“For all that is in this world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.” – 1 John 2:16
Satan is so good at appealing to our deepest desires. He has an array of ways he likes to attack us. Each one is specific to our own individual desires. He has been using these tricks since the beginning of time. From tempting Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, to tempting Jesus, Satan has been using the same tricks for as long as human beings have been around.
What we know from 1 John 2:16 is that Satan likes to appeal to us in three specific ways. The verse says, “For all that is in this world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.”
John is basically saying Satan wants to appeal to our physical desires (as we talked about yesterday), our emotional desires (today), and our pride (tomorrow).
Satan appealed to Eve’s emotional desire that the apple was pleasant to her eye. He appealed to Jesus’ emotions by offering Him possessions of the world. Satan loves to appeal to our emotions in ways that make us feel we need to have it.
He gets us thinking, “If I had _______, then I would feel ________.” This is honestly the tactic many marketing and sales experts use. They want you to think about the emotions you would feel if you had their product.
The difference is their products are often meant for the betterment of your life. Satan wants to destroy your life. The emotional appeal of Satan is always short-lived and comes with far worse consequences.
Though you might “feel better” in the moment, you will trade it for long-term consequences. Be careful and do not give in to Satan’s quick fixes. Whatever you need, Jesus will provide. Do not allow Satan to tempt you with what you do not have.
God promises to give us all that we need. Anything Satan offers is only for your harm. Be mindful of this and stay on the lookout as the enemy attempts to pry you away with emotional desires that don’t live up to the promise.