The Devil Didn’t Make You Do it. Ever. You Are Stronger Than He Is.
Spiritual Warfare Made Simple, Chapter 12, Part 7
Remember the three main principles of spiritual warfare from the first few chapters:
God is sovereign. His control is never in question.
You have dominion. The devil doesn’t.
The devil lies. Deception is his main weapon.
Once you learn these three key truths, you can see them everywhere.
“He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability”
In an earlier letter to the church in Corinth, Paul encouraged them as they struggled with temptations to sin, saying:
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV).
How powerful is temptation?
Can the devil ever overwhelm you with temptation to the point where you are not strong enough to resist?
No. The devil doesn’t control you. You control you.
What about if you are demon possessed? Can the demon that possesses you control you?
Only if you believe the lie that you have no ability to resist. You have dominion. The devil doesn’t. Even the most demon-possessed person can resist the devil — like the demoniac filled with a legion of demons who resisted their influence and ran to the feet of Jesus.
You can always resist the temptation, if you choose to.
You always have the power.
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“The serpent deceived me”
We covered Genesis 3 early on in the book, but this verse deserves another look, as it perfectly encapsulates two of the key principles:
Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:13 ESV).
When God asks what has happened, giving humanity a chance to answer for itself, Eve answers accurately.
The serpent deceived her. The devil lied.
But then she ate. She used her dominion to act upon the lie.
Notice also that God did not have to inform her of what happened. She understood the situation perfectly.
God gave Adam and Eve everything they needed to succeed. The only reason they fell is that they chose to use their dominion to act contrary to what they knew was the truth.
This post comprises the seventh part of Chapter 12 of my book Spiritual Warfare Made Simple. We’ll cover the entire book in this series of blog posts, along with additional content and Q&A. If you’d like a permanent copy for yourself or a friend, you can grab the ebook or paperback here!
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