The devil Only Runs Three Plays And You Keep Falling For Them

We ask a blunt question: is it actually possible to defeat the devil, or have we been giving him way too much credit. We connect Genesis 3 with Matthew 4 and lay out the three predictable tactics behind every temptation so we can stop guessing and start getting honest about where we’re weak. 
• Jesus faces temptation as fully man with real limits 
• The first Adam fails in perfection while the second Adam stands in the wilderness 
• The devil’s three moves from 1 John 2:16 
• Desire of the flesh and the trap of chasing happiness 
• Pride of life and the need to be seen 
• Desire of the eyes and the lie of temporary gain 
• Why knowing the playbook changes the fight 
• How blind spots keep us stuck and why we need help seeing them 
Identify the area you are weakest in. Before you come back, identify where you’re weakest.

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Transcript

A Two-Part Message And A Question

Josh 0:00

So this morning I'm gonna start with this. This message that I'm about to preach is gonna be a two-part message. In other words, as I was writing this out, my normal message falls somewhere in between 16 and 18 slides. All right, and that that'll usually be about a 40 to 50 minute message. I was at like slide 27 and I wasn't even halfway done. So I was like, you know what? We probably need to break this into two different weeks, all right? Because there is a lot that we're gonna try to cover. So it's not gonna sound like we're gonna have this beautiful conclusion this week of the temptations of Jesus. Our conclusion for that is going to be next week, right? So if you want to hear how to fight, that's next week. This week what we're gonna focus on is this is it possible? Is it possible for you to beat the devil? Like, think about it. I think a lot of times, especially we as the church, we give the devil so much more credit than I think he really does deserve. And we look at him like him and Jesus are like these equals, right? Like, like there could be, like, maybe like if the fight, like if he had some pocket sand or something, maybe the fight could go the other way. And and I really sit here and go, like, understand this. One, he's not an undefeated fighter, right? Like, this isn't, you know, Habib coming in against Connor. Okay, we don't have an undefeated fighter here. He's already lost. When did he lose? Well, for starters, God already kicked him out of heaven. Right? Like, that wasn't a fight. Like, when we read that, like, is there even, like, can anybody tell me passages where we see that? Why not? Because here's how it went. And he's gone. In fact, Jesus would say this in Luke I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Right? In Isaiah 14, we see that that Lucifer stands up and goes, I will ascend to the throne of the Most High, and God goes, No, you won't. And that's it, cast him out of heaven. But yet we treat him like he's this undefeated, undisputed second in command. So let's pray, and then we're gonna jump into that. Father, I thank you so much for your word, and I ask and I pray, God, that as we go through it, that it be your word. That it is not my thought, it is not my opinion, but God, it is your very word given to us so that we may look different, so that we may look more like your son. Father, I ask and I pray by the power of your word you chip away at the things in our heart and conform us to your image. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen. All right, so Matthew 4, kicking off in verse 3, it says this. 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 he 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 to you if you will fall down and worship me. Then Jesus said, 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. Alright, so like I said, this is gonna be a two-part message. This week we're gonna look at this from this big 50,000-foot view. Because the first thing we have to understand is we've seen all of this play out before. Now, you might not be, it might not have like clicked right for you, but understand we've already seen this in Scripture. In fact, we saw this all the way back in Genesis chapter 3. We see the same things play out, we see the same things happening, and and throughout this, you might hear me say this phrase, the first Adam and the second Adam. Because what we're actually seeing here is the devil going, hey, I've already won this game, I'm gonna go ahead and play it again. Like, have you guys ever seen like a rematch between fighters? Right? Like you have like series, you know, like Ali Frazier, right? Where we have these fighters and they have one fight and this guy wins, and then the next fight, this other guy wins, and then they have a third fight to see like who is the best. And so he's sitting here going, I've already and beat him like I beat your last one. Now, I'm not the one who came up with the first Adam, second Adam. That's actually Paul. In 1 Corinthians 15 and verses 45 through 49, we see Paul make this connection between God's first creation and Adam, and then God's son, Jesus. And he tells them, the first Adam lost, but the second one? Oh, he's a man. And see, and Paul puts all of these together because there is a lot of