Satan’s Arsenal Is Quite Limited

Any Christian who has not experienced satan’s temptations should check their Christianity – it may be fake. Christians should rightfully expect temptations from the devil. The anger he felt towards Jesus when the Lord was on earth is no directed at Jesus’ followers. That is why the bible says that if you are righteous, you will suffer affliction. No ifs or buts. However, you can take comfort in the fact that satan’s arsenal is quite limited.

If you are one of the afflicted ones, you would have observed that temptations never come in ones or twos. Hence the saying “when it rains, it pours.” Now that you are thinking actively about temptations and afflictions, you realize they often come in threes. And that pattern has its roots deep in the bible. You could say that this pattern has been so from the very beginning. But God says that although many are the afflictions of the righteous, He delivers him out of them all.

And that is because God knows that satan does not have a limitless number of temptations in his arsenal. What is even more comforting is that God knows all of them. There is no trick that satan can conjure up that God is not already aware of. Knowing that satan’s arsenal is quite limited, God provides a way of escape from any and every temptation. God is way ahead of the devil, thankfully.

This knowledge should help you to withstand the next series of temptations. God is bigger than the devil and He has your back. Additionally, God knows that satan’s arsenal is quite limited and quickly dispatches satan from the life of the righteous. You see, we win. And that is not only because satan’s arsenal is limited but because our God is great.

With Christ, Satan’s Arsenal Is Quite Limited

To see how this pattern is firmly rooted in scriptures, consider the occasion when Satan tempted Jesus. The devil was painfully aware of the importance of Jesus’ mission on earth. He knew that Jesus would become the Savior of the world once He went through the upcoming death and resurrection. Satan knew that anyone who believed in Jesus would be released from bondage to him.

Consequently, he decided to throw his whole armory of weapons at Jesus. The devil’s reckoning was that if he could strike the shepherd, the sheep would scatter. But all he could come up with were three temptations. And then, as the bible records, he left Jesus for a season.

And his tricks have never varied or increased. He could only test Jesus in the three areas of life with which he tempted Eve. Writing about this later, John the Elder lists them as the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. He refers to these as all that is in the world. And from experience, you know that satan’s arsenal is quite limited to these three.

When he asked Jesus to command a stone to become bread, he was hoping that Jesus would succumb to the lust of the flesh. That was a truly wicked one, seeing as Jesus had been fasting for forty days. By showing Jesus the glory of the world, satan was tempting Jesus with the lust of the eyes. And the pride of life was in play when he told Jesus He should do something to prove His deity. You may remember that this pride of life is reason satan fell from heaven. He wanted then to be like the Most High God.

Satan Tested Job In These Same Three Areas.

Please, don’t hear me wrong when I say satan’s arsenal is quite limited. What he hurled at Jesus would prove overwhelming for most of us. In any case, if temptations were easy to overcome, many of us would be saints. Nevertheless, satan is limited to these three areas of temptation.

Consider the time satan asked God’s permission to test Job. By God’s own testimony, Job was an upright man, one whom we would consider righteous. But that did not stop satan from sifting him like flour. This shows that no one is immune from satan’s temptation. In Job’s case, the devil started by taking everything Job had – including children and possessions. You know that every good item your eye admires falls into the area of the lust of the eye. So satan was throwing this particular arrow when he caused that loss.

When that did not work to make Job deny God, satan returned to God for one more permission. This time, he touched Job’s skin – his flesh. He felt that surely, Job would curse God if the testing involved his skin. But no, Job did not succumb to the lust of the flesh either. Satan was quickly running out of options. As you know, satan’s arsenal is quite limited, and so, he co-opted Job’s friends.

You know the saying “with friends like these, who needs enemies?” Well, Job’s friends were of that species. They attacked him in his mind – the pride of life. You see, the mind is the real battleground of life. That is why the bible says we should guard our hearts (minds) with all diligence. Fortunately, Job still did not succumb. And because satan’s arsenal is quite limited to those three aspects, Job ultimately won.

How Does All This Matter?

It is critical that we know that satan’s arsenal is quite limited so that we can stand in the day of trouble. There is a definite limit to the harm he can do to you before he has to leave you alone. That should encourage us when trouble comes. We know he will attack us with possessions. You may lose your job or your car or home. Knowing that satan’s arsenal is quite limited will help you not to succumb. You know he has only two more areas of temptation and you can hang in there.

Next, the devil may attack your reputation through backbiting and gossiping. That is when he usually employs those you consider to be your loved ones. And when that happens, it hurts like crazy especially if they are in the church. It is capable of chasing one from God. But knowing that satan’s arsenal is quite limited, you expect only one more.

That is usually when the doctor gives you a terrible diagnosis of a terminal disease. Those who don’t know that satan’s arsenal is quite limited may go into depression at that stage. But now that you know, you realize that after that diagnosis, satan has to depart, for a while at least.

Poor Eve, she fell into the devil’s trap because she did not have access to this wisdom. Satan’s lies quickly overwhelmed her. Not so for you and me. Unlike poor Eve, we have access to ‘so great a cloud of witnesses,’ as the bible says. We do not need to fall into the trap because satan’s arsenal is quite limited.

Maranatha!