Do Satan’s schemes leveraging his bait, hook, line, and sinker leave you feeling hopeless?

There is hope, and that hope is Christ. He will guard our hearts. When temped with the bait, God always provides a way out in Christ: “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). When deceived with the hook, Christ is the wisdom and power of God for us to become unhooked (see 1 Corinthians 1:24). When accused with the line, Christ intercedes on our behalf (see Romans 8:34). When destroyed with the sinker, Christ defeated evil (see Hebrews 2:14-15; 1 John 3:8).

We experience the hope of Christ through: (1) the Word of God, (2) the people of God, and (3) the Spirit of God. We connect with the Word of God when we read the Bible. Jesus quoted Scripture when He was tempted by Satan. Memorizing verses from the Bible is one of the most powerful tools to learn wisdom. We connect with the people of God when we enter into mutual-submission with another Christ follower. We connect with the Spirit of God when we pray. We must model Christ’s prayer of confidence in the Father who will lead us away from temptation and deliver us from evil (see Matthew 6:13).

When we humble our hearts to the Spirit of God, His wisdom will flow through us: “Through love and faithfulness sin is atoned for; through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil” (Proverbs 16:6).

Episode 68: Guard Your Heart Against Satan's Schemes from mitchkrusetv on Vimeo.