“For this reason, when I could no longer endure it, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor might be in vain.”
lest by some means the tempter had tempted you,
The Bible calls the Devil “tempter” twice — here and in the temptation of Christ (Mt 4:1-3), where he tried to lure Jesus into moving away from God’s plan.
The Devil used persecution to discourage Christians from living dynamic Christian lives. The “tempter” will destroy them by guile. Satan will slant their minds against God’s will. He does not use honorable strategies like Christians. Christians limit themselves to systems that are biblical and legitimate. The Devil uses strategies consistent with his character.
2 Co 2:10-11, “Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, 11 lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.”
2 Co 11:3, “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”
Ep 6:11, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”
1 Ti 2:14, “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.”
Re 12:9, “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
PRINCIPLE:
Satan will use wiles to deceive us.
APPLICATION:
The Devil will take advantage of your vulnerability. He knows about your history. He knows where he can stick it to you.
Temptation is an awful thing, particularly when both Satan and your sin capacity join forces against you. At times Satan will move into your family and create marital problems. He hates harmonious Christian homes. He will invade the bedroom of Christian homes. Christians who withhold sex from each other will fall into the temptation of Satan.
1 Co 7:5, “Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”
Satan loves misunderstanding, unkindness, and thoughtlessness. He wants couples to take each other for granted. When this happens, coldness comes over the marriage, and they begin to drift apart. The children see it. The Devil encourages it. He will bring a third person into the scene. This results in cheating, infidelity, and broken homes.
