Lead Us Not Into Temptation, but Deliver Us From Evil.

Jesus spent 40 days in the desert being tempted by Satan. The latter presented everything we would ever want: our basic needs and even glory, yet Jesus did not budge, as He knew his identity in God. In Genesis 3: 1-7, we witnessed ‘The Fall’, the famous passage where the serpent tempted Adam and Eve. Keep that verse in mind; we will come back to it. Have you ever felt that Satan appears to understand our needs? Let us discover why…

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

According to Maslow’s research, a human being has five levels of needs and desires that is:

1. Food and water.
2. Safety and security.
3. Social needs (we yearn for acceptance and care)
4. Mental development, we are curious creatures that want to know how things work.
5. Self-actualization, where we get to attain our full potential.

 

The Fall

3 Now, the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild

animals the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God really say,

‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent,

“We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘

You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden,

and you must not touch it, or you will die.'”

4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.

5 “For God knows that when you eat from it, your eyes will be opened,

and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food

and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom,

she took some and ate it.

She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened,

and they realized they were naked;

so they sewed fig leaves together

and made coverings for themselves.

If you take some time to read the verses, you may notice that the serpent starts his speech by referring to food, humans’ primary need. He proceeds to mention safety, assuring them that they will not die. He continues to mention every single need humans have, making it seem like he cares, understands and wants to provide for us.

The question remains unanswered how Satan seems to speak our language? We should know by now that our needs are not evil, far from that idea; God designs our needs. Just like I can understand the needs of my neighbor and provide for him, Satan understands our needs. The devil will present us our needs in the most attractive manner, in the aim to make us sin against God.

Sins Come With A Price.

Have you noticed how when Adam and Eve succumbed to temptation, they realized they were naked? They were defiled with shame, and they tried to cover themselves.

Everything presented to us by the devil is not free and it shall never be free. Sin comes with a cost, and often we die spiritually before dying physically. The fulfillment of our needs separated by God’s ideals for us leaves us empty, naked and vulnerable.

This is what happens when we try to meet our own needs, as Romans 6:23 clearly reminds us that our sin carries a heavy price: “for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The devil will tempt us with attractiveness, money, power, and pleasure but beware; Satan cannot lead us to the road of righteousness; his very nature is to deceive. Often pictured in a red suit with horns and a pitchfork, Satan is far from the fearful image we painted; he comes as everything we need.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, remind yourself constantly about the consequences, for it will help you to stay away from it. Let us know in the comments how you can flee from temptation.