similarities between Genesis 3 and Matthew 4. However, there's a lot of differences too. And the first difference I want to point out is this is the setting of the fight. Setting matters. Like, if you if you put me in like an armory, okay, and we're gonna fight, do you think I'm gonna fight fair? No. I'm grabbing one of the firearms in that armory, and that's what we're gonna use to fight with. Why? Because it's a lot easier to shoot a gun than it is to like actually go fisticuffs, right? See, the setting for these fights are very different. In Genesis 3, what's the setting? You can sum it up in one word. What is it? Perfection. Perfection, right? In fact, up until Genesis 3, we've only heard one, it is not good. What was the one it was not good? That man should be alone. And for some of us guys in here, you know why it's not good for you to be alone. Because you know when you get in trouble. You know when those thoughts and those things are hitting you, it's when you're alone. It's not when you are actually busy. All right, but in Genesis 3, what we see is perfection. Adam and Eve are in the garden. They are surrounded by food, they are surrounded with God's presence, they are in perfection. And yet, what still happens? The devil comes. The tempter shows up. The Bible says that he is the craftiest of all creatures. And he shows up to tempt them, and they fall. They're in perfection, they're not needing anything. They have all the food, their bellies are full, like they should be easy to win this fight right now. But when we see Jesus' setting, what is it? It's the wilderness. Right? A couple weeks ago we looked at Jesus is baptized, the heavens burst it open, he comes out, God is like, this is my son with whom I am well pleased, and then immediately the Spirit goes, now go out into the wilderness. He's alone, he's isolated. See, Adam and Eve had each other. And when I preached years ago through Genesis, that was one of the things we looked at. When Adam and Eve uh fall into temptation in Genesis 3.6, we see that the woman eats and then gives it to her husband because he is with her. Understand, they had each other. At any point, Adam should have stepped up, been a man, and been like just like slapped the food out of her hand and was like, dude, God already told us, don't eat that. What are you thinking? Like they have each other. Who's Jesus God? Himself. He's alone in the wilderness, he's isolated, he's starving. He doesn't have a full belly, he's not fighting at tip top shape here. He's been fasting for 40 days. It's what we saw last week. He fasted for 40 days and he's hungry. See, and we see a very different setting here. See, most of us, we're not fighting in the wilderness. Most of us, like if I'm looking around the room and I'm honest, you don't look like you're hungry. You don't look like it's been a couple of days since you've eaten. You don't look like, oh, it's been a couple of days since you showered. You don't look like you're you're really struggling with a lot, and I don't know what's going on in each and every one of your lives. Maybe you are. But I'm just telling you from the outside here, that's not what it sees. See, Adam and Eve, they failed in perfection. The same way most of us do. Jesus, on the other hand, though, is gonna step in and up the ante and go, hey, I'm gonna fight from a place of limitation on purpose. These settings cannot be as different. That doesn't make any sense. We're just gonna skip that. But another thing we have to remember is what we saw last week. That Jesus is fully man. He's hungry. He has limitations. He's not like it's so easy for us to go, well, of course, Jesus beat the devil. He's God. And I get that. But what you're doing is you're you're pulling out of Scripture something that Scripture isn't showing us. There's a reason why Matthew says he was hungry before this. Because Matthew wants us to see he has the same limitations that you and I have. Matthew wants us to see that, hey, Jesus did it. And what did we look at last week? But I'm not. Thank you for paying attention. But I'm not Jesus. But last week that's what we saw, right? Last week we saw that Jesus did this with all of our limitations to show us, hey, guess what? It's possible for you to do this too. It's possible for you to look like I did. Alright, so now that we've looked at the settings and we've looked at similarities and differences, I want to move into something real quick. You ready? The devil only has three moves. He only has three different things. See, when he comes to tempt Jesus, he does the same thing to Jesus that he did to Adam and Eve back in the garden. And listen, it's the same thing he does to each and every one of us. You will not fight any temptation that does not follow these three tactics. And you ready? I'm going to show you the three tactics from 1 John in chapter 2, starting in verse 16, it says, This for all that is in the world, the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life is not from the Father, but from the world. Those three tactics right there are the only plays the devil can play against you. Seriously, imagine if you were Bill Belichick, okay? Look, we're not deflating footballs. We're not sitting here like taping our enemies' like practices