Sup with all the worldly deceptions and temptations? Man, haven't we gotten past all the attempts of the enemy yet? Nope.
Tempters will try to entice us with smooth words and to deceive us with lies. It's who they are and what they do. The attempts happen, so what will you do about it, and how will you early get ready?
During a busy lunch hour in a crowded downtown area, a minister was searching for a parking place. He circled the block again and again, with no result. Deciding to double-park, he took out his business card and wrote a note for any officer who might come by and ticket him.
"Dear Officer," he wrote, "I circled this block ten times. I have an appointment to keep." He closed his note with, "Forgive us our trespasses."
About an hour later, the minister returned to find a parking ticket under his windshield. It read, "Dear Reverend, I have circled this block for ten years. If I don't give you a ticket, I'll lose my job. Lead us not into temptation."
Sooner or later, temptation will come your way. So what's the truth about this temptation stuff?
Guess what, you play a key role in how effectively you resist it. While it's true Satan plays a role in tempting you, you must first cooperate with him before you give in.
As Christians, we face three enemies every day: the flesh, the world, and the devil. The flesh is the evil nature we all have within us—that propensity, that vulnerability to do the wrong thing. Next, there is Satan with his outward enticements. Then, of course, there is the world. You might say that the flesh with its desires is the internal foe. Satan with his enticements is the infernal foe, and the world with its enticements is the external foe.
Temptations which accompany the working day will be conquered on the basis of the morning breakthrough to God. Decisions, demanded by work, become easier and simpler where they are made not in the fear of men, but only in the sight of God. He wants to give us today the power which we need for our work. ~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer
As the most dangerous winds may enter at little openings, so the devil never enters more dangerously than by little unobserved incidents, which seem to be nothing, yet insensibly open the heart to great temptations. ~ John Wesley
All the great temptations appear first in the region of the mind and can be fought and conquered there. We have been given the power to close the door of the mind. We can lose this power through disuse or increase it by use, by the daily discipline of the inner man in things which seem small and by reliance upon the word of the Spirit of truth. It is God that worketh in you, both to will and to do of His good pleasure. It is as though He said, 'Learn to live in your will, not in your feelings.' ~ Amy Carmichael
Temptation always starts in your mind, not in circumstances.. Every time you defeat a temptation, you become more like Jesus! ~ Rick Warren
The chief weapon we ought to use in resisting Satan is the Bible. Three times the great enemy offered temptations to our Lord. Three times his offer was refused, with a text of Scripture as the reason, ‘it is written’ (Matt. 3:4, 7, 10). To be tempted is in itself NO sin. It is the yielding to the temptation, and giving it a place in our hearts, which we must fear.. We must NOT count temptation a strange thing. ‘The disciple is not greater than his master, nor the servant than his lord.’ If Satan came to Christ, he will also come to Christians. ~ J. C. Ryle
Our minds are mental greenhouses where unlawful thoughts, once planted, are nurtured and watered before being transplanted into the real world of unlawful actions... These actions are savored in the mind long before they are enjoyed in reality. The thought life, then, is our first line of defense in the battle of self-control. ~ Jerry Bridges
Jesus was not tempted to see if He would fall. He was tempted to show that He could not fall. ~ J. Vernon McGee
Look to God to meet all your needs, not to the world to. Why try to get em met in the an unacceptable wrong sorta way? Although our sins were freely forgiven cuz of the Cross, and the Holy Spirit empowers us believers to overcome wordily temptations, we’ll still struggle with sin while here because we still have what the Bible calls the old fleshly nature inside. Please know that sin comes from the heart of man, not from aliens, or our culture, or society, or from our imperfect foods or flawed environment. You can I could still sin apart from the world-system. Adam and Even did inside a perfect garden. The ability to resist the enemy and to overcome deception, temptations, and sin is directly proportionate to your submission to God’s Living Word, believer. If you don’t hate worldliness, prideful-wicked-rebellion or other sins to the same degree as Jesus does.. if you don’t love the Father, holiness, the Bible, and righteousness to the same degree that Jesus does then guess what.. there’s room for growth. It’s time for pure passion! It’s time to discern! ~ kwVs
“But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander. These are what defile a man, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile him.” ~ Jesus, Matthew 15:18-20
The temptation once yielded to gains power. The crack in the embankment which lets a drop or two ooze through is soon a hole which lets out a flood. ~ Alexander MacLaren
Temptations are never so dangerous as when they come to us in a religious garb. ~ Dwight L. Moody
Temptation is not sin. A man may ask me to share with him the spoils of a burglary, but no one can accuse me of receiving stolen property if I indignantly refuse and keep my doors tightly shut against him.. Hand over to Christ every temptation and care.. Temptation may be a blessing to a man when it reveals to him his weakness and drives him to the almighty Savior. Do not be surprised, then, dear child of God, if you are tempted at every step of your earthly journey, and almost beyond endurance; but you will not be tempted beyond what you are able to bear, and with every temptation there will be a way of escape. ~ F.B. Meyer
“My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. If they say, ‘Come with us, let us lie in wait to shed blood; Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause; let us swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole, like those who go down to the Pit; we shall find all kinds of precious possessions, we shall fill our houses with spoil; cast in your lot among us, Let us all have one purse’—my son, do not walk in the way with them, keep your foot from their path; for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.” Prov. 1:10–16 nkjv
Many of us suffer from temptations from which we have no business to suffer. ~ Oswald Chambers
Christ, because He was the only Man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only Man who knows to the full what temptation means. ~ C.S. Lewis
Unwillingness to accept God's "way of escape" from temptation frightens me what a rebel yet resides within. ~ Jim Elliot
If thou wouldst conquer thy weakness, thou must never gratify it. No man is compelled to evil: his consent only makes it his. It is no sin to be tempted, but to be overcome. ~ William Penn
God chooses that men should be tried, but let a man beware of tempting his neighbor. God knows how and how much, and where and when. Man is his brother's keeper, and must keep him according to his knowledge. ~ George Macdonald
Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God. ~ Martin Luther
The devil visits idle men with his temptations. God visits industrious men with His favors. ~ Matthew Henry
The riches of His free grace cause me daily to triumph over all the temptations of the wicked one, who is very vigilant, and seeks all occasions to disturb me. ~ George Whitefield
Temptations are an appeal to meet righteous needs in an unrighteous way. ~ William Thrasher
Temptation is the devil looking through the keyhole. Yielding is opening the door and inviting him in. ~ Billy Sunday
Temptations, when we meet them at first, are as the lion that roared upon Samson; but if we overcome them, the next time we see them we shall find a nest of honey within them. ~ John Bunyan
Do not grudge the Hand that is molding the still too shapeless image within you. It is growing more beautiful, though you see it not, and every touch of temptation may add to its perfection. ~ Henry Drummond
All men are tempted. There is no man that lives that can't be broken down, provided it is the right temptation, put in the right spot. ~ Henry Ward Beecher
About an hour later, the minister returned to find a parking ticket under his windshield. It read, "Dear Pastor, I have circled this block for ten years. If I don't give you a ticket, I'll lose my job. Lead us not into temptation."
Sooner or later, temptation will come your way. Pray and be ready to say no to sin. Know and follow Jesus well now. Don't put it off, don't wait, count the cost, but come to Him today. Sure, get right with God. Right now is good.
Shopping is an inevitable part of life. Many people enter a store with a plan of purchasing one item or only a few that are absolute necessities. However, they leave with ten additional purchases they do not need. According to a 2018 survey, the average American consumer spends $5,400 on impulse buys every year.
Here are some common ways retailers entice you to spend more than you planned.
1. Color-coordinated displays. Retailers group items of complementary colors together, enticing you to make multiple purchases.
2. Capitalizing on current trends. Shops present the looks that are at the height of their popularity.
3. Product demonstrations.
4. Upselling. Electronics stores are great at this; accessories and warranties are two common upsells.
Q: What sales tactics do you find most persuasive?
Q: What stores are most effective at encouraging you to make impulse purchases?
Q: Name an instance in which you were persuaded to make a purchase and quickly regretted it.
Perhaps explore the ways in which you can or might be deceived.
Tempters will try to entice us with smooth words and deceive us with lies.
Those who want you to join them in sin will try to entice and deceive you.
Q: What tricks do the wicked use to try to entice us to sin with them?
Q: How can we tell when someone is deceiving us?
