8 Bible Stories of Satan’s Temptations - God's Warnings

 

Our sinful ways are eager to fall into temptation. When we are emotion-driven instead of Christ-led, allowing the devil to persuade us away from God’s direction is convincing.

Allow these stories to resonate with you as you walk into the high place of your Christian life.

The devil's temptations continue to tell the same lies throughout every generation.

 

David arranges Uriah’s death (2 Samuel 11)

 

King David sent his officers, Joab, and all of Israel to destroy the Ammonites and besiege Rabbah.

David remained in Jerusalem when he saw from the roof a beautiful woman bathing named Bathsheba.

 

David sent someone to get her, knowing that she was the wife of Uriah. When she came, he had slept with her.

After she went home to purify herself, she told David, “I am pregnant.”

David sent orders to Joab to send Uriah to him to question the status of the war.

Uriah was sent home to wash his feet but never entered and slept outside at the door. It was reported back to David, and he questioned Uriah’s action.

Uriah asked how he could eat, drink, and sleep with his wife when the remaining soldiers were still out for battle.

David sends a letter with Uriah to Joab.

 

David wrote, “Put Uriah at the front of the fiercest battle, then withdraw from him so that he is struck down and dies.”

Bathsheba mourned Uriah; after her mourning ended, he took her as his wife. The Lord considered what David had done to be evil.

 

Life application: David grew arrogant and took a married woman, believing he could have whatever he desired.

Ask God with every encounter to reveal his desires over your life. Our desires do not always align with the Lord God’s.

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the very high mountain we climb as we work through our evil thoughts and overcome them with God's Word.

 

Job's faith (Job 2)

 

The story of Job. The sons of God came to present themselves to the Lord, and Satan came along with them.

The Lord asked Satan, “Where have you come from?”

He replied that he was roaming through the earth.

The Lord asked Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job?”

He told Satan that no one else on earth was like him, a man of perfect integrity who fears God and turns away from evil.

 

Satan told the Lord that any man would give up everything he owned in exchange for his life.

The Lord God told Satan, “He is in your power, only spare his life.”

Satan left and infected Job with boils from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet.

 After Job sat down to scrape pottery, his wife said, “Are you still holding onto your integrity? Curse God and die!”

He called her foolish and asked if they should accept only good from God and not adversity. Throughout all of this, Job did not sin in what he said.

 

Life application: Job still respected God even during his suffering.

May we never excuse our reason for falling into temptation as a pass due to our distress.

We are called higher to overcome uncomfortable situations and remain with a humility in love and passion for Christ.

 

The temptation of Jesus (Matthew 4)

 

The story of Jesus, the Spirit led Jesus up into the wilderness after he had fasted for forty days and forty nights.

The devil began to tempt him, saying, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

He answered him, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

 

The devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple.

He started to sneer in his ear, saying, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.”

Jesus told him, “It is written: Do not test the Lord your God.”

Again, the devil took him to a high mountain, showing all the world’s kingdoms.

 

He says, “I will give you all these things if you fall and worship me.”

Jesus boldly tells him, “Go away, Satan! It is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”

The devil left him, and angels came and began to serve Jesus.

 

Life application: Jesus declined everything Satan offered because nothing can compare to the eternal rewards from God.

Ask yourself this question to apply this story to your own thoughts.

Am I living for God, or am I living to obtain things/people of the world?

Look for scripture to testify and confirm that nothing can take away or distract you from your Heavenly Father.

 

Eve is deceived (Genesis 3)

 

The form of a serpent asked Eve, “Did God say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?”

The woman tells the serpent that they can eat fruit from any tree in the garden of Eden, but the tree in the middle of the garden is forbidden, and we will die from even touching it.

 

The serpent told Eve that she wouldn't die. God knows that when she eats, her eyes will be opened like God, knowing good and evil.

The woman then saw this tree as delightful and desirable to obtain wisdom.

She ate the fruit and then handed it over to her husband, who also ate it.

Then, both of them opened their eyes, and they knew they were naked from taking from the forbidden tree.

 

Frantically, they hid and made coverings for themselves.

The Lord called out in search of them. They confessed to eating the forbidden fruit.

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

The Lord God cursed the serpent more than any livestock.

 

He told the woman that her labor pains would intensify and bearing children would be painful.

Next, he told the man that he would eat from the means of painful labor all his life.

 

Life application: Eve’s temptation affected her and all of mankind to come from eating from the tree of knowledge.

They broke a sacred unity that God undeservingly handed over to them at no cost.

 

Ask God daily for wisdom and discernment to differ between the choices in your life.

May we now see that temptation comes to steal, kill, and destroy as the enemy presents it nicely.

John 10:10 has warned us of the attacks we will have to overcome from our evil desires.

 

Joseph’s authority leads to prison (Genesis 39)

 

The story of Joseph, Joseph found favor with his master and became his assistant.

Potiphar put Joseph in charge of everything he owned, and from the time he was put in order, the Lord blessed everything of Potiphar because of Joseph.