to see what plays they might run. This would be like if you were given the other team's like playbook. Hey, here is their script, here's everything they're gonna run. That is exactly what God gave us in this verse. Because these three tactics are the same temptations that the devil has ever done and will ever do. So up first, and I'm not looking at these in any specific order, okay? It's not like, oh, like these are the three things, like he does this one first, this one second, this one, third. He can do them in any order he desires, but up first we're gonna look at the desires of the flesh. When the devil found Jesus in the wilderness, we know from last week that Jesus was hungry. In other words, here's what his flesh is saying. We need to eat. Most people, this is where we live. Think about it. How many of you in here right now are like, man, alright, after service, here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna go home, we're gonna like fire at the Blackstone, we're gonna run out to Big Mike's, we're gonna go to the Deberi Diner. Whatever the case may be, here's our plans for how we're gonna go ahead and eat as soon as he gets done rambling. And I get it. Because you know what? Sometimes I'm up here preaching and you guys can't hear it, but my stomach is sitting here going, because I don't eat breakfast in the morning. So depending on how into it I get, my body might start burning up some more energy that it doesn't have. See, the devil knows Jesus is hungry in this moment, and the first temptation he gives him goes right after that. If you truly are the Son of God, command these stones to turn into bread. In other words, hey, the Father doesn't care about you, he isn't covering your needs, so you take matters into your own hand and fulfill your desires of your flesh. Here's another way we word it. You ready? Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you die. Enjoy the world. Enjoy all of it. Just anything you desire, go and do. There's a lot of problems with this. First, in Ecclesiastes 8:15, we see Solomon doing this. He's sitting here going, I have everything I could ever possibly want. I have more money than I'll ever be able to spend. I have houses, I have 700 wives and 300 concubines. So, guys, if you think that that's what's gonna make you happy, it doesn't. Solomon had a thousand women to play with, and guess what? He still wasn't content. I don't know about you either, but like one can tend to be enough if you put her in the right mood. But in Ecclesiastes 8:15, we see Solomon say this, and I commend joy. For man has nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful. And this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun. In Luke 12, 19, we see the same thing. It says the the rich man says this, and I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years. Relax, eat, drink, and be merry. And many of us in this room buy into this lie that if I could just please my flesh, then I will be happy, and we make a God of happiness. That becomes what we chase. I just want to be happy. I just want to feel content. You want to know a secret? You can't. You will never have enough. Some of us we live like squirrels. We're just like taking everything and putting it in the tree because that way when winter comes, we call it a different word. We call it retirement. Then I'll be happy. Here's the problem with that. One, you have no idea if you're even gonna make it to retirement. Two, you have no idea how long you're gonna be retired. Three, you'll never make it to retirement because we have this magical word, inflation. Here's what that means: your money will always be less than what it is right now. Always. I remember when I was younger, like some of these kids in here, my dad used to tell me this if you could just make a hundred thousand dollars a year, you will live a very comfortable life. Well, not saying my dad was a liar, but he was wrong about that one. Because right now, the minimum salary they say you should make to be comfortable here in America is 250,000. What about when my kids grow up? What number do I shell them to shoot for? Like, you want to be comfortable, here's where you gotta be. And then we become like Mr. Krabs, right? We just need more and more and more and more and more and more and more, right? And we think that if we can just get all of these things that eventually we'll get to a point where our flesh is happy. I used to think that if I could just have a boat, then I'll be happy. Then I went, I need a bigger boat. I need a different boat, I need a boat that I could do this in. And then guess what? I'm gonna be like, I need an armada. Like, I need all of these different ships, and then I need captains for all of them, and then I need to be able to wear a cool hat and be able to command them. Here's how we know this is a lie. You ready? Just think about this lie that if I could just, then I will be happy here in the US. Companies spend$450 billion a year, half a trillion dollars a year on commercials that need you, that promise you happiness if you could just buy this. Think about this. If they're willing to spend half a trillion dollars to get you to believe that you need this, how much are they making on this? And some of us, like, you guys can ask my mom after service. I'm an advertiser's dream. I love commercials. I will fast forward through shows to watch a good commercial. Like, in fact, a couple of weeks ago, and I'm not proud of this, but do you guys remember back in like the late 90s, early 2000s when Bud Light came out with Real Men of Genius? Some of you obviously remember them because you're giggling. I spent 45 minutes, half an hour and 45 minutes the other day, just watching one after another after another. And this isn't even a product I use or endorse. But the jingles are so funny. And see, and they know this. And the fishing industry, right? Any of you ever walk down like a an aisle, like whether it's Walmart or Academy or Bass or something, and you see all of these different lures? And you're like, oh, if I just get this one, then I'll catch the fish. And then you get this lure and you go out, and it's like, well, that didn't work. Okay, I need no, it was the color. Like, I can't use the pearl white one. I need the mullet HD one. That's why the fish knew it wasn't real because there's no bleach white fish out there in the ocean. So then we go back and we get that one. Understand, they're selling to you, not to the fish. Like, think about this. You could put a uh honestly a piece of banana on a hook, and some fish will eat it. Like, we have to understand this. And this is what we do is we chase happiness. Here's the thing happiness is an illusion. Happiness does not exist. Happiness is a fleeting feeling. Because if I were to pull my wallet out right now and go, hey, I'm gonna give everybody in here$100, you would probably be happy. You'd be like, hey, cool, like I'm gonna be able to eat when I leave. We're going out today. I'm not even having to do dishes. But here's the caveat: I'm also gonna stand by the door and go, hey, I need that hundred dollars back as you're walking out. Are you still happy? No, you're not. Because our happiness depends on our situation. Here's the problem with your situation. It's gonna change. Anyone in here you're old enough to remember pre-2008? Everything was great, right? Jobs, I mean, you could literally quit a job in the morning, have a higher paying, better job before lunchtime. And then all of a sudden, one day you saw this thing on the news and they were like, the housing market, the bubble's about to burst. And all of a sudden, 2009 rolls around, and you can't pay to get a job. I know people that left the state, they had to get rid of everything they own. We became homeless. Because all of the sudden, everything was gone. If it weren't for my family, my parents specifically coming in to help us out, me and Debbie had nowhere to go. And I sit here and go, like, happiness can be gone like that. But yet you chase after it. Why? I like the way it makes me. Ooh, some of y'all got it. This is why we have to let go of what we feel and hold on to what is real. Because some of us will give up everything to chase after something that can be taken in just the blink of an eye. Think about it, we will work 80 hours a week. Because if we go, if I just work a little harder, then I could be happy. Because I can get my business to this point, and then I won't have to. And then we sit here and go, we torpedo our marriage because if I could just be with the right person, then I'll be happy. Some of you, you look at other people's spouses and go, if mine was like theirs, here's the problem with that. You have no idea what they're actually like. You see what they're like in front of people. You have no idea what it's like, though, in their like own house. And let's be honest, we're all really good at showing people what we know they want to see, right? Like I have no problem in my sermons telling you how lucky I am to have Debbie as a wife and how amazing she is. You think she hears that every day? She does. But think about it. And we sit here and go, if I could just be with the right person, I'd be happy. Happiness, I'm gonna tell you right now, makes a terrible God. Because you get those things, and then all of a sudden you're like, uh-oh, I'm still not happy. Now what? Well, it must have been this then, and it must have been that. So that's the first tech uh tactic the devil uses. He sits here and goes, the desires of our flesh, be happy. The second tactic we see is this the devil took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and told him to throw himself off. Because according to Psalm 91, verses 11 and 12, God will send his angels to catch you. Now, why would the devil specifically take Jesus to the temple to do this? Anyone ever stop and think about that? Well, who's at the temple? People. The religious leaders. Hey, you want them to believe that you're the Son of God? Here, let me take you to them. You stand up here, jump off, and when God sends his angels to catch you, guess what they'll know? They'll know you are exactly who you claim to be. And we call this the pride of life. If I could just get people to see me. If I could just get people to listen to what I have to say, then I'll matter. And honestly, guys, this one's super easy to see in life. Because I can sum it up in two words, you guys ready? Social media. Every single person has become their own brand. And what are you marketing?