In the very first chapter of Proverbs, Solomon gave us a vivid image of what it’s like when the wicked try to entice us to follow them rather than follow God’s wisdom. “Lie in wait for blood” and “ambush the innocent without reason” (1:11) sound obviously wicked, so why would any decent person be tempted to go along with that?
Beeson Divinity School Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew Allen P. Ross said this is Solomon’s description of what they would actually be doing, not how the tempters would describe their actions: “The unruly gang would never use expressions that condemn their acts; rather, they would try to cover them up or give them a different spin.”
The reason someone would be tempted to join the wicked is because of what they promise: “all precious goods” and “plunder” (1:13). Solomon warned his son not to listen to those who promise a life of easy money; it will always be gotten by evil means. He told us not to be tempted; participating in this evil will only lead to destruction. It’s also very possible that though they promise to share “one purse” (1:14), they may entice you into doing the evil and still not give you your fair share of the plunder.
Proverbs 12:6 uses the same language – “lie in wait for blood” – but explicitly tells us that the wicked are deceitful (12:5). They make a trap with their deceptions, both for their victims and for the one who goes along with them. Some scholars suggest that the word used for “deceit” in both Proverbs 12 and 14 also means self-deception. Those who would tempt us to join in their wickedness not only try to deceive us, they also deceive themselves. Proverbs 14 describes this well – they “seek wisdom in vain” and their words are not “words of knowledge” (14:6–7). They think their way is “wise” but it’s not – because it’s not God’s way. They are not only fooling others, they’re fooling themselves. This lifestyle will only lead to ruin.
These fools also “mock at the guilt offering” (14:9), one of the two offerings given for atonement of sin in ancient Israel. The “sin offering” was made to purify the tabernacle and the people from their sins. The “guilt offering” was made to make amends for the damage done by your sin. In addition to the offering, you had to pay back the value of whatever you stole or damaged, plus 20 percent (Leviticus 4–7). Other places in God’s law state that if someone stole an animal and it was found alive in his possession, he had to pay double its value (Exodus 22:1–4). People had to make amends if they sent their cattle to graze in another’s field or if a fire on their property got out of control and spread, damaging another’s crops (Exodus 22:5–6). If someone stole an ox or sheep and killed or sold it, he had to repay five oxen for one ox or four sheep for one sheep (Exodus 22:1).
God requires people make amends when they wrong one another. Allen P. Ross wrote, “Folly offends, but wisdom makes amends.”
There may not be a tangible way to pay someone back for every hurt you have caused, but it’s important not just to say you’re sorry, but to recognize the damage you’ve caused and attempt to make amends. But fools don’t care about the damage they cause others.
In all these proverbs, Solomon contrasted the wicked with the upright, the fool with the wise. He encouraged his people to have prudence (14:15) and discernment (14:8) when listening to the promises of others. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If they require you to do something against God’s law, it’s not worth it, even if it does lead to riches.
The answer to all these temptations is wisdom and discernment. Solomon urged his people, “Do not walk in the way with them,” referring to these sinners who try to entice you (1:15).
Trust in the Lord and walk in His ways. He told them to “leave the presence of a fool” – simply get away from them. They’ll lead you astray from the way you should go. They’ll drag you down with them. They will bear “the fruit of their ways” (14:14), but those who walk by the Spirit will bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5). The key is to walk by the Spirit, to listen to God’s voice, to study His Word. That is how you will know when someone is trying to entice you to do evil.
Q: How have you experienced people trying to “spin” their evil to entice you to do it?
Q: How can we witness to these people while being sure not to “walk in their ways”?
Be careful with powerful people; they may have ulterior motives.
Q: Why did Solomon tell us to be careful when we sit down to eat with a ruler?
Q: Why is it better to be poor than to divide the spoil with the proud?
In Proverbs 23, Solomon offered some very specific practical instructions for being careful when you sit down to eat with a ruler.
This is a different word than the typical one used for “king”; it can refer to any “ruler” or person in a position of power. These sayings are set in an ancient culture where it would have been unusual for the average person to ever be in the presence of rulers, so it may seem like strange advice to give. Yet Solomon was the king, and the sons to whom he was writing would have been in the presence of powerful people all the time. Also, they lived in an honor/shame culture, which meant that everyone sought opportunities to make strategic moves to try to gain honor and minimize shame.
