God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
--1 Corinthians 10:13
Over the years, as I have read Genesis 3, I have often asked myself a very obvious question. Why was Eve just hanging around and talking to the serpent? I’m not really sure why she was there, but hanging out by the forbidden tree was not the place to be that day!
When Satan tempts you and me, the Bible is very clear as to what we are supposed to do: Run! The Bible says to flee the devil and his temptations. We shouldn’t try to debate him. We just need to get out of there!
Getting into a debate or discussion with Satan is a losing proposition. We aren’t smart enough or powerful enough to outwit him. And Eve learned that the hard way!
It really comes down to personal choice. The devil will always come at us with the same lies. And God knows that we are weaker than Satan, and that’s why He gives us a “back door” of escape in every temptation. And it’s our choice whether we resist him or engage him.
But unfortunately, we can sometimes let our pride get the better of us and we end up doing things our way. I encourage you today, when Satan throws temptation your way, turn to God and ask Him to show you that way of escape. And when He does, take it and run as fast as you can from that enemy of your soul!
Don’t try to outwit Satan because that’s a losing battle.
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you? And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”
Luke 12:13–15
In his classic story “How Much Land Does a Man Need?” Tolstoy tells of a greedy man who wanted a vast estate. He is offered what seems like the opportunity of a lifetime. For a small sum of money, he can have all the land he can travel around in one day’s time. Beginning early in the morning, Pahom sets out, determined to claim the best land he finds and as much as he can. He stops to rest and eat only reluctantly, and pushes himself to cover more and more ground. Finally he makes a desperate rush to return to the starting point before sundown so that he does not forfeit his money and his land.
He reaches the hill just as the sun sets and falls dead from exhaustion. Tolstoy concludes, “Pahom was dead! The Bashkirs clicked their tongues to show their pity. His servant picked up the spade and dug a grave long enough for Pahom to lie in, and buried him in it. Six feet from his head to his heels was all he needed.”
All of us face the temptation to be covetous and to give our energy and attention to acquiring the things that we think will bring us happiness and contentment. But no amount of acquisition can substitute for peace in the heart. And the things of this world are only temporal. “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out” (1 Timothy 6:7).
Today’s Growth Principle:
A life focused only on the things of this world will never make a real impact for eternity.
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