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February 11, 2022 12:00 am
Nonentity intensified Catholic child in the air Friday, February 11.
Satan is the enemy and every town of God. Learn to recognize his tactics and avoid being snared by the schemer.
Temptation is a fact of life, and it's not going away, there's a big difference how young you are hold you are temptations always going to be with her so you can't run from it. That doesn't mean that you not to flee.
In the midst of temptation, but you can't run an escape from temptation and life and the reason is because Satan has the right tempter is always going to be there attempting to accomplish his purpose. If someone should ask you what is Satan's ultimate bottom line. Purpose. This is it. Satan's bottom line. Purpose in your life and monitor everyone else's is to alienate us from God.
That is the most alienate us in this life and our fellowship with him or to persons lost. It is the alienate that person from God for all eternity.
But alienation to interfere with our fellowship and to divide us and separate us from God is always his ultimate goal. Now don't temptations not going to go away. It may vary in its manifestations in your life. In the intensity with which it comes, it may diminish in some areas and intensifying others temptations not always going to come the same way and I think all of us would agree that something Satan would the template wouldn't even tempt us with that is, Satan knows better than to tempt some of us to drink but he knows of other things that are far more subtle and far more effective in our lives than that. On the other hand, as someone else may be tempted in that area. Whatever the temptation is you and I know that when Satan comes to his with that temptation he has found the already knows that there is an area of weakness there and so what is he do in his scheming plotting to defeat as he uses what he knows will always at least get our attention, so I want to title this message snared by the schemer and I will talk about in this message. What I believe is his choicest method of defeating us. If you just think about all the words by which Satan is described in these called you know the evil one.
The murder of the Lyle, the Prince of the powers of the air. It has many minute names, but it's interesting how he's described and what is alluded to him in second Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 11. When you turn there for a moment if you will.
Second Corinthians chapter 2 verse 11 and Paul is writing to the Corinthians hair and talking about their conduct, and so forth any comes to the 10th verse. It's interesting how he links these two things together when he says, but whom you forgive anything. I forgive also or indeed what I have forgiven if I have forgiven anything I did for your sake in the presence of Christ in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan, but were not ignorant of his schemes.
And so he says forgiveness is a very important part of our Christian life in protecting ourselves from Satan schemes but notice that last phrase that I was to deal with. We are not ignorant of his ski. The truth is many people are defeated in their life every day because they are ignorant of the schemes of the devil, not what is in schemer scheme is an underhanded plot or plan with diverse specific objective in mind, which is to defeat or undermine in some fashion and we talk about the snare us. There is simply a trap. And that is Satan is attempting to trap us to catch as I think capture is by his scheming underhanded plotting way of getting attention of our Lord Jesus Christ, and on the something else.
So what I would like for us to do is to look at the ski that Satan uses. And to think about in terms of maybe how you and I have been tempted in things and how he uses decided the best way for me to describe this is to use some characters illustrate with some characters of the Old Testament. The first of all a mistake.
Satan's choices way to cause us to be snared and temptations to do this, his choice method is to get our focus off the big picture of life and narrow it down to the one single thing he's going to use the snare and what he does is he simply alters our focus get out the big picture down to the single thing you think about this for moment when you tempted by anything the intensity of the temptation increases the proportion onto the degree you focus on the object of temptation that is to the degree to which your focus is geared and is directed to that object of temptation to that degree is the intensity of that temptation. And so what does he do he simply attempts to get our focus narrowed down.
Let's start if you will. In Genesis chapter 3 with the and notice what the object here is you notice that in verse three.
The serpent was more crafty. He was the schemer and that's why Paul says in Ephesians chapter 6 will put on the whole armor of God to protect ourselves from us against the schemes the trick. Those underhanded scheming tactics of Satan. So he says that to her, indeed, has God said, you shall not eat from any tree of the garden and that they carry on.
The woman said to the serpent from the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden God is that you shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die, the serpent said the woman usually should not die for God knows that in the day that you eat from it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil, no wickedness. When the woman saw that this doesn't mean she's not glanced up because he brought her attention that in a way already. When she saw that the tree was good for food, and it was a delight to the eyes that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit.
