He is out to Destroy Us

The Scriptures warn us over and over again of the enemy we have working to destroy us! We are told he is a murderer from the beginning and the father of lies (John 8:44). We are warned he is our adversary and he prowls around like a roaring lion seeking those he can devour (I Peter 5:8). We are warned to put on the armor of God because of the schemes of the devil through which he will try to destroy us (Ephesians 6:11-13). The truth is, HE IS PLAYING FOR KEEPS AND HE PLAYS DIRTY!!!

There is an old story about how Eskimo’s hunt wolves that parallels the twisted strategy the devil uses to get us to destroy ourselves. It is really quite gruesome, but it shows the danger we are in when we do not control our lusts. What the Eskimo does is take a sharpened knife with a double-edged blade and dip it in blood and freeze it. He does this many times over in order to make a frozen Popsicle of blood around the knife blade. Once this is done, he buries the knife with the handle side down, leaving only the Popsicle of blood exposed. The wolf then smells the blood and begins hunting for it. He begins licking the blade and the coldness of the frozen blood numbs his tongue so that as he gets down to the sharpened blade and slices his tongue, he does not realize that it becomes his own blood that he is feasting upon. Ultimately, the wolf bleeds to death feeding upon his own blood.

This a sad picture, but how many of us fall into the same traps by the devil and actually wind up destroying ourselves because we cannot control our lusts? This morning we will be introduced to someone else in the Garden of Eden who was seeking control. This serpent, who we know as the devil, uses lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride to shipwreck our faith. He sets the temptations before us that will entice us to get out of control so we destroy ourselves! What is interesting in the picture provided in the Scriptures is how consistent he is with the same warfare over and over again. Why do we keep falling for his schemes?

Do you want to hear the good news? I have a picture hanging in my office that was given to me by some great friends. It is a picture of Daniel sitting against a wall in the lion’s den with a lion nose to nose with him staring him in the eyes. I love this picture because it reminds me of the control my God has even over the “roaring lions seeking someone to devour” and how He can hold the devil at bay! Perhaps the real question is whether He can hold ME at bay. We will see the way Jesus handles the temptations of the devil this morning, BUT will we learn from His example? Our enemy is out to destroy us! Fortunately, our God is much bigger than our enemy! “Submit therefore to God! Resist the devil and he will flee from you! Draw near to God and He will draw near to you!” (James 4:7-8)

To listen to sermon, click The Devil's Triangle.