unknown 25:10

Yourself.

Josh 25:11

Yourself. This is why, honestly, and you guys have heard me say this before, we can go to a volleyball tournament, and you literally have to like pay attention to everything around you because you never know when a spontaneous TikTok dance is about to happen. And unless you want to be in their TikTok, guess what? You need to stop, wait for their dance to get done, or walk around it. Why? Because we sit here and go, I have to matter. And the only way for me to matter is if I matter to other people. This is why you spend hours doom scrolling. This is why you'll jump on social media and you'll just, and everything else in the world is gone to you. Because you're sitting here going, I have to matter. This is why your brain will hit you with that dopamine hit as soon as someone goes, Oh, John from Tennessee liked your post. And you're like, cool, John must love me. It's also why when you get on and no one liked your post, you're sitting here thinking, What?

unknown 26:10

No one likes more important.

Desire Of The Eyes And Empty Gain

Josh 26:11

What was it? No one likes me. No one loves me. No one shares what I have to say. I must not matter. And we live a life believing the lie that if I matter to others, then I'll matter to myself. Here's the thing. You ready? There is a God who loved you so much that he sent his only begotten son that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. You want to matter? Understand that God demonstrates his love in this. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. You want to matter? Understand, you matter to the same God who said, Let there be light. What do you think I care if I matter to Morticia from Virginia? And yet this is what we do. The Bible shows us that the more we try to gain for ourselves, the more you become an enemy of God. 1 Peter 5.5 says this, that God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. James 4.6 repeats that God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Luke 1.52 says this, he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate. Same thing, but different wording. Here's the thing: you keep going for yourself, and God will go, hold up, you're coming up against me, and I will humble you. So here's what the Bible is saying. You can humble yourself or you could be humbled. Take a pick. Like JT knows when Daddy hits that certain tone, he can humble himself or he's gonna be humbled. And see, and we have a father, a heavenly father, who is saying the same things. This isn't about you. And that's hard for us because pride of life says it is. Social media says it is. All of your little friends think it is, but it's not about us. 1 Corinthians 10 31 says, whether you eat or drink, do everything for the glory of who? God. Psalm 23 says that God will be exalted for what? His name's sake. Psalm 46.10 says this, be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. This isn't about our glory. It's what glory can we bring to Jesus. But yet we spend our entire lives doing the opposite of this, going, if I can just gain more for me, if I can just fill the hole inside my chest. And we have pride of life. I quoted Ecclesiastes earlier. This is the entire point of the entire book of Ecclesiastes. Is Solomon's sitting here going, here's the conclusion he comes to at the end. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. Because you can try to chase all of these other things, but guess what? It's still gonna leave you empty. In fact, it just amazes me. As most of you know, one of my degrees is in counseling, is in psychology, and all of that. And it just kills me because I sit here and go, right now, psychologists are sitting here researching that people who do for others are happier people. Guys, we've known about this for thousands of years. This is not a new tactic. The more we realize it's not about us, the happier we become, the less anxious we are, the less depressed we are. We've known about this for thousands of years, but all of a sudden it's being treated like this is some new idea. And I sit here and go, this is what we have to understand. That it's not about us. It's not about what I can gain from me. So that's the second tactic, the pride of life. The third tactic is this the desires of the eyes. The last temptation of Jesus we see in Matthew 4 is this the devil brings Jesus to the top of the mountain and shows him all the kingdoms of the world. He says, I will give them all to you if you just worship me. In other words, all those things you set your eyes on, I will give them to you. Some of us, we remember, like back in the day when those brick and mortar store things, like the mall, still existed, right? You guys remember when like Christmas time came up, and all of a sudden one day in your mailbox you had this giant, thick, Sears catalog, and you were like just going through and circling things, and you're like, Mom, like these are the things I want. That's what he's warning against right here. Because some of us we focus on all of these things and we go, if I could just, then I would be. But there's a lot of problems with this. Number one, first and foremost, if I get done preaching today, all right, and David comes up to you and he goes, Hey, Josh's truck's out there on the parking lot, I'll give it to you. Does that make it your truck? No, right? Because David can't give you something that isn't his. How is the devil gonna sit here with Jesus and go, hey, you see all these kingdoms? I'll give them to you if you just bow down and worship me. He doesn't own them to begin with. The earth is God's and everything herein. So how is he gonna give away something that isn't his? Second, the lie we believe is we put our hope in the temporary. Think about this, and we're gonna look at it hypothetically. What if we could just snap our fingers, and everything you could have ever possibly wanted in life you had? Okay? You're happy, right? You got all of the things, you have that armada of boats, you have like whatever it is for you because yours is less than boats, so it's not gonna be good. But you have everything. Okay? And then you die. What happens to all your stuff?

