The devil tempted Jesus in three ways:

— Through the lust of the flesh.

— Through the lust of the eyes.

— Through the pride of life.

“For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father, but is of the world.” (1 John 2:16). For all that is of the world “lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19).

The online dictionary says “to sway” is to cause (the mind, emotions, etc., or a person) to incline or turn in a specified way; influence. So the devil uses all that is “in the world” to sway us through either the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life. And his targeted attack surface is none other than our own “fallen nature.”

For he seeks to exploit the weaknesses and flaws of the fallen nature through the attack vector of temptation. And the primary threat actors he uses to bring about our own individual downfall are the same three ways he sought to bring the downfall of Jesus.

In the account of the devil tempting Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus hadn’t eaten for forty days and nights. In other words, He was at His very lowest and weakest. Which tells us that the devil seeks to compromise us when and where we are weakest. For does a predator in nature not likewise look to the weak in the herd, and target them? And is the devil not described as a lion who prowls around seeking whom he may devour? (1 Peter 5:8).

In other words, when Jesus was at His weakest, which was after forty days of fasting, the devil deliberately and systematically tempted Him in all the ways in which we are also tempted:

1. “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”- the temptation of the Lust of the Flesh.

2. “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”” - the temptation of the Lust of the Eyes.

3. “Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”” - the temptation of the Pride of Life.

For what is it that the devil ultimately seeks to gain by tempting us all? Is it not to enslave us all to the fallen ways of a fallen nature? Which is a nature that falls short of the glory of God? For is it not a nature full of both spot and wrinkle? Which is a way that systematically and incrementally leads to an end state of complete and utter corruption? Which is in line with one of the laws of the way of the world? Which is the principle of entropy — being that all things progress towards a state of decay?

And is this not the way of the fowler? To lead us all incrementally unto a state of utter decay? For is it not written that all the world “lies under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19)? And is it not the nature of the fowler to fowl? Does he not seek to fill the tabernacle of the living God with the rancid stench of the fowl of complete corruption? Which is to leverage the flaws in our fallen nature to woo us into temptation?

And when it came to this temptation, did Jesus not RESIST the devil at every turn? And did the devil then not depart? And is this not a life lesson for all of us from our Father in heaven who looks out for all His own? For is it not written that if WE resist the devil, that he will then flee? (James 4:7).

For our ultimate enemy is not the devil. It is our flesh. The devil seeks to use our flesh to bring about our own downfall. For is it not written, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” (James 1:14). It’s our OWN desires that draw us away.

The devil uses what is already INSIDE us to sway us from the way and the truth and the life that is without spot or wrinkle. Which is perfect love. The devil is our enemy, yes, but he is not the ultimate foe. Our flesh is. Which is why it is our flesh that we have to overcome. Our flesh is the giant we all need to slay. For if we overcome our flesh, where does that leave the devil? Does he then have any way to then cause us to fall?

And the way in which we resist the flaws of the fallen nature from responding to the wily temptations of the fowler is by asking ourselves: “Which voice am I listening to right now? Am I listening to the voice of my flesh? Or am I listening to the voice of the Spirit?” Which is why the living Word of the Spirit of God says: “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16). Which is to constantly “submit yourself therefore to God, and resist the devil, and the devil will flee from you.” (James 4:7).

For while the devil, on the one hand, seeks “to tempt” us into a deeper enslavement to the fallen nature, where our nature becomes entirely fraught “with spot and wrinkle”, on the other hand, the LORD seeks “to woo” us with His perfect love, (His divine nature and eternal power), into a way and truth and a life that nurtures us back towards a nature entirely “without spot or wrinkle”. Which is righteousness. Two forces of opposing natures diametrically opposed to each other in the timeless battle of “one soul at a time”. A battle positioned to either progress that soul to a state of complete decay, or to woo that soul by the nature of perfect love back to a way that is without spot or wrinkle.

And whilst we individually and corporately all deal in our own way with this world’s deceptive and false attractions on a daily basis, attractions designed to purposely lead us astray through the one who has sway over all that is the world, let us never forget that “the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17). Being all those who submit to God, and resist the devil. Which are all those who choose to be led by the voice of the Spirit rather than by the voice of the flesh.

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”‭‭ (II Peter‬ ‭1:2-4‬).