2 minute read.
Daily Reading: Isaiah 54:1-57:14 ESV, Ephesians 6:1-24 ESV, Psalm 70:1-5 ESV, Proverbs 24:8 ESV
Daily Verse: “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11 ESV)
METHODEIA (3180): “Denotes “craft, deceit” (meta, “after,” hodos, “a way”), “a cunning device, a wile,” and is translated in Eph 6:11 “the wiles (plural) of the Devil.”[1]
Cunning device.
Three cunning devices give the devil ample material with which he tempts us:
“For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” (1 John 2:16 ESV)
Desires of the flesh, the eyes, and the pride of life summarize the devils’ schemes. Just like with Eve, the serpent used the desire of her flesh by tempting her with the apple, convincing Eve she should satisfy her passions rather than waiting on God.
Eve’s eyes gave her information about the fruit. The tempting apple looked so good; why would God not want her to have it? We become vulnerable to the devil’s ploys when we see something we want. Satan understands our human desires and uses them against us.
And we battle pride just like Eve; we all want to know what God knows. But none of us do.
Pure heart.
To resist the devil’s schemes, we must keep our hearts pure.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matthew 5:8 ESV)
Jesus defeated Satan’s temptations by responding with scripture.
- Desire of flesh, “Mans shall not live by bread alone.” Luke 4:4
- Lust of eyes: “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.” Luke 4:8
- Pride of life: “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” Luke 4:12
You must keep the Son in your eyes if you want a pure heart. Jesus helps us defeat the devil’s schemes, but only if we stay focused on Him. Satan tries to lure us away, but Jesus protects us from His attacks. The next time the devil attacks, remind him who you serve. Like Jesus, responding with scripture puts Satan in his place and helps you resist temptations.
[1] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 159) Thomas Nelson
