June 3
“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)
Continuing from yesterday, additional reasons why reciting scripture is so effective in our fight against temptation are:
(3) A third very important reason why quoting scripture is so effective is because the scripture is living, it is alive and active, piercing our hearts and minds and able to judge our thoughts and intentions. The scripture is not dead, it is living, and the Spirit can use it to greatly strengthen us, convict us, warn us, and embolden us to resist temptation. The Lord energizes us and sustains us with His word. As Jesus said, “Man shall not live on bread alone but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” We need God’s word in our hearts and minds to motivate and fuel right actions and righteous living.
(4) A fourth reason why quoting scripture is effective against temptation is because I think Satan cannot stand against scripture. Scripture is God’s light, and Satan loves and dwells in darkness. Scripture is truth, and Satan needs to surround himself with lies in order to get his will to be done. Satan needs darkness and deceit to live, in a way, and to flourish. Satan without lies and deceit is like a fish out of water, like a car without wheels, like a plant without roots. When we quote scripture, we are pulling the rug out from under Satan. We are flooding his darkness with light, we are pulling the fish out of the water, and it desperately needs to get back to it. When we quote scripture, Satan is exposed for what he is. He has nothing to hide behind. He is naked and exposed so to speak, and his power is greatly diminished. Truth defeats Satan, and I think it puts him on the defensive and is embarrassing to him in a way. So he wants to get out of the light and leave the places that call him out and make it clear what he is up to.
(5) Finally, quoting scripture is so effective against temptation because it is really God who is saying it. When we quote scripture we are quoting God. And God’s word is authoritative. It is the final word. It cannot be challenged or argued with. This is how we are able to rebuke Satan, because it is on the basis of God’s authority, on the basis of what He has said. We can’t rebuke Satan based on our authority or our words. It is when we bring God into the picture with clear and accurate representation of His word, applied correctly to the situation at hand, that we have the authority to say, “Be gone, Satan!” Even Jesus didn’t just say, “Be gone Satan, you are annoying!” He said, “Be gone Satan, for it is written…” and He quoted scripture. Bringing God directly to bear in our fight against temptation is bringing in the big guns, the artillery, the most powerful and effective weapons there are in our battle with sin.