The Limit Placed Upon the Tempter

The Limit Placed Upon the Tempter

1. Without God’s permission, no temptation can come upon the believer: "Jehovah said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only . . ." (Job 1.12); "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have you . . ." (Luke 22.31). Each time we are tempted, we should remember that all temptations are with the Father’s permission. Behind any temptation there is the hand of God allowing it. Let us maintain this attitude of faith that Satan cannot do anything against us without God our Father’s permission. He cannot secretly add any more to it.

2. The reason why God permits Satan to tempt us. Without temptation we would become self-reliant. Before Peter was "sifted as wheat" by the Devil (Luke 22.31), he was most self-reliant. But after being sifted, he knew how undependable was his own strength. He then received the power from on High to perform tremendous work. If, for example, a little child is unwilling to follow his father and chooses to go his own way, he will hurry back to his father for protection when he encounters a snake. Likewise, without temptation a saint in his early stage of spiritual life will tend to drift away from the heavenly Father. But as we sense in the spiritual realm the presence of the evil spirits who try to tempt and hurt us at every turn, we will trust in God and dare not be self-reliant: "There was given to me ... a messenger of Satan to buffet me," said Paul, "that I should not be exalted overmuch" (2 Cor. 12.7). In our flesh there is no good, but how many will consciously acknowledge this? Because of this, God permits the Enemy to tempt us. Sometimes He even lets us fail so that we may know ourselves and cease from being self-reliant. This was the experience of Job. Furthermore, without being tempted we will not voluntarily appropriate the victory of Calvary. Because of temptation, there is the chance of victory—the necessity as well as the possibility of apprehending the victory of Calvary. Since we know the true meaning of temptation which is something unavoidable, we should ask God to give us the victory in Christ. We may know why God allows us to be tempted by reading 1 Corinthians 5.5 and Job 2.3. (To be tempted is not sin, but yielding to temptation is—see Heb. 4.16.)

3. The confinement of temptation: "There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear ["but such as is common to man"—KJV]: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation make also the way of escape, that ye may be able to endure it" (1 Cor. 10.13). There are seven points in this verse that we should know:

(a) Temptation is common to all. Someone may think that his environment and position is so unique that no one else has it, and therefore the temptation he suffers is special. He should know that temptation is common to all: "but such as is common to man."
(b) Remember: "God is faithful." We can only fail if God fails. But He is faithful. So we must trust and not fail.
(c) All temptations are endurable: "such as man can bear." The temptation permitted by God will not be overwhelming, and hence, at the beginning of temptation we must not adopt a passive attitude and let the Devil do what he wishes.
(d) There is a "way of escape" to every temptation. Hence there is victory each time.
(e) God will "make also the way of escape" when there seems to be no way.
(f) Sometimes endurance is the way out: "can bear."
(g) To be tempted is no sin, but yielding to temptation is: "that ye may be able to endure it."

4. The all-powerful preservation of God: "we know that whosoever is begotten of God sinneth not; but he that was begotten of God keepeth himself, and the evil one toucheth him not" (1 John 5.18); "the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and guard you from the evil one" (2 Thess. 3.3). Be strong in the Lord and trust in His protection. Commit all your spirit and soul and body to the Lord, and trust in Him, for He will do it. Believe and act in faith as though you are already being kept. Such act of faith will secure the keeping of God.

5. Pray: "Our Father . . . , deliver us from the evil one" (Matt. 6.9,13). As we pray, let us not merely remember ourselves and God. We should not forget Satan, "the evil one," either. We must ask God to deliver us from the wiles, deceit, control, influence, attack and snare of that Evil One. We shall be delivered if we so pray. But how is it that we can be delivered from the Evil One? The answer is to be found in these words: "for thine [God’s] is [1] the kingdom, [2] and the power, [3] and the glory, for ever. Amen" (Matt. 6.13 mg.). These do not belong to Satan. They are God’s "for ever. Amen." This prayer of deliverance is based on God’s kingdom, power and glory; and therefore, it cannot go unanswered; for if God does not deliver us from the Evil One, His kingdom and power and glory shall suffer. Since kingdom, power and glory do not belong to the Enemy, why then should we endure his attack, oppression and ravage?

6. The intercessory prayer of the heavenly High Priest: "I pray not that thou shouldest take them from the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil one" (John 17.15). What have we to fear since we now have our Great High Priest praying for us? We ought always to trust in the intercession of the Lord Jesus that it is most effective, believing that God the Father will secretly keep us from the Evil One because of the prayer of Christ. Do not allow the Enemy to suggest to us that we shall soon meet danger. Instead, we should have confidence in the intercessory prayer of our Great High Priest, believing confidently that God the Father will surely keep us from the ravaging of the Evil One.

7. The end of the Enemy. Satan the Adversary shall be cast out of heaven to the earth (Rev. 12.7-9). He shall be bound with chains and thrown into the abyss (Rev. 20.1-3). After the thousand years of the reign of Christ, he will be set free temporarily, and he will deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth so as to stage a counterattack against God. In the end, however, he shall be cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 20.7-10). Since the Enemy is destined to fail, why should we not rise up and advance? Should we not be even more courageous by our knowing that the defeat of the Enemy is predestined?

We should always stand on Romans 6.11. Reckon ourselves to be dead to sin but alive to God. Take up the whole armor of God so as to overcome the world, the lusts of the flesh, and the Devil. Be the elite soldiers of God and fight the good fight. Cast down the strongholds of Satan and bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor. 10. 4-5). Let us not only be kept whole, but let us even be able to challenge the Tempter by our being strong prayer-warriors. Frustrate the devices of the evil spirits and walk and work together with Christ. Triumph today and reign in the age to come. Amen.