Here Is How Accomplishments Can Be Disastrous

​Judges 7:2 - The Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, ‘My own power has delivered me.’ 

• What God Wants

God informs Gideon that if he went into battle against the Midianites with 22,000 men that the Israelite's victory would be dangerous. Their victory would fill them with pride. They would start to believe they were victorious because of their strength. God wanted Israel as He wants us to trust in Him.

Are we walking each day in faith so that no matter what enemy we encounter we can defeat it with God?
 
What prideful enemy are you facing today?

We have an enemy who is constantly trying to get us to believe that what we have accomplished we have done on our own. God wants us to trust Him and believe He is helping us daily. 

• What The Devil Wants

In 1 John 2:16, we are told that the three ways we will be tempted are through the Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes, and the Pride of Life. You will be able to place sin under one of these three categories. The devil has been very successful in getting God's children to sin.
 
Sin has conquered all people except Jesus Christ.  
 
Adam and Eve's sin in the garden, David's sin when he numbered Israel or Samson's sin of using his strength incorrectly, all three of these sins come under the Pride of Life.

I am sure if we will look at the sin that has conquered us we will find that it falls under either the Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes, or the Pride of Life. 

Are you going to be able to defeat these temptations by yourself?
 
The answer is "NO". We are going to need to trust the Lord to help us overcome the temptations the devil will use. Remember the devil is not omniscient (all-knowing).
 
Only God is omniscient.

So how does the devil always seem to know what temptations to confront us with that succeed?
 
The devil is very observant. He knows that to defeat his opponent he has to know their behavior. He has studied the behavior of God's creation and he has discovered how to get us to sin.
He has beaten everyone but ONE, Jesus Christ.

We, humans, are not too hard to defeat. Simply use one of the three ways mentioned above and he succeeds every time.

When tempting our Lord and Savior look at his plan.
 
He said to Jesus, "If you are the Son of God turn these stones into bread." He tried to get Jesus to doubt Himself and because Jesus had been fasting he slips in a Lust of the Flesh temptation. Turn the bread into stones if You are the Son of God. You have to be hungry. Your flesh has to be craving something to eat.

When that doesn't work he tries the Lust of the Eyes when he tells Him I will give you all these kingdoms if You will worship me.
 
Lastly, he tries the Pride of Life temptation when he says, Go ahead and jump from the pinnacle of the temple angels will save You. God will send His Angelic Air Force to swoop in and make sure Your landing is a safe one.

• What Do You Want?

It really comes down to this: What is it we want? Hopefully, we will all want to trust in God and not allow are accomplishments to lead us into sin.

Think on These:

Pride hides a man's faults to himself, and magnifies them to everyone else.

When success turns a man's head, it leaves him looking in the wrong direction.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago

Minister of God's Word