1. The flesh is in rebellion against God.
Puritan author, John Owen, writes, “Secret lusts lie lurking in your own heart which will never give up until they are either destroyed or satisfied.” The flesh—although it feels comfortable and natural at times—is not a friend to be trusted: “The carnal mind is hostile toward God” (Rom. 8:7a). Enmity is not just an enemy, as an enemy can be reconciled. Enmity is in direct opposition to the will of God.
In short, the flesh says, “Feed me so I can destroy you—destroy your health, your relationships, your soul.” C.H. Spurgeon warned, “Beware of no man more than of yourself; we carry our worst enemies within us.”
2. The devil doesn’t make us do anything; he simply presents the bait.
For example, the devil doesn’t show a young couple the pain and anguish and the years of regret that premarital sex brings; he deceives them with temporary enjoyment and a false sense of freedom from responsibility. He has been deceiving since the beginning of time.
In Genesis 3:6, when Eve “saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasing to the eyes and a tree desirable to make one wise” she succumbed to temptation (took the bait) and rejected God’s Word. She also gave some to her husband, and he ate it. Nothing has changed. The devil still presents the bait, but instead of taking responsibility for actions, many blame the devil for their poor choices. “The devil is coming after my finances,” they say; yet they fail to budget, give to those in need and spend wisely. “The devil is trying to destroy my marriage,” is another common statement; yet spouses fail to truly love and serve one another.
Although the enemy will come against our families and our finances, we cannot blame him. We must take responsibility for our own poor choices when warranted. According to 1 John 2:16, the devil entices through the lust of the flesh (unbridled passions), the lust of the eyes (covetousness) and the pride of life (boasting of what we have and/or do). Another step toward victory is to take responsibility for our actions, submit them to God, and resist the devil: “Therefore submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
