VIKTOR SAARI MINISTRIES

 Realise that temptation is nothing but a lie from the pit of hell! The sick truth to temptation is that it is always trying to lure you away from everything that is good and right. Temptation wants you to trade what you really want in life for dirt. Because it is nothing more than a mirage, once you get there you wonder why you started your trip to it in the first place. Because that’s all temptation is, a trip and what do you do after you trip? You fall, and in this case it is into grave of sin. See, that’s what that deceiving Devil wants us to do.

All the Devil does is dress up temptation to make it out to be something we want. But, temptation is only the covering for its ugly big brother Sin. If we would have seen the ugliness we would never desired to have it; but temptation made it look nice. Just like this story I heard told to me by someone. There were these two stock brokers and ever since they were small they wanted Lamborghini’s. Well, the story goes that after a while both had saved enough and both bought a brand new Lamborghini’s.

But, after about three months they both sold their Lamborghini’s; because they were junk. They had finally got their dream cars but they had been deceived; it was nothing but a mirage, the cars were junk.

Temptation works the same way. It makes you want it but when you get there, you realise it was nothing but junk and you fell for the Devil’s scam.

But what we really need to understand as Christians is just how big of a lie temptation really is!

We have misunderstood what some scriptures mean and that is why we have such a hard time dealing with temptation, even in the Christian body. Our biggest misconception is that the devil can actually tempt us when we are on our ground. The truth is he can’t! We have to go to him to be tempted. How we do this is by Walking in the flesh, looking at things from a fleshly perspective.

I received great revelation regarding this when I read James 1.13 where it says this: Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither He tempteth any man. Where I found revelation is that God cannot be tempted with evil. So what does this mean? It simply means this; if God cannot be tempted the Holy Spirit cannot be tempted. If the Holy Spirit cannot be tempted; then Jesus cannot be tempted. Ah, but He was you say. No, He wasn’t really tempted; it just says He was tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4.15)

Now, let us go to Chapter 4 of Matthew:

¹Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

²And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

³And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

⁴But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

⁵Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

⁶And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

⁷Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. ⁸Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

⁹And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

¹⁰Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

 ¹¹Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Notice it says tempted of the Devil; this is the same Greek word being used here that was being used in James 1.13. It is Peirazo, which means scrutinize, entice, to go about and prove. Temptation is really all about proving how strong your faith is. Do you walk totally led by the Spirit, or sometimes the Holy Spirit and sometimes the flesh? Also, we see here that Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.

We also must understand that Jesus was totally led by the Spirit. This fact is made certain in the four gospels, on numerous occasions.

The Bible also tells us in John 3.34 that God gave the Spirit without measure to Him. So Jesus was totally persuaded by the Spirit and totally led by it. As I explained before God cannot be tempted, therefore His Spirit cannot be tempted. How could the Devil tempt Jesus? Only according to the flesh, but Jesus was not walking according to the flesh. He was walking by faith; being led by the Spirit. The “temptation” in the wilderness was not really a temptation at all. It was only the Devil trying to get Jesus to get in the natural, which of course He did not.

Now let’s address what this means to us. Here are a few scriptures that make it seem like the devil can tempt us and has a right to, but we have just looked at them from the wrong perspective.

I Corinthians 10.13 in the Amplified says this:

¹³For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear].

But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently.

Hebrews 2.18 in the Amplified: ¹⁸For because He Himself [in His humanity] has suffered in being tempted (tested and tried), He is able [immediately] to run to the cry of (assist, relieve) those who are being tempted and tested and tried [and who therefore are being exposed to suffering].

Now notice in I Corinthians 10.13 Where it says no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond HUMAN resistance. God our Father, in His tender mercy will actually provide and give us the strength to overcome temptation even when we are walking by the flesh! Hallelujah! Isn’t that amazing that He loves us that much? That’s why it says in Hebrews 2.18 that He run to help us, when we cry out in the flesh. The great revelation of this though is, if we are led by the Spirit the Devil can’t tempt us; or for that matter even touch our lives! This is total victory!

Now let’s go back to James 1.13-14:

¹³Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: Here it is talking about the flesh you, not your spirit man. God could not even tempt you if He wanted to, when you are walking according to the flesh.

¹⁴But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. It is still talking about the flesh you here. See it is when you get into the flesh, that you let your fleshly desires to take control.

Your body is not saved so if you let it lead your life; it will go right after the things of the Devil.

This is the reason why some Christians have problems with temptation. They do not crucify their flesh; instead they let it crucify them!

This is what Paul is talking about in I Corinthians 9.27:

²⁷But [like a boxer] I buffet my body [handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships] and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit [not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit].

Here Paul is talking about two people really. His born again spirit man and his flesh. His spirit man is what buffets and subdues his natural body. Realise that your flesh cannot subdue itself! Romans 8.5 tells us for they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 8.7 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

So follow the Spirit, walk by faith! Because in doing so you will not only please God; but the Devil and his demons won’t be able to touch you!