TRICKS OF THE DEVIL II – Saturday August 12th 2017
Memorise: Be not desirous of his dainties for they are deceitful meat. Proverbs 23:3
4:5 And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
4:6 And
the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory
of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give
it.
4:7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.
4:8 And
Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is
written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou
serve.
Bible in one year: 2nd Kings 9, Ezekiel 23:22-34, Hymn: Sing hymn 7
MESSAGE:
Today,
we are considering another trick of the devil, which is trapping a
person through inordinate desires. This tactic often takes the form of a
sweet and generous offer used in sugar-coating a poisonous pill. Such
offers can come as a gift, an appointment or a promise of greatness. The
packaging of such offers is always tasteful, attractive and elegant,
but inside lies destruction. The devil tried to play this trick on the
Lord Jesus Christ Himself in today’s Bible reading. In many cases, no
matter how much you try, you may not see anything wrong with the whole
arrangement at the initial stage, but at the end of the day, you will
find yourself entrapped to do the bidding of your “benefactor” against
your wish.
The rich and powerful of this world deploy this trick in
getting what they want. They use the luxuries they can provide to entrap
the less wealthy and vulnerable, who may feel obligated to do their
bidding. Many victims of this scam have been disappointed, enslaved and
some have even lost their lives. I enjoyed Christians youths to be
warned that those who are addicted to pleasure, who always have their
eyes roving and seeking for a luxurious lifestyle, will easily be sucked
in and entrapped by these wicked predators. The language of Satan and
his agents is “All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them” (Luke 4:6). I pray that you will not be deceived or fall victim of such mean and wicked deceivers in the mighty Name of Jesus.
For
diverse reasons, this particular trick of the devil is especially
potent and effective in this generation more than any other time in the
history of mankind. Open Heavens 12 August 2017: Saturday daily
devotional by Pastor E. A. Adeboye- Tricks of the devil II. We
are in a world where instant riches, riotous living, exhibition of
immorality and the pursuit of extreme pleasure have become attractive to
people.
Now, wealth and fame derived from participation in vices (such
as corruption, gambling and drug-trafficking) are being celebrated, even
among some so-called Christians. Some attributes that used to be highly
valued in society, such as integrity, diligence, moral principle and
godliness, have become things of the past and are now looked down on.
The younger generation seems to have a warped idea of what success
really means. Consequently, predators are using the weapon of deception
to entice vulnerable individuals into evil deeds, such as sexual
gratification in exchange for favours, drug-related businesses, human
trafficking, organised crime, internet fraud, and many others, promising
quick money, political appointments, business opportunities, rapid job
promotions etc. Is anyone promising you something in exchange for
“nothing”? Ensure that you do not fall for any deceptive proposal of the
devil. The rich and powerful do not give away their favours for free.
They always ask for something in return, and their demand is usually
much greater than their initial investment. If care is not taken, you
may lose your own soul in the process. Don’t be carried away by any
“delicious” offer, because it is really nothing but deceitful food laden
with poison. You’ve been warned!
Prayer point
Father, please keep me from ever falling for the tricks of the devil or becoming a victim of fraudsters.
Open
Heavens Daily Devotional guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the
General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the
largest evangelical Church in the world and also the President of Christ
the Redeemer's Ministries.
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