wilderness. Every time Satan suggested a temptation, Jesus
countered by quoting Scripture. He didn’t argue with Satan. He
didn’t say, “I’m not hungry,” when tempted to use his power to
meet a personal need. He simply quoted Scripture from memory.
We must do the same. There is power in God’s Word, and Satan
fears it.
Don’t ever try to argue with the Devil. He’s better at arguing
than you are, having had thousands of years to practice. You can’t
bluff Satan with logic or your opinion, but you can use the
weapon that makes him tremble—the truth of God. This is why
memorizing Scripture is absolutely essential to defeating
temptation. You have quick access to it whenever you’re tempted.
Like Jesus, you have the truth stored in your heart, ready to be
remembered.
If you don’t have any Bible verses memorized, you’ve got
no bullets in your gun! I challenge you to memorize one verse
a week for the rest of your life.
Imagine how much stronger
you’ll be.
Realize your vulnerability. God
warns us never to get cocky and
overconfident; that is the recipe for
disaster. Jeremiah said, “The heart is
deceitful above all things and beyond
cure.”^16 That means we are good at
fooling ourselves. Given the right circumstances, any of us are
capable of any sin. We must never let down our guard and think
we’re beyond temptation.
Don’t carelessly place yourself in tempting situations. Avoid
them.^17 Remember that it is easier to stay out of temptation than
to get out of it. The Bible says, “Don’t be so naive and self-
confident. You’re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as
easily as anyone else. Forget about self-confidence; it’s useless.
Cultivate God-confidence.”^18
PURPOSE #3: You Were Created to Become Like Christ 215
Don’t ever try to argue with the
Devil. He’s better at arguing
than you are, having had
thousands of years to practice.