One of the biggest ways to gain honor was to be invited to a dinner party with someone more powerful than yourself. And even at the dinner party, there were seats of higher and lower honor and other ways of gaining or losing honor. A lot of scheming and maneuvering happened around the table.
One way for a person to gain honor was by doing something nice for a less-honored person so that the person owed them a favor. Being invited to a ruler’s table could just be a social move rather than an authentic act of hospitality. Their goal was to trap the less-honored person into doing their bidding. A modern comparison might be when someone takes you to an expensive dinner to “butter you up.” This is how their food can be “deceptive.”
Imagine how tempting it would be for a regular person to eat these “delicacies” and how hard it would be to say no. That’s why Solomon used this dramatic saying, to “put a knife to your throat” (23:2). This expression means to control yourself, like our modern advice to “bite your tongue,” but it’s a quite drastic way to say it.
The Mishnah is a collection of sayings from ancient Jewish rabbis written in the first couple of centuries AD, around the same time as the New Testament. One of those rabbis was Gamaliel, who is considered one of the greatest rabbis in Jewish history. He appears in the New Testament in Acts 5:34 defending the disciples against the religious leaders of the Sanhedrin who wanted to kill them. He said that if the disciples’ mission was really from God, they wouldn’t be able to stop it. In the Mishnah, Gamaliel is quoted as saying something very similar to this proverb: “Be careful in your dealings with the ruling authorities for they do not befriend a person except for their own needs. They seem like friends when it is to their own interest, but they do not stand by a man in his hour of distress.”
Gamaliel was familiar with the “ruling authorities” and how wicked and manipulative they could be. He was a Pharisee and part of the Sanhedrin. He knew the religious leaders who plotted to kill Jesus and were trying to kill the disciples. He likely had often seen them do things like this before.
Both Gamaliel and Solomon knew what they were talking about when it came to the deception and manipulation of rulers. They had seen it happen many times over. We need to be careful of those in power who are suddenly nice to us or want to befriend us. As the proverb says, it’s better to continue to be poor or lowly in honor than to rise to power through manipulation and deception (16:19). As we saw, discernment is the key to protecting ourselves from these deceptions (16:21). When we trust in the Lord and know His Word, we can tell the difference between an authentic gesture of kindness and someone trying to butter us up.
Q: Why is it so tempting to want to be with powerful people and be part of their world?
Q: How can we gain the discernment to see through manipulative people?
Smooth talk can entice us, deceive us, and lead us astray.
Q: What does it mean that the words of a seductress are like “a deep pit”?
We read some of these proverbs before when we talked about the way we use our words. Many of these proverbs use “seductress” or “forbidden woman” to describe those who try to tempt us with smooth words, which was a real temptation for the young men to whom Proverbs was addressed. But it is also a metaphor for any person who tries to entice us with smooth words.
These words are like a “deep pit” (22:14; 23:27) because they entrap us like a stag or bird caught in a snare (7:22–23). We’re just walking along and then – BAM – we’ve fallen into a pit. We might not even realize how we got there. That’s how smooth talk can be. It’s like when a really good salesman has talked you into buying something you don’t need. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but when you get home, the fog lifts and you think, “Why did I buy that?” With the smooth talk and flattery, you don’t even realize you’re being played.
Solomon compared these smooth talkers to the shiny glaze covering an earthen vessel (26:23). It’s a disguise. Their smooth words cover a deceitful heart (26:24). They drip honey and are smoother than oil, but they end in death (5:3–6). Again, Solomon warned us to beware of people who try to lead us astray. Again, Solomon said we need discernment. We need God’s wisdom and His Spirit to recognize the difference between smooth talk and truth.
Q: In what ways have you been tempted by smooth talk and deception in the past?
Q: How can we grow in discernment? What steps can we take to become wiser?
Q: How can we help each other not to be deceived by evil tempters?
Tempters will try and try and tray again with us. Have you ever been to a “house of mirrors” at a carnival or fair? The shape of the mirror distorts the image, making you appear taller, shorter, thinner or larger than you actually are. It’s fun because you know it’s not reality. But imagine that if you had never looked into a traditional mirror or had never seen a photo of yourself, each distorted mirror would present you with a different version of reality – you would have no idea which image to trust.
Having your identity fully informed by Christ is the only way to have a healthy and genuine perception of reality. As deceivers come to tempt you with visions of grandeur, attempt to sway you to ungodly purposes, or present you with false doctrine, being rooted in Christ keeps you planted firm in the truth.
Q: How does someone become less susceptible to deception?
Q: What does it mean to have your identity informed by Christ? How might this impact your ability to avoid temptation and deception? What wisdom does God speak about in Proverbs?
"For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; 4 But in the end she is bitter as wormwood, Sharp as a two-edged sword. 5 Her feet go down to death, her steps lay hold of hell. 6 Lest you ponder her path of life—Her ways are unstable; You do not know them." Proverbs 5:3-6 nkjv
"With her enticing speech she caused him to yield, with her flattering lips she seduced him. 22 Immediately he went after her, as an ox goes to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks, 23 till an arrow struck his liver. As a bird hastens to the snare, He did not know it would cost his life." Proverbs 7:21-23 nkjv
"The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit; he who is abhorred by the Lord will fall there." Proverbs 22:14 nkjv
"My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways. 27 For a harlot is a deep pit, and a seductress is a narrow well. 28 She also lies in wait as for a victim, and increases the unfaithful among men." Proverbs 23:26–28 nkjv
“Fervent lips with a wicked heart are like earthenware covered with silver dross.
24 He who hates, disguises it with his lips, and lays up deceit within himself;
25 When [a]he speaks kindly, do not believe him, for there are seven abominations in his heart;
26 Though his hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness will be revealed before the assembly.” Proverbs 26:23–26
"My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. 11 If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait to shed blood; Let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause; 12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole, like those who go down to the Pit; 13 We shall find all kinds of precious possessions, we shall fill our houses with spoil; 14 Cast in your lot among us, Let us all have one purse”— 15 My son, do not walk in the way with them, Keep your foot from their path; 16 For their feet run to evil, And they make haste to shed blood." Proverbs 1:10–16 nkjv
"The thoughts of the righteous are right, but the counsels of the wicked are deceitful. 6 The words of the wicked are, “Lie in wait for blood,” But the mouth of the upright will deliver them." Proverbs 12:5–6 nkjv
"A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it, but knowledge is easy to him who understands. 7 Go from the presence of a foolish man, when you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge. 8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, But the folly of fools is deceit. 9 Fools mock at [a]sin, but among the upright there is favor. 10 The heart knows its own bitterness, and a stranger does not share its joy. 11 The house of the wicked will be overthrown, but the tent of the upright will flourish. 12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. 13 Even in laughter the heart may sorrow, and the end of mirth may be grief. 14 The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, but a good man will be satisfied from above. 15 The simple believes every word, but the prudent considers well his steps. 16 A wise man fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident." Proverbs 14:6–16 nkjv
"Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. 20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he. 21 The wise in heart will be called prudent, And sweetness of the lips increases learning. 22 Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it. But the correction of fools is folly. 23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, and adds learning to his lips. 24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones. 25 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Proverbs 16:19–25 nkjv
"When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you; 2 and put a knife to your throat If you are a man given to appetite. 3 Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food." Proverbs 23:1–3
THINK: In what ways am I being enticed to sin by those around me? How are they trying to deceive me? How does what they’re doing look good? How can I know whether it really is good? How can I use my God-given wisdom to defend myself against these deceptions and enticements? Why might it be easy for you (in particular) to be deceived, sweet-talked, or manipulated into something?
PRAY: for God to reveal to you any people in your life who are deceptive or smooth talkers. Ask Him to show you the ways they try to manipulate or deceive you or talk you into something. Ask Him to give you discernment, to lift the fog so you can see people for who they really are and their words and actions for what they really are.
ACT: Confront a smooth talker. First, pray for God’s direction and His heart in this. After having thought about the ways you’re being enticed or deceived and praying for Him to reveal these people in your life, look at that list of people (from the PRAY step above) and pray about how God may be calling you to talk to them. If you’re really being tempted right now and don’t have the strength to stand up to them, you may just need to walk away. For now. But if you do have the strength and God is leading you to do it, consider confronting these people with love and grace. Share your concerns about their actions and consider sharing the Gospel with them. Whether they respond well or not, pray that God would change their hearts. (Thanks Prestonwood and for the editing, Tyler Goldberg).
