Demand of God!
I hope that this has been a helpful week to you looking at some of Satan's schemes which we see in the Bible and which still happen today. He comes after us in these ways. And as we look at the last temptation of Jesus in the desert, we see that the devil says to him: “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from the temple.” And then Satan quotes Scripture to him and says, “He will command his angels concerning you to guide you carefully. They will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Quoting from Psalm 91. But Jesus answered, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Think about this. Jesus later would speak about how we can ask him for anything, and it will be done. And yet here the devil says to him, “ask God for anything! Ask him to protect you - that will give him glory, surely?” And Jesus said, “No, no. Don't put God to the test.”
Prayer, Faith, and God's Will: A Reflection on Demands and Trust
I sometimes wonder if our prayers are putting God to the test, insisting that God do something in our lives that He has no interest in doing.
Satan still tries to trip us up by making us demand of God and arrogantly insist that God does things our way. In fact, even the church can sometimes say this type of thing. They say: “You have authority in Christ! Demand from God what you want!” And I think to myself, Jesus had authority in heaven and earth, and yet he didn't demand from God what he wanted. He said, “Not my will, but yours to be done.”
I pray that you will not listen to Satan's lies, insisting that God does things your way instead of yielding to God in faith and letting Him work out his purposes at his time.
Empowered by Faith: Resisting the Devil with God's Strength
Satan is still scheming to try and make us slip up. Be aware of these things and stand against them in faith. Every time. Every time that he throws them at you. And you know what, with the Holy Spirit in you, you can resist. You can resist if you just resist! When you begin to resist the devil's resolve falls away, because the power of God is much greater than the power that He has.
God bless you, my friends, as you resist the devil this weekend with the help of God.
