FRIDAY, AUGUST 21
Scripture: Luke 4:5-7

Luke 4:5-7 says, “Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, ‘All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.’” This passage outlines one of the enemy’s greatest tools that he uses in Scripture to keep us on a tangent. Satan was offering the wealth of the world, in trade, for worship. He competes with God for man’s worship. The enemy desperately tries to get worship from man. He got it from Eli’s sons. When the enemy gets worship, he brings devastation and destruction to the point that God desires to kill those leaders. That is how serious the deceitfulness of riches is. There is no other area where the enemy competes for worship like he does over the issue of money. Jesus made it clear, we cannot serve both God and mammon. So this area deserves a closer look because it seems to be the enemy’s primary ploy of destroying the spiritual harvest God intends for all of us. Satan offered Jesus a shortcut to possess all the wealth of the world. Jesus had to deny that shortcut and ultimately pay the price to get it. Therefore, this temptation has already been won by the Lord Himself. And as we are aware of it, we can stand in His victory in this area of life!