THE DEVIL'S OFFER

“The devil goes into your future, takes 10% of something that is already yours and offers it to you. If you take his offer, you lose 100% of what was supposed to be yours in your future.”

Hey guys. It’s so good to be back. Hope you've been good.

I just wanted to start off by sharing something I heard a couple of weeks ago.

I heard this piece of advice for the first time during a morning devotion session we had at work. The administrator who happens to be a man of God, shared a lot of things from the scriptures that day but this is something I think I will carry for the rest of my life.

As I thought about this information, many instances came to my mind that validated it.

For instance,

1. Premarital sex

Sex was created by God to be enjoyed within the confines of marriage. If your plan is to get married one day, the devil knows it too. He takes a portion of “holy sex”, distorts it and presents it as pornography, masturbation and all kinds of lust to you.

These habits have repercussions. Thank God for grace and second chances but we all know that it can be hard to let go of these habits even after marriage. You have the right to engage in sex within the marriage institution but the devil will trick you into enjoying what you’re supposed to enjoy later now. You end up enjoying less of what God meant for you to enjoy in marriage.

1. Greed for money

Financial wealth is our portion as believers. As young adults, things may not be so rosy financially but God still has a plan to take care of His kids. The devil will go into your rich financial future, take 0.000001% of your wealth and present it to you through dishonest means. By stealing, duping, exorbitant price hikes on the things you sell, sleeping around etc. Sounds like a pretty smart strategy of the devil.

This is what we call temptation.

Like Eve, he deceives us into thinking that we do not have it all even when God has created us perfect. It'll look like a harmless fruit until we realise that we have traded the destiny of the entire human race with just one bite.

Like David, we think that a moment of pleasure with Bathsheba is not a big deal until we realise that we'll have to kill Uriah to hide the act (2 Samuel 11:17).

It's the same strategy he used when he tempted Jesus.

Satan offered Him bread when He was the bread of life.

Satan offered Him all the kingdoms of the earth when all the universe was to become His after His death.

Satan told Him to throw Himself down because angels will protect Him as if it was not an angel that announced His (Jesus) birth.

In short, Jesus had nothing to prove because He knew what He had and what He will gain if He stayed faithful.

The devil has used this strategy for centuries, it has worked for him so he continues to use it.

Let’s flip the narrative, does God also use this formula?

Yes, He does!

God however does not tempt, He tests.

At the end of every academic year, every teacher tests his students to make sure they have grasped the topic. So does God. After all the investments He has made in your life, it’s only fair that we are tested before we are entrusted with more.

The difference between a test and a temptation is in the motive of the initiator. The enemy seeks to see you fall but God trusts you to lean into the strength of the Spirit to overcome.

Financial woes can be a result of bad money habits and a call from God to steward your money better but it can also be bait from the enemy to make you a drop-out from the school of process.

God takes us through the process not to torture us but to make us efficient stewards of the very things He is withholding from us. Process is delayed gratification. some things will have to wait, we just aren't ready to handle them while others are strictly out of bounds..

We are not ignorant of the devices of the enemy. Arm yourself with the knowledge of what’s yours and what isn’t in God’s Word. When Satan tempted Jesus, Jesus had nothing to prove because He knew what He had and what He will gain if He stayed faithful.

If you already know what is yours, to begin with, It’ll be hard for the enemy to bait you with it.

If you know that God has made true riches available unto you, you will not be swayed by a bribe of 15,000 cedis even if you struggling financially.

I know, I know. It can be hard.

But when we lean into the power of the Spirit, we’re empowered to overcome.

So friends, anytime we are faced with a decision, let us ask ourselves,

“What do I have to lose if I do this?”.

“What is the bigger target of the enemy?”.

“What effect does this fleeting moment of pleasure have on my destiny?”.

God gives second chances, God forgives, and new beginnings are always a possibility in the Kingdom but we are bound by time as mortals. Some mistakes can cause us to waste so much time and arrive late at purpose or even miss it entirely. So let’s save ourselves the stress and do the right things now. Don't take the devil's offer. Ignore and resist the temptation to take a bite of the fruit.

Let's chat in the comments.