Matthew 4:8-10 (NKJV)
8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me …”
Reflections:
The world we live in is the devils turf. He couldn’t have offered it to Jesus if it wasn’t. Satan was cast out of heaven and into the earth. Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven (Lk 10:18a).”
As Christians we are now the devil’s enemy in the earth. If we don’t think there’s a war going on aimed at our destruction, we are dangerously mistaken. Jesus said it himself, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world (John 16:33b).”
One of Satan’s most insidious ploys is to sow confusion in the believer’s mind about God’s integrity; just like he did in the garden with Adam and Eve. We must be careful not to get our kingdoms mixed up. We must never attribute to God that which is of the devil.
“For God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor 14:23a)” and confusion is exactly what the devil specializes in. For example, can you hear him say:
· If God loves you why are you sick?
· If God is so good why did your loved one die?
· If God loves you why is everything going wrong in your life?
· If God loves you why is your life so miserable?
And the list goes on and on …
Sickness, sin and death are the result of the fall. God tempts no man with evil. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly (John 10:10). “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone (Jas 1:13).”
We must make up our minds that God is good as the Bible clearly states, for if we don’t faith cannot and will not work in us. How can it if we don’t believe, and embrace, the truth about God? As a result we’ll become more and more convinced that God doesn’t love us … This is truly insidious … and it is of Satan!
