God to save Him. Jesus was wise enough to not put Himself in a place where He was tempting God. This applies to how we drive, how we care for our health needs, and how we use wisdom in protecting our lives. The Devil is the god of recklessness.The third temptation is for Jesus to avoid the cross (note Peters request Matthew 16:22-23). Many times the enemy will tempt us to avoid a painful change in our lives in order to build a better relationship with our mate. He may temp us to cheat (taxes comes to mind) in some way to avoid making financial sacrifice. To every temptation, Jesus responded, not by performing a counter miracle or showing a counter sign, but simply by quoting a relevant passage from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy. We can clearly see that Jesus had enough of God's Word memorized to refute and protect Himself against Satan's best temptations. In the third temptation, Satan essentially claims the world as his dominion (Luke 4:6). This statement by Satan is neither affirmed or denied by the Lord Jesus. It could a statement not worth commenting on. In tempting Christ, Satan shows Him the kingdoms of the world in their splendor, but, as a liar, hides the sin that would be involved in gaining the kingdom Satan's way. Often Satan will, in type, present an old harlot dressed in a new gown. The evil one sugar coats sin in such a way that one cannot see beyond the "pleasure for a season." He does his best to make us forget" the wages of sin are death. "Satan's power and abilities are evident in that no earthly mountain would have been high enough for him to have shown Jesus the whole world in an instant. Having failed, Satan leaves Jesus, waiting for a more opportune time. This does not mean that he gives up all activity until a much later time. It simply means that he does not give up for good and that he is always looking for the right time to try again. We must be careful to think that that after we win one victory Satan will call off his hounds of hell. After the temptations, angels come and 'minister' to Jesus with food and comfort. Note the sequence 1. Jesus is hungry. 2. Satan's fulfillment is offered and refused. 3 God provides Jesus' needs through angels. 4.Jesus' victory over Satan at this time gives the foundation for His authority over demons in the rest of His ministry. We must be careful to avoid the trap of thinking that Satan's strategies do not change over the course of time and from culture to culture. With that warning in mind, the parallels in the two temptations are worth pointing out. Garden of Eden: 1. Question the content of God command. "Did God really say,"2. Reject the command itself. "You will not die."3. Get Eve to believe that Satan is the one who is really concerned for her. Jesus' Temptation: 1. Trust Himself rather than God to meet His needs. "Turn these rocks into stones."2. To "force" God to save Him. "Jump off the pinnacle of the temple and the angels will catch you."3. To avoid the necessity of the cross. "I will give you the kingdoms of the earth."Common to both: 1. Appeal to physical senses before spiritual ones.2. Twisting God's words.3. Questioning the character of God (testing Him)4. Offering a shortcut. 5. Goal: to break relationships.6. Theater: the mind. As we walk through life, we will be in many ways like wise tempted. We must know enough of the Word to combat the lies of the enemy. The power of Satan is in the lie. Spiritual warfare is confronting the Devil's lies with God's truth. God's Truth will trump Satan's lie every time. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Victory in The Spiritual Battles of Life

Please read Philippians 1:27-30 The Christian life is not a play ground, it's a battleground. If the Enemy can rob believers of their faith in Christ and His Word, then he can cripple and defeat the ministry of the Gospel. It is sad to hear people say "I don't care what you believe just so long as you live right." What we believe determines how we live, and wrong belief ultimately means a wrong life. Each local church is but one generation short of potential extinction. This is why Satan attacks our young people in particular. How can a group of Christians fight this enemy? We must use spiritual weapons, namely the Word of God and prayer. An army to be effective must fight together. There are three essentials for victory in the battle to contend for the faith. First, We must have staying power. We ought to learn the glory of the grind. God is more interested in what you are than what you do. The most important weapon against the enemy is the consistent life of believers. Paul is suggesting that we Christians are the citizens of heaven. While we are on earth we ought to behave like heaven's citizens. The Christian that practices the truth, and behaves what he believes is going to defeat the enemy. Consistency is rooted in Christ like character. A consistent walk produces Christ like character. Second, we need team work. The words "Striving together' gives us our English word athletics. Paul pictures the church as a team, and he reminds them that it is teamwork that wins victories. There was division in the church at Philippi. Satan always says "Divide and conquer." Two women were not getting along with each other. The people were taking sides. The enemy is always happy to see internal division in a local ministry. It is only as believers stand together that they can overcome the wicked one. Believers are to perform as a team of athletes. No one man teams, no glory hounds. Not everybody can be captain or quarterback. The team has to follow the rule book. There is one goal, that is to honor Christ and do His will. Third, we need fortitude. Paul says we are not to be alarmed by our opponents. In the above verses Paul gives us several encouragements that give confidence in the battle. These battles prove that we are saved. Many new believers have the idea that trusting Christ means the end of battles. In reality it means the beginning of new and bigger battles. Christ carefully taught the disciples this truth. The presence of conflict is a privilege and a gift. Another encouragement is that others are experiencing the same conflict. Satan wants us to think we are alone in the battle, that our difficulties are unique, such is not the case. Paul reminds the Philippians that he is going through the same difficulties they are experiencing hundreds of miles from Rome. Humans nature is the same. Satan and his hoard of demons are active everywhere. We all know that change in geography is usually no solution to spiritual problems. The silver lining in the battle comes in knowing that going through spiritual conflicts is one way we have to grow in Christ. During these times God gives us the strength we need to stand firm against the enemy. God's grace is always sufficient. The Philippians had seen Paul go through conflict when he was with them and they had witnessed his firmness in the Lord. The word conflict gives us or English word agony. When the enemy sees our God given confidence, it makes him fear. "You are writing a Gospel, A chapter each day, By the deeds that you do And the words that you say. Man read what you write Whether faithful or true; Just what is the Gospel According to you? Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

The Truth About Spiritual Warfare

Is spiritual warfare a common occurrence for Christians? Or is spiritual warfare a scare tactic to get Christians in line? "God would never let Christians be tested by the devil." "'Spiritual warfare' is a phony phrase. We already have spiritual victory." "Spiritual warfare is a concept that only kooks believe." I've heard these responses and more to the statement Christians are in a spiritual battle. But such beliefs are right out of the pit. Furthermore, they contradict the Scriptures. It's true that we are born again by the Spirit of God. We begin a vibrant new life (2 Corinthians 5:17). But we also are joined in a battle-a battle from which dying and arriving in heaven will be our only escape. This battle is called spiritual warfare. Such warfare appears on nearly every page of Scripture, from the beginning when Adam and Eve fell to the lies of Satan, through the journeys of Israel as they listened to more lies of the devil. It led finally to the coming of Jesus and the arena of entrenched falsehood that He entered, which ultimately led to His death. Through it all, though, a reassuring theme runs through the Bible: God is ultimately in control; nothing happens outside His sovereignty, and even Satan is little more than a player in God's vast drama. God has every lie and machination well in hand. The Scriptures declare that nothing Satan does will deter the triumph of God's plan, which is the establishment of the kingdom that will last forever. The New Testament describes the battle as continuous and purposeful. In Ephesians 6:10-18, the classic passage detailing the spiritual armor that every Christian must carry into battle, the apostle Paul gave this call to arms: "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." (verses 11-13). And the apostle Peter cautioned all believers about the leader of the attacks: "Be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion" (I Peter 5:8). Satan is in fierce battle with God and His followers, but his fate is sealed, for God has already won the victory. As Christians, we fight from victory, not for victory. Such victory is not always a reality in our Christian lives, however. Paul exhorted Timothy to "wage the good warfare" (I Timothy 1:18). But truthfully, most Christians know very little about the enemy or the warfare he wages against us and which we must wage against him. As a result, we do not walk in the spiritual victory that is ours in Christ Jesus. Years ago, I heard a man speak on spiritual warfare in a way that raised the hair on the back of my neck. The casting out of demons, frontal attacks on Satan through rebuking prayer, and loud denunciations of the enemy using biblical language, all ran like a thread through his speech. Today, I honesty question that speaker's accuracy in describing real spiritual warfare. True, there are moments when the casting out of a demon is necessary. And yes, prayer is essential in defeating the power of Satan in a bleiver's life. But warfare does not involve attacking Satan himself. Instead, spiritual warfare means confronting the enemy's lies with God's truth. In warfare counseling, I have found people face mainly two problems: they sin and they believe lies. Satan's only real power is through those lies. He will take God's truth and twist it or deny it. In tempting Eve, for instance, the serpent (inhabited by Satan) twisted God's words (Genesis 3:1) and directly denied them (verse 4). Satan succeeds as the great deceiver when we believe in our mind and emotions what he says is true even though it is false. Liberty comes when we grasp and believe the truth. At that point we are no longer deceived. Satan's advances against us are foiled. Why is this deception so sinister? Because we live what we believe. When I believe a lie, I live that lie. If I think I'm worthless, I am worthless. If I come to believe hatred is justified, then I will feel just in hating. Satan foments anger and all sorts of negative emotions with such lies. This is why warfare is so much a matter of the heart and mind than of exorcism and so many other dramatic examples others give to the issue. I believe that in America today more people are susceptible to the subtle lies of Satan than any kind of oppression or possession through the occult. Though the occult is gaining a much greater foothold, even to those trapped in its bonds, it's not actual indwelling of spirits that occurs, but a series of lies accepted and followed as the truth that destroys them. You need not be in the occult to hear and accept Satan's lies. Many Christians are listening to his lies. Some are as simple yet devastating as someone telling himself that he's stupid, no good, worthless, ugly, etc. The truth "I am fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:14). The amazing thing is that many people will go through life believing such lies and never recover or learn the truth. How does Satan manage it? He whispers the lie so subtly and so repeatedly that we cannot think any other way. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

A Fresh look at Spiritual Warfare

Please read Matthew 4:1-11. Every believer is born again into spiritual conflict which will last his or her life time. This is why we must be aware of the wiles (schemes) of our common enemy. In the account of the first temptation of Jesus we learn that Satan tempts our Lord to carry out his mission in an unfaithful manner by using the powers that He had voluntarily set aside by becoming a man. The temptation sequence was real and not a vision. This temptation takes place immediately after Jesus' baptism and the declaration that He is God's Son. Satan wants Jesus to test (or prove) that declaration. The first temptation is for Jesus to trust Himself rather than God the Father to meet His physical needs. Every believer will be like wise tempted. When times of financial hardship come we must trust the Lord for His provision. Faith is living without scheming. The second temptation is for Jesus to "force" God to save Him. Jesus was wise enough to not put Himself in a place where He was tempting God. This applies to how we drive, how we care of our health needs, and how we use wisdom in protecting our lives. The Devil is the god of recklessness. The third temptation is for Jesus to avoid the cross (note Peters request Matthew 16:22-23). Many times the enemy will tempt us to avoid a painful change in our lives in order to build a better relationship with our mate. He may temp us to cheat (taxes comes to mind) in some way to avoid making financial sacrifice. To every temptation, Jesus responded, not by performing a counter miracle or showing a counter sign, but simply by quoting a relevant passage from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy. We can clearly see that Jesus had enough of God's Word memorized to refute and protect Himself against Satan's best temptations. In the third temptation, Satan essentially claims the world as his dominion (Luke 4:6). This statement by Satan is neither affirmed or denied by the the Lord Jesus. It could a statement not worth commenting on. In tempting Christ, Satan shows Him the kingdoms of the world in their splendor, but, as a liar, hides their sin. Often Satan will, in type, present an old harlot dressed in a new gown. The evil one sugar coats sin in such a way that one cannot see beyond the "pleasure for a season." He does his best to make us forget "the wages of sin are death." Satan's power and abilities are evident in that no earthly mountain would have been high enough for him to have shown Jesus the whole world in an instant. Having failed, Satan leaves Jesus, waiting for a more opportune time. This does not mean that he gives up all activity until a much later time. It simply means that he does not give up for good and that he is always looking for the right time to try again. We must be careful to think that that after we win one victory Satan will call off his hounds of hell. After the temptations, angels come and 'minister' to Jesus with food and comfort. Note the sequence 1. Jesus is hungry. 2. Satan's fulfillment is offered and refused. 3 God provides Jesus' needs through angels. 4. Jesus' victory over Satan at this time gives the foundation for His authority over demons in the rest of His ministry. We must be careful to avoid the trap of thinking that Satan's strategies do not change over the course of time and from culture to culture. With that warning in mind, the parallels in the two temptations are worth pointing out. Garden of Eden: 1. Question the content of God command. "Did God really say," 2. Reject the command itself. "You will not die." 3. Get Eve to believe that Satan is the one who is really concerned for her. Jesus' Temptation: 1. Trust Himself rather than God to meet His needs. "Turn these rocks into stones." 2. To "force" God to save Him. "Jump off the pinnacle of the temple and the angels will catch you." 3. To avoid the necessity of the cross. "I will give you the kingdoms of the earth." Common to both: 1. Appeal to physical senses before spiritual ones. 2. Twisting God's words. 3. Questioning the character of God (testing Him) 4. Offering a shortcut. 5. Goal: to break relationships. 6. Theater: the mind. As we walk through life, we will be in many ways like wise tempted. We must know enough of the Word to combat the lies of the enemy. The power of Satan is in the lie. Spiritual warfare is confronting the Devil's lies with God's truth. God's Truth will trump Satan's lie every time.