By any other name... he still is a tempter

 In all that I am writing about temptation and the devil, I feel led to state that while God is certainly more powerful than he is and while angels surely outnumber the demons in this world, we should never underestimate the devil.

He is called “the evil one” (Matthew 13:38), “the prince of this world” (John 12:31), “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4), “the accuser of our brothers and sisters” (Revelation 12:10), “the serpent … more cunning and crafty” (Genesis 3:1), “the enemy” (Matthew 13:39), and others.

But even more than what he is called, it is what the tempter does that makes temptation so bad. We can be defiled through unforgiveness (2 Corinthians 2:11), bitterness (Hebrews 12:15), evil promptings (John 13:2), false signs (2 Thessalonians 2:9), false thoughts (Matthew 15:19), and false beliefs (John 8:44).

With all of those things in mind, we need to fight against the tempter and the temptation. I came across this poem (although I cannot find it on the internet but is similar to Good Timber by Douglas Malloch¹):

The tree dug in, facing fiercest wind,
   will stand well past tomorrow;
It's the deepest roots
   which yield sweetest fruits,
       though grown by greatest sorrow.

 The book of James in the Bible said that we should "count it all joy when we face temptations." Why? My theory is that there is a connection of joy with temptation as well as tribulation and testing from God because they all have