unknown 32:51

State cell. I've never seen a verse with a luggage rack. George Street cell.

Josh 32:58

It stays here, right? It's gone. Jesus would word it like this where moth destroys or moth eat and rust destroys. This is why we have to spend so much money in maintenance, right? That's why Jody has a job. Because things break down. And yet, what we just like we just saw with the desire of our flesh, is if we put our hope into the things that are perishing, what do you actually gain? Think about it. You get all of the desires of your heart, everything you set your eyes on, what have you gained? What does Elon Musk have that you don't? And and okay, money? Cars? A couple of planets, children with weird names, like X932, Gronk, is that how you say it?

unknown 33:52

No, it's AI.

Josh 33:54

Other than that, though, what does he have that you don't? A Tesla?

unknown 33:58

Tesla robot.

Josh 33:59

Okay. What does he have that you don't, though? Like we're all we can name are these temporary things. Like all we can name are these things that, like, oh, if I had these toys. Here's the deal: your house is messy enough. Do you need more things in it?

unknown 34:14

No.

Genesis 3 Shows The Same Pattern

A Simple Fight Illustration

Josh 34:18

But yeah, that's what we fight for, right? Like, I have no doubt. My girls don't have enough room for all of their clothes to begin with. I know this because they're all over the floor. So apparently the closet and the dresser aren't big enough. And then they sit here and go, hey, can we go to Target? I need to get a new pair of pants. I'm like, we have this magical thing called a washing machine. You could just wash the pants you have. But see, this is what we do, and we go, if I can just get all these things, if I can make my eyes happy, then I'll be happy too. But see, Jesus would ask us the same question in Luke 9, 25. He says, For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? Great, you got all the toys. And then you die, and guess what? All your toys stay here. Someone else gets to play with them. And some of you, you were that kid in school, right? Like, no, that's mine. Some of you that go to school here, I already know you're that kid. Like, there are kids that seriously at lunch will like try to eat everyone else's food, but then when you're like, hey, can I have no and it's like, oh, okay, cool. And I go, what'd you gain? What'd you gain? Think about it. You could get everything and it could be taken away. Remember, we talked about 2008? 2001, I'll even do you one better. My dad, um, after 9-11 happened, was telling me he lost something crazy, like 75% of his retirement in one day. Because it was in the stock market and all of that, and it just tanked. And then 2008 rolled around, and guess what? He lost more of it. But yet, hey, we're we're gonna gain it up, right? Because these, then I'll be happy. Because we're gonna chase that happiness thing. These are the same three tactics the devil has used from the beginning of time, and that he will use right now in your life. The scenarios may look different, but these are the same things. It is the same three things that we struggle with, and it's the same things that if we go back and look at Genesis 3.6, we see Adam and Eve struggled with. So in Genesis 3.6, we see this. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, desire of the flesh, and that it was a delight to the eyes, desire of the eyes, and that the tree was desired to make one wise, pride of life. When she saw these things, these same tactics that we just looked at it, the Bible says she took of its fruit and ate. And she gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Understand this. You already have the playbook. This is how the devil is going to attempt and attack you and try to bring you down with one of these three things. Now, some of you, you may not struggle with pride of life. You may be sitting here going, you know what? Like, I'm good in my station. I'm good. Some of you may be sitting here going, like, I don't struggle with needing social media. I'll tell you right now, it's a beautiful way to live. You know how many times I check social media throughout the week? Anyone want to guess? Zero. Zero times. Why? Because I really don't care what someone I haven't talked to in 20 years is doing right now. We obviously ain't friends. So I don't know why they title it as friends. And you ain't doing what I tell you to do, so we're not, you're not my follower either. So what difference does it make? You know who I can influence? The people that live in my house? Because I see them every day. Sometimes I can influence the the kids that I teach because I see them every day. Or most days. You know who I'll never influence? Bob in Las Vegas. How many times, honestly, have you ever seen a post on Facebook and went, my entire life has changed now because someone copied and pasted a Bible verse and put it up here? None. You may have liked it. You may have even shared it. Like, especially if it came from like Mission Sent, Mission Sent Outdoors, Mission Academy. Like, those would be good things, right? Maybe you left a Google review or two. But that's pretty much where they stop. So maybe that's not what you you struggle with. Maybe you're sitting here going, I struggle with. And and okay, when I learned it, it's called lust of, not desire of. So if I slip up and say lust of the flesh, that's the way I learned it in a different version of the Bible. But maybe you struggle with lust of the flesh. Maybe it's just like I need, I need, I need, I need, I need. Maybe, maybe it's something else, but understand it's gonna be one of these three things. Because those are the only things we'll struggle with. So, as we close, let me ask you again: is it possible for you to defeat the devil? You already know what he's gonna attack you with. See, it's real easy, like think about it. If Gabby, come here. I don't normally do this, but we're gonna use an illustration. Alright, you ready? Here's what I want you to do. I want you to take your right hand, alright, get in a fighting stance, take your right hand, get in a fighting stance, take your right hand, and just right here, not hard. Go. She can hit me, right? Alright, now, same thing, but now you just do whatever you want.

unknown 40:20

I don't want to fight you though.