Eight and she gave her husband with her, and he ate the eyes of them both were opened now. What did he do. He didn't say look this fantastic garden so wonderful garden.
He said even look at the fruit and he said if you'll take a bite of the fruit. Delicately, God is not to garnish the fruit if you take a bite of the fruit you will be like God, you will be smart so what he did is he took Yves focus and he got it all. All the garden all the other trees voted down, not just the one tree but the fruit and said if you eat of the fruit of this tree you will be like God, knowing the difference between good and evil. The second thing about you to notice this, go to Joshua chapter 7 look if you are in verse 20. You recall, this is when Joshua confronts Aiken about stealing the gold and silver look, if you will, in verse 20 so I can answer Joshua and said, truly, I have sinned against the law, the God of this one. This is what I did when I saw among the spoil a beautiful mantle from Shinar and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold 50 shekels in weight and I coveted them and took them, and behold the consume of the earth and San Martin with the silver underneath it.
You know what he did is what he did. He took his eyes off the big picture because they were taking a city they were being obedient to God and all that was involved in a tremendous victory. Satan got his eyes out the victory. All of what God was up to, and in his life. The nation of Israel got on one thing and all of a sudden he was glued and magnetized by gold, silver and those clothings that he wanted. He got his focus down. The one thing and he worked on him with the goal and the silver just like he worked on the eve of the fruit with Eve make you like God, you have position with Aiken to make you rich. It'll make you wealthy got his eyes off the big picture when you turn if you will to second Samuel, you recall and second Samuel, this is the account in the 11th chapter of your return there for moment, 11th chapter of second Samuel, what's happening now that there is peace in David's kingdom. The Scripture says in chapter 11 verse one.
Then it happened in the spring of the time when kings grabbed the battle of the Davidson Joab and his servants within and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of a modern NBC driver, but David stated Jerusalem.
Now when the evening came, David arose from his bed and walk run on the roof of King's house and from the roof he saw a woman bathing and the woman was very beautiful and apparent you know what happened.
Walking around looking over the city and off of his balcony, seeing all that God had done.
All of a sudden this would Satan did. He narrowed his focus down to one household and one woman taking a bath and his Satan just narrowed his focus down. He forgot all about being a king for moment he forgot all about the battles he wanted.
He was the king of Israel all that got it done for the thick size of the big picture got it narrowed down to one woman taking a bath and it was a disaster for his life.
Well, let's keep going when you turn to first Kings chapter 19 from and first Kings chapter 19. You'll recall that God had told Elijah told him to announced is not going to be in the rain and all visceral so there wasn't any dinner because you he told them that there would be so this is the bet.
This is the thing that's going on but I want you to notice what happens in chapter 19, that Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done how he killed all the prophets with the sword and Jezebel send a message of their larger saying so may the gods do to me and even more about do not make your life is the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time she's gonna kill you, and he was afraid and rose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah and left his servant there, but he himself when the days journey to the wilderness and came and sat down under a juniper tree and he requested for himself that he might dine said it is enough now, Lord, take my life from not better than Michael. One will happen to this giant of a prophet is what happened. He had watch God do this amazing work he'd watch God defeat the prophets avail.
But all of a sudden just what Satan did he got his focus off of all the victories that God brought about his life and narrowed it down to one woman and her name is Jezebel. And the only thing he could think about was Jezebel and her power to kill and hurt, vengeance or hatred or animosity or hostility toward him. She says you send him a message tomorrow I'm going to killing know what happened. He got his focus off of this mighty omnipotent God would work a miracle in his life a culmination of visceral and got in a one woman and on her position and her professed power.
What happens he backsides out there thinking about the wrong thing now is what I want to save those illustrations every time you and I get the feeling we get to be the same way every single time we get defeated. Ultimately, that's it. Satan you see this what temptation does temptation by its very nature is magnetic that is Satan weathered something or somebody or whatever it might be.
Satan gets out. Focus narrowed down to the one thing that he Moses to think about.
And once you get your focus on that. Then he begins to send you all these messages you've got to have it you wanted it will satisfy your need. You either have to work again. Whatever it might be.
He starts pumping you with all of his lies because he is the father of lies is the narrowed focus that is his ultimate tactic is ultimate ski he can get you to get your focus narrowed.