After some time, Potiphar’s wife looked longingly at Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”

He refused, telling her that he was more significant than anyone in this house, and his master withheld nothing from him except her.

 

He then asked her, “How could I do this immense evil, and how could I sin against God?”

The master's wife continued to pursue him, grabbing his garment one day and insisting on him sleeping with her.

He dashed, leaving behind his garment.

She then called in her servants that this Hebrew man tried to sleep with her, but she screamed, and he ran, leaving behind this.

When Potiphar heard his wife’s story, he was furious and imprisoned Joseph.

 

The Lord was with Joseph and granted him favor with the prison warden.

He was now responsible for everything in the prison because the Lord made everything, he did successful.

 

Life application: Joseph’s temptation was presented to him and even chased after him in sexual relations that can be seen as a natural desire.

He possibly even had an urge but did not allow it to overtake him.

Let Joseph’s story remind us that God’s favor in our life does not depend on our circumstances.

His promises over your life remain when you follow in obedience even in difficult situations.

 

Daniel broke the law (Daniel 6)

 

The administrators, governors, and others enforced an edict that anyone who petitioned any God besides the King would be thrown into the lion’s den for thirty days.

When presented, King Darius signed the mandate as it was irrevocable.

When Daniel learned of this document, he went inside his home with the windows drawn up and got on his knees to pray three times a day, giving thanks to his God as before.

These men found Daniel petitioning and went to the King, telling him of someone going against the law.

 

The King was distressed hearing it was Daniel but soon sent for him to be thrown into the lion’s den.

The King told Daniel, “May your God, whom you continually serve, rescue you!”

A stone was placed on the mouth of the den, and King Darius left to fast for the night.

 

King Darius opened the lion’s den the following day and asked Daniel if his God had rescued him.

Daniel told him, “My God, shut the lions’ mouths, for I was found innocent before him.”

The King was overjoyed, and Daniel was taken out of the den unharmed for trusting in God.

 

Life application: Daniel did not face the nature of temptation even when a law was set to stray him from serving His God.

He did not see it as troubling but had the life of faith in him.

May we become so disciplined in Christ that everything else does not set the tone for our doings.

Galatians 2:20 is our strength to see that Christ lives in us. We do not live by our flesh any longer.

 

Peter falls for the first temptation (Matthew 26)

 

Jesus told his disciples that all of them would fall away because of him.

Peter said, “Even if everyone falls away because of you, I will never fall away.”

Jesus tells Peter it is confirmed before the rooster crows he will deny him three times.

 

Peter denies what Jesus tells him, and all the disciples say the same thing.

After Jesus goes out to the garden to pray before God alone, he is suddenly taken and betrayed by Judas, handing him over to be arrested.

 

Peter followed behind Jesus to see the outcome of false testimonies against Jesus.

Now, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl approached him, saying, “You were with Jesus the Galilean, too.”

He denied it in front of everyone, stating he did not know what she was discussing.

When he left, another woman saw him and told everyone, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene!”

Again, he denied it, saying he did not know the man.

 

Some time passed before another person said to Peter, “You are one of them since your accent gives you away.”

Then he started to curse and swear with an oath, saying he did not know this man.

Immediately, a rooster crowed, and Peter remembered Jesus’s words. He walked outside and wept bitterly.

 

Life application: Peter denied Jesus not once but three times and denied even committing these acts.

Nobody is far above falling into temptation. Let this teach us not to justify when we fall into sinful nature but to lean into God's strength.

 

Romans 10:9 tells us if we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, we will be saved.

God saves us even from our deathly flesh. May we learn from every fault we bring upon ourselves that finding peace can only be done through Jesus.

 

Paul’s afflictions for Christ (2 Corinthians 11)

 

Paul is speaking to the false apostles, boldly calling them out over every claim and undermining their words when spreading the gospel.

He says, “For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”

 

He tells them that nobody considers him a fool. Since many boast according to their flesh, he will boast also.

He details his beatings, imprisonments, labors, and near-death moments.

 

He says, “Five times I received forty lashes minus one from the Jews. Three times, I was beaten with rods. Once, I received a stoning. Three times, I was shipwrecked.”

He continues on the dangers from his people, Gentiles, wilderness, sea, and false brothers.

He goes on to explain that he hasn’t even mentioned other things that are the daily pressure on him.

Paul says, “If boasting is necessary, I will boast about my weaknesses. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed forever, knows I am not lying.”

 

Life application: Paul details the things he encountered when prophesying the Word of Jesus Christ.

He did not boast about his overcomings but of all the ways his weakness allowed God to shine through him.

Ask God to break you down in your weakness to receive more of His goodness.

In times of suffering, you may be tempted to avoid these hardships, but walk through them knowing God is walking you through your lessons.

May we be inspired that when we reveal more of our harmful desires, that we showcase the areas we are weak in and need more of our restoration in Jesus.

We will continue to be tested as children of God. An important step is to obey God's command to show the place we grow in Christ.