Find Your Weak Spot This Week

Josh 40:22

See what happens? We fall apart at that point, right? Listen, the devil can't do anyone, anything else but these three things. You already know. Gabby, come here. Hit me with your right hand right here. You ready? Watch. Go. I already know what she's gonna do, therefore, guess what she can't do? Now, even when she tries, even when she tries. The devil is, you already know what he's gonna do. He's going to go for your flesh, he's going to go for your eyes, and he's gonna go for your pride of life. You wanna fall? Keep being prideful. Keep going, I don't need help. I got this. And here's the thing you're gonna fall. You wanna sin? Keep chasing after happiness. Keep thinking your happiness is what you need. Keep thinking the things of this world will bring you happiness. I've given this illustration a hundred other times, but you're gonna hear it again. JT, we were like dirt floor pour. And JT really wanted this drone for Christmas. And it was a fairly expensive drone. It was like 400 bucks, right? And when you're eating scrambled eggs and hot sauce for dinner,$400 might as well have been a billion. And as a as a parent, my pride welled up. And I went, I want to get my kids the things they want so that they don't see how hard it is for us. Understand, it wasn't for him, it was for me. It was me sitting here going, I have to fulfill my pride. And so we sacrificed and saved and scratched and all of those things. And we got him this drunk. And the biggest letdown of my life was when he opened it up and went, oh, cool. Why was that a problem for me? Because my pride couldn't handle the fact that he wasn't doing backflips because he didn't understand how much we had to sacrifice to make sure he had this toy. And you know how many times he's flown it? Twice. Still sitting on a bookshelf in his room some ten years later? And he's flown it twice. How do you think my pride felt? And what was I chasing? Me. It wasn't how much I loved him. It was how much I loved me, and I wanted that reaction from him. So as we close today, can you defeat the devil? You already know what he's going to attack with. This isn't like, oh, never saw this coming. The Bible's already told us it. So our challenge this week is simple. You ready? All you have to do is identify the area you are weakest in. That's it. I'm not telling you to do anything. Like next week, we're gonna come back to and see how to fight against. But before you come back, identify where you're weakest. Because if you know where you're weakest, guess what you can do?

unknown 43:42

Fix it.

Josh 43:43

Huh?

unknown 43:43

Fix it.

Prayer And Next Week Setup

Josh 43:44

Yeah, you can start building up barriers against it. Like I said, some of you may not struggle with like lust of your flesh. You may be like, no, I got all of this handled. Cool. What about pride of life? What about lust of the eyes? Like, is that where you struggle? But sit here and go, where is it that I struggle? And I'm gonna be honest and take it one step further. Don't just do this by yourself. If you're married, go to your spouse and go, hey, I promise this is not gonna start an argument. I need you to help me see where I am weakest. Here's why. We all have blind spots. If you were to like ask me how I look, I would tell you I look exactly like I did at 18 when I was winning like state weightlifting championships and everything. When I see a picture that Debbie took that I wasn't ready for and didn't have time to go, all of a sudden I go, oh, whoa, that is not what I looked at at 18. But we all have blind spots. So get someone else. If you're married, it's your spouse. Go to your spouse. Don't go to your friend at work and go, hey, I need to have this intimate conversation with you. Go to your spouse and go, hey, we need to sit down and talk about this. If you're a kid in here and you're like, well, I don't have anyone to go to, sure you do. You have thousands of friends, right? Find one and go to them. Ask your parents. I would recommend your parents because here's what your classmates are going to tell you. Perfect the way you are. And if your parents won't be honest with you, come ask me. I can care less about your feelings and have no problem going, here's where your problems are. Because my concern isn't for your heart, it's for your eternal being. But that's what we need to do. Sit down and go, where am I weakest? Get someone to help. And understand if someone comes to you and goes, hey, I need you to have this uncomfortable conversation with me, be gracious with them. It was hard enough to get them to come to you to begin with. So now isn't your turn to start just, okay, here's my laundry list. I'm so glad you came to me. I've been preparing for this since Sunday. That's when you go, okay, hold on, let's have a real conversation and let's really get into this. It's not time to argue, it's not time to sit here and go, like, well, and if someone's helping you, don't attack everything they're saying. Listen to what they're saying. Because they see things you don't. So have that uncomfortable conversation because that awkwardness is where we grow. So just like the wilderness isn't comfortable and it reveals things in us, this too should. So identify that area, and then next week we'll start working on how we build embankments to guard against it. So if you were someone who was sitting here going, hey, I need someone to talk, or pray. But Father God, I just ask and I pray that as we move from this position, God, seeing how the devil attacks, I ask and I pray, God, that you just go ahead and go, okay, you already know his playbook. Let's start fighting back. God, I ask as we move through this week that we do just that, that we find an area in our life that we sit here and go, this is where I am weak. So that, Father, we may learn how to be strong, so that we may change God, so that we may look different, Father, so that we may look more like your son. Father God, I ask and I pray that by the power of your spirit, you reveal in us, each and every one of us, those areas that we need to grow. Father, I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.