He knows you not gonna keep the big picture in mind if you don't, here's what's going to happen. First of all about but you're not backing off and you get tunnel vision telescopic sight this thing that that suddenly begins the magnetize your drawing you you get blotted out and blacked out of questions like these. Is this the will of God for my life.
How is this going to affect my life with this hinder my success in my walk with this get me where I'm going. One of the consequences of such an act or if I get this all received that I go there. What are the consequences. How is it going to affect me in the future am I going to have guilt am I going to feel pain am I going to hurt other people who around me is going to suffer as a result of this will hurt my relationship to Christ widely grand idea.
Sorry I did you see how many times have you said got. I knew better.
You sure did, but your focus got narrowed and friend. Let me taste something that's exactly the scheme of the devil. He's always use them because it's always worked. Why should he do anything else narrows our folks not think about people who read pornography is a good example, people who read pornography. For example, they get their focus in Satan narrows their focus down the says this is what you want know what you'd like to have this or whatever it might be and all of a sudden they forget to ask the question, how does this fit in the will of God for my life. What is this really contribute to my live with us in the God's purpose and plan for my life. Who else is it going to affect and the only thing that matters is in those moments narrowed penetrating intense focus. This is nothing else.
What happens is defeat Satan's always done that that that's the way he operates. But I want to go back if you will add to another character in the Scripture and the many things we can say about that him to go back to Genesis 39 in Genesis chapter 39 here's a young man who had the same kind of temptation. It was an intense one. You see with me that was a temptation for power with Aiken. It was a temptation for material possessions, money with David. It was a temptation was tomorrow temptation of sexual temptation and with Elijah, it was fear to forget all that God had gone in and and get concentrated on one woman's threat, but I want to look in the 39 chapter of Genesis. You remember this is the story of Joseph and you recall how part of his wife had attempted to seduce him. In verse seven says it came about after these events that his master's wife look with desire. Joseph know she's the one who got a focus all narrowed down and she was the one who is coming on saying lie with me, lie with me, lie with me, Joseph could let his focus get all narrowed down. This woman, but here here's what he did. He backed off and he said God is put me in this place. God has entrusted to me and your husband is entrusted to meet all that are responsible for your his wife. He's entrusted everything to me but you is he's keeping the focus then. Here's his big line. Listen to what he says. He says how can I do this great evil and sin against God. You know what he was thinking about he was thinking about how would affect him. How would affect his master. How would affect God's plan for his life, whatever that is and listen Joseph, not even knowing this awesome fantastic unbelievable historical plan that God had for his life to save the nation of Egypt to making the prime minister and make him a man who would be written up in Scriptures and thousands of years later we're still talking and he did know that, but he kept the big picture that whatever God wanted to do with his life. He didn't wanted messed up in my friend the only thing that will save us and temptation is keeping the big picture. Those who are wise enough to back off and asked good questions.
The best questions. The real questions God, what is the wise thing to do. God has this going to affect my life God has this can affect what you will is for my life as this can affect those around me.
When you start asking those questions. It's amazing what happens when you turn if you will to Colossians chapter 3. Listen to what he says.
Since you been raised up with Christ. Let it be your lifestyle to keep on seeking the things above that is spiritual things of knowledge and wisdom, and gifts of God, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God said your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth for you. God of these things. Your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ is there life is revealed and you also be revealed with set your mind on the things about go back if you will to Philippians chapter 4 for about Philippians chapter 4 Paul says in verse eight finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything more than praise.
Let your mind dwell on these things.
The mind of man is Satan's battlefield.
That's world about the battle is going with your hands, defeat or even your eyes or your ears… The battle is in your mind, will you allow Satan to snare you by narrowing your focus down the one he wants you to have known to destroy you all you back off and get the big picture and ask yourself the question is this pure is this lovely is this good is this right is as godly as a supportive God's perfect plan for my life sent you mind of the things above and disabled bit more narrower said your mind will rise my friend listen. Satan have a hard time defeating you and temptation. When you keep the big picture. Thank you for listening to today's broadcast nearby the scheme or if you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley intense ministry that intact start enlarging this podcast of the presentation of intense ministry in Atlanta, Georgia