I am not a Tucker Max fan, but this quote hits the nail on the head when it comes to seeing Satan as the enemy:

Seeing Satan as the enemy will help us to be aware of his subtle tricks.

Our enemy is wily. Scripture says he is the father of lies. He is the accuser. And, he wants nothing more that to detour us from what God has planned.

While reading about when Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert, a couple of things stood out to me:

Luke 4 says Satan came to Jesus when He was hungry and proposed that He turn stones into bread. I have read this many times but this time it hit me… Jesus IS the BREAD. He would soon multiply enough bread to feed thousands.

Then Satan tells Jesus to throw himself off the temple because the angels will keep him from striking his foot against a stone. Later we see that Jesus IS the cornerstone that many will stumble over.

Satan was tempting Jesus to show His power and to reveal His divinity right then. Jesus knew He needed to wait for the right time to reveal who He was. Because God asked Jesus to lay down His King-identity. His purpose was to die for us and free us from the hold of sin.

Satan would do anything to tempt Jesus away from His purpose.

Satan always offers a shortcut [Click to Tweet This] of what we already have in Christ, or of what only God can supply. He wants to meet our needs with a counterfeit.

I am thinking about the connection to the basic needs we have as humans. [Click to Tweet This]

We can get technical by looking at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

In simple terms we need to feel:

• Safe
• Trust
• Connections with others
• Value
• Control over self

In looking at these five basic needs, the enemy will hone in on where we feel vulnerable.  [Click to Tweet This]

We may want to feel safe, yet look to a controlling person to meet this need rather than to see our protection in Christ. We long to be loved, and many will love us in the wrong way.

We don’t often ask ourselves:

Where am I vulnerable?

That’s where the enemy will try to worm his way in. He is a conniving trickster who looks for the weakest point to begin weaving his lying tales. He will try to counterfeit every one; but, they can only be completely met in God.

So, where are you vulnerable?

God wants to meet that need with Him as the source. How awesome that the Creator of the Universe knows us as individuals. He sees where we struggle. And, He calls us to Himself.

God is big enough to meet every need! [click to tweet this]

 

Jeanne

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Charles Stanley’s book is a recommended resource: