"Then the devil took Him...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 You up, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.'"--Matthew 4:5-6. It is here that Satan not only tempts Christ but He employs a very interesting tactic to do so, He uses Scripture!!!
When I was in High School, the football team would watch films from a game played the previously Friday. But they would not only watch these films to see how they could improve. They would watch these films to see how the other team played. This would give them a better idea of what to expect next time they faced them on the field. This way they would be better prepared and be better equipped to win the game.
So you might be asking how does this little story from my High School days fit into tonight's blog? Well getting back to Matthew 4:5-6, I decided to talk about what Satan did in this passage to get us a little bit better equipped and to give us a better idea of what to expect from Satan's tactics. And the very scary reality is that Satan can use our own weapon, God's Word, against us. I believe this is evidenced from this passage.
Satan's tactics. As Christians, Scripture is the strongest weapon we have to fight the schemes of the devil. This is a piece of our armor per Ephesians 6:10-17. However, if we don't know how to use this weapon properly, Satan can use it against us.
Satan's tactics. Satan tried to use Scripture against Jesus but Jesus of course knew how to fight Scripture with Scripture. Does Jesus expect any less of us?
Satan's tactics. You might be saying or thinking that Satan does not attack us in this way today. If that's the case I beg to differ with you. Please allow me to demonstrate why.
In today's society, there are those that will try to use a verse or two to prove what they believe is right. The problem with this is that one or two verses is not always enough to show that someone is right but in some cases it can be. Why? Well there are number of reasons. These include those verses are lifted out of their proper context or they are not properly used within the context of the whole Bible.
Satan's tactics. What Satan did here in Matthew was use a verse that was true but failed to connect it with the command that Christ quotes in Matthew 4:7. This is the same issues we will run into when we are attempting to share the gospel with others. People will give one or two verses saying one thing but will fail to connect those verses with other verses that are dealing with the same subject. The big one here is in the area of salvation.
My point tonight is that we can preach and teach what we believe all day and night but if we are not equipped with the Word of God to back that up, Satan will throw God's Word right back in our faces and win the day. It is up to you, me and each individual Christian to spend time DAILY studying God's word. Not just reading it but studying it which involves asking questions of the text and figuring out what the original writer and in turn God is really trying to say, this is part of what is called Biblical Exegesis (Taking out of the text what the author put in).
With all this said in regards to Satan's tactics, my encouragement to you is this. Take some time and think of your favorite passage in the New Testament and study that passage inside and out. As you do, ask someone who is knowledgeable to help you gain a better understanding of the text. If there is anything I can do to help feel free to email me at davidmalleyg@gmail.com. If you have questions regarding salvation, I would also love to hear from you or you can click the link titled "Are You Sure of Your Eternal Salvation?" on this page. Do not allow Satan to be the one who knows the Scriptures better than you do because he can and most definitely will use OUR strongest weapon against us.
DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! PRAY ABOUT IT! LOVE Y'ALL! GOD BLESS!
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