“¹Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”

⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”

¹¹ Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.”  Matthew 4:1-11 (NIV 2010)

“The Six Demonic Strategies of Satan”

V. The Devil Will Always Offer us a Glimpse of Deception in our Destiny.

“All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.”

Make no mistake about it; Satan is the god of this world. Jesus did not argue with him over that. Everything that the world has to offer; when you look deeper into it, has a demonic root. Even for things that appear to be good; Satan wants to make sure that God does not get the glory.

My heart goes out for the many famous singers, athletes, political personalities, actors, etc. who have literally given their souls to the devil in exchange for fame. At the end of the day, we must remember that every demonic pleasure is temporary; the devil has a very clear job description; according to John 10:10, he comes “to kill, still and destroy.” Whatever business you do with the devil will cost you dearly. The devil is a great psychologist; he can’t read your mind, but he studies your behavior and what you talk about to determine your selfish and un-holy desires. In our anxiousness to get what we want, he tricks us by giving us a glimpse of those deep wants in our heart. It’s the young beautiful singer who gives her body in exchange for that record deal; or the young man who agreed to get involved in homosexual favors to get that role that he so much desired. Or the one that takes this or that drug so that he can perform better: Act better, sing better, hit the ball the hardest, run the fastest, etc. The devil knows exactly how to ride in our ambition and take us into a very demonic path. Many have given their lives and were never able to come out of that mess. For some, by the time they figured out, it was too late. It is all a glimpse of deception!

I want to challenge you to study the life of a very demonic man who Satan used and even after this man’s death, continues to use today. His name is Aleister Crowley You will discover that this man is behind the fame of many people in Hollywood; that is including Michael Jackson.  Prophet G. Craig Lewis has been used by God powerfully in exposing this form of attack from the enemy.

Let’s take a look at Jesus’ answer to this form of attack: “Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” We must understand that we are called to worship and serve God and God alone. It does not matter what you do for a living…your worship and service belongs to God. So we don’t give our soul to the devil by falling in his trap. If we fall in this temptation, we will find ourselves worshipping and serving the devil himself. I invite you to Google what G. Craig Lewis has to say about Michael Jackson; it will truly open your eyes and bless you and your family!

TO BE CONTINUED…