Then He said to them all, "If anyone wants to come with Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me."
Luke 9:23
When a beast goes in for the kill; they always go for the head, face, or neck. Our heads hold our means for sight, hearing, and our voice to speak. When Satan prowls seeking whom to devour; he does so by blinding our sight to the reality of what surrounds us by placing before us lies, illusions, and doubt. He deafens our ears to hearing the truth by distractions, peer pressure, self-glorification, and common sins found within mainstream media. Furthermore, he threatens our lives with illness, financial problems, legal mishaps, and conflicts in relationships, whenever we walk in faith, to open our mouths, boldly proclaiming the gospel of peace.
The enemy's tactic is to bring us: reasoning, bargaining, and doubt. He will ask questions concerning temptations; having one weigh their options on what they may miss out on if he/she don't give into what God has forbidden them to do. Satan will also offer great fulfillment behind wrong actions. And nonetheless, he will have one to doubt that there are real consequences behind their action. The way he tempted; Jesus and Eve, is the way in which he tempts us.
It isn't easy to say, "No!" to ourselves when faced with gratification. God tells us that although everything is lawful to us, everything isn't good for us (1 Corinthians 6:12, 1 Corinthians 10:23). We have to deny ourselves of temporary good, in order to preserve our long-term welfare. This is when we come in season to rely on God for our spiritual gift of discernment through the Holy Spirit. It is important for us to know the difference between what IS good for us, and what is only an illusion. The best safe-guarding method is to just remain obedient to God's commands, trusting Him as Jesus did. Jesus followed God on a daily basis, regardless to the penalty. For this reason, have we not been commanded to "Deny ourselves", but the enemy tells us, "You won't die". Have we not been commanded, "Take up your cross", but the enemy tells us, "This will never happen to you". Moreover, Jesus says, "Follow Me", but the enemy chimes in, "All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine". God commands us abstinence from all that is a form of self indulgence and wickedness, but Satan entices us to do just the opposite. Satan wants us to die.
....Furthermore, he wants to have possession of our souls, at any rate..
When wearing the Helmet of Salvation; we remain focused on God, not on the schemes of the enemy. Satan works daily to bring us to our destruction; that's why it is important that we rebuild our faith daily, when it comes to being obedient. When we choose to be lead into temptation through seduction, enticement, or being lured; we in fact, deny Jesus, as Peter did, and open ourselves to being devoured, and vomited out. The enemy's schemes to his tactics are not always visible or known, just as in comparison to a lion in the wild that does not give himself away to its prey. Alternatively, some ways in which we open ourselves to being attacked is through having corrupt company, being prideful, having corrupt actions, letting our guard down, involving ourselves in corrupt speech, and so on. But even so, God loves us. His Spirit within us, will continuously seek to lead us back on the right path, away from harm. However, it is up to us to make the final decision towards repentance in order to survive.
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