Agreement is vital to the Christian life. It’s through agreement we even become a child of God. Romans 10:9-10 (ESV) says, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

‭‭When we confess with our mouth that Jesus is God we are coming into agreement with what the Bible says. We are changed from living a life leading to death to living a life leading to eternal life. 

Agreement Has Always Been The Key

From the very beginning agreement has been the catalyst for life and death. When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden he said, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ (‭ESV). Adam and Eve ‬‬were given free will to come into agreement with what the Lord God commanded them. It was through agreement with this command that they were free to live forever in a perfect garden, free from pain and suffering. 

Of course, Adam and Eve eventually decided to come into agreement with Satan. Eve started talking to Satan, disguised as a serpent. Satan started to put doubt into Eve’s mind when he said, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ (‭ESV‬‬). Doubt was the first step to getting both Adam and Eve to come out of agreement with what God said to them, and come into agreement with what Satan wanted them to believe. 

The Seed of Doubt Was The Key

Doubt is the seed that, if nourished, will lead a person into coming into agreement with plans of our enemy. Is having doubt a sin? No. Doubt in and of itself is not a sin. However, if we allow doubt to be planted in our hearts, it will grow into questioning what God really said to us regarding our situation. Satan knows that doubt is the beginning of him gaining control over our lives. 

The first words we read that Satan said to Eve is, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?’” Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬ (‭ESV, emphasis added).‬‬ Satan was actively planting doubt into the mind and heart of Eve. 

What did God actually say? He said, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ (‭ESV, emphasis added). Satan is the master of twisting the words of God. If Satan can make us believe God said one thing, when he actually said another, he can convince us to come into agreement with his agenda rather than God’s agenda. This is precisely what Satan did with Eve that day. God said they could eat from EVERY tree except one. Satan twisted God’s words to make Eve believe God said they couldn’t eat from ANY tree. This is the seed of doubt Satan needed to convince Adam and Eve to agree with his plan rather than God’s plan. 

Satan vs. Jesus

Satan even used this tactic on Jesus. Let’s take a look at a time when Jesus and Satan had a conversation: 

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 

And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 

But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 

Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” 

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 

Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’” 

Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭11‬ (‭ESV)‬‬

Round 1

Satan is cunning. He waited for a time when Jesus was physically weak to come tempt him. However, what he failed to take into account was that yes, Jesus was likely physically weak from fasting for 40 days, but those 40 days of fasting caused Jesus to be exceptionally strong in the spirit. 

The first temptation Satan gave to Jesus was to satisfy his flesh. “Turn the stones to bread. I know you are hungry. You deserve to eat,” he said to Jesus. How did Jesus reply? “Man doesn’t live off of bread alone. The food of God is his word, and it is what really nourishes the body.” Satan lost round 1. 

Round 2

In round 2 we see Satan tempting Jesus to test his mind and will (soul). “Throw yourself off this building and see what happens,” Satan told Jesus. “After all, you know God won’t allow you to get hurt. He’ll send his angels to protect you,” Satan continued. Satan wanted Jesus to get proud for just a moment and say, “I’ll show you.” Jesus responded, “Smart people don’t test God.” Jesus not only forced his body to submit to God, but his mind as well. Round 2 goes to Jesus.

Round 3

In round 3 we see Satan tempt Jesus in the spiritual aspect. By this point Satan was getting desperate. He failed to twist the words of God to make Jesus succumb to the physical and mental weakness of the human body. Satan only had one more part to attack. “Worship me and I will give you all the kingdoms of the world,” Satan told Jesus. “Just bow down and worship me and I’ll give you back all that I stole,” he said. What did Jesus do? He replied, “Leave me alone. I will only worship God and no one else.” At this rebuke Satan was forced to concede and leave. 

Why Satan Lost

You see, even when tempting Jesus, Satan still used the same tactic he did on Eve. Satan was attempting to plant doubt into the mind of Jesus to come out of agreement with his father. Satan still twisted the words of God to try and plant that seed of doubt. However, what Satan failed to remember is that Jesus is the word (John 1:1). It’s pretty hard to twist the words someone has actually spoken and make them believe they said something different, especially when that person is God in the flesh! 

Satan is the master manipulator. He is skilled at twisting the words of God. His goal is to plant the seed of doubt so that seed can grow into a plant of rebellion. Although it worked on Eve, Satan was defeated by Jesus. Jesus used the truth of what God said to defeat Satan. That seed of doubt was never planted. It died upon impact. 

Satan is still up to these old schemes. He attempts to twist God’s words to you. The devil tries to convince you God won’t provide, and even worse, God can’t provide. He tries to convince us that God’s gifts aren’t good, that God can’t and won’t heal people in this day and time. Although Satan can’t convince us that God isn’t our Heavenly Father, he tries very hard to paint the Father into an abusive father. Don’t fall for it. Use the sword of the Word of God to defeat the enemy’s lies.

Next time we are going to look in more detail at some of the lies Satan tries to convince people of today. I hope you will join me!