Avoid Temptation: The Snares of Satan

Genesis 39:4-12

2 Corinthians 2:11

What are Satan's devices?  Satan can get an advantage over believers if we are not aware of his devices (snares, subtle schemes or traps).  Satan is also called the Tempter.  When he attacks the people of God it is usually not obvious.  If he went around like a roaring lion all the time no one would be deceived by him.  The bible tells us that he is the Tempter.  The church of Christ should not be ignorant of his devices because he wants to lure Christians into sin.  Many Christians are deceived into wrong thinking and actions.  Subtlety is his method, and traps are not easy to get out of.   Some evangelical leaders are so lacking discernment of Satan's devices that they take everything at face value, and anyone that says they are evangelical, they believe it.  There are so many men and women who are not aware of Satan's devices.  They are naive, living in the past, thinking that evangelical means the same thing now as it did in the 60s. But sadly, it does not.  Now, its not the biblical gospel, its the bible plus other things.  "make a decision"  "raise your hand". 

Sometimes Satan presents the bait and hides the hook.  Just do this thing and you will enjoy it but there are consequences which are hidden.   Sometimes Satan makes sin look small, he belittles sin, he presents God as all love and no justice.  Sometimes he says go and sin you can repent after.  That shows how Satan has snared Christians with his subtle schemes and many don't even know it.  Many Christians do not really want to know what the bible says.  Someone can prove from the bible that a church is disobeying God and it won't make any difference at all because people will just ignore it and pretend that it was never said.  They won't put it right because most professed Christians are determined not to obey the word of God and yet they still cling to the myth that they are saved, saved in their sin, clinging to a little profession.  Wanting, hoping to believe but Jesus said that it was only those who DO the will of my Father who will get to heaven.  Its a sad, sad situation when a professed Christian is content in their disobedience to the word of God.  

Satan's tactic will be that he will make a Christian confident to venture into the very place where they are going to be tempted.  He fills them with the notion that they can go to a place of temptation but they will be strong and not sin, they will be able to resist the temptation.   Satan says that you can resist temptation that is put in your path.  When you get tempted to think in that way, remember that Christians are to avoid temptation and all appearance of evil "lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory."   Don't think that you can put your finger in the fire but not get burned.  Enter not into the path of the wicked.  You are not going to get victory over sin if you don't avoid the temptation.  


Consider the great saints who are now in heaven, who, when they were on the earth, turned from temptation.  When Joseph was tempted what did he do?  He turned and he ran away, he ran away as far as he could get from Potiphar's wife. Gen 39:10-12 "And it came to pass, as she (Potiphar's wife) spake to Joseph day by day that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.  And it came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the house to do his business; and there was none of the men of the house there within.  And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out."   David in better days said in Psalm 26:4-5 "I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers.  I have hated the congregation of evildoers; and will not sit with the wicked." David watched his company, he was going to avoid the place of temptation.

What does Psalm 1 say about the blessed man? "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night." These things are written for our learning says the New Testament. 

 The biblical principal is that you run away from temptation.  When Satan says "don't worry when you are tempted, you will be able to resist"  remember that scripture commands us to avoid temptation, you won't have any victory if you don't turn away, and great saints on earth turned away from the place of temptation.    If we put ourselves into a place where we know we are weak, we will fall.  Instead turn away.  Temptation will vary with people and if you know what your temptation is, avoid it at all costs.  Your heart is like a box of dry leaves and this world is full of sparks and you have to keep your heart away from the sparks of sin.  Keep your heart from that part of the world that would inflame you.  Proverbs 4:23,25-27 "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.  Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.  Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.  Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil."   Out of your heart flows the issues of your life.  If you give your heart, your emotions and your will to the world, those sparks will inflame it, you will give in to your temptation and you will fall.  Keep your heart pure.
If you meet professed Christians who say we have liberty to do all sorts of worldly things, look at their lives before you listen to them.  Ask yourself:  are they faithful?  Are they spiritual? Are they people of prayer? Do they obey the bible?  The answer is always No to all because they are rebels who will drag you down with their liberty to transgress God's word.  Christian guard your heart from temptation.  

If you want to obey God's word as a believer and do what the bible says, the worst tempters are Christians who don't obey God and don't think that they have to obey scripture.  Don't listen to worldly Christians, avoid them at all costs.  Jesus said that the person who will get to heaven is not everyone who says "Lord Lord" but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. " Matthew 7:21 "  This is not professers but doers of the word.  James says that if you are not a doer of the word of God your religion is vain.   If you think something is borderline guard your heart  and don't do it.  Stay on the safe side. 
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The above notes were made by myself from the sermon by Paul Dowling of Whiteabbey Congnregational (Reformed) at Sermon Audio.

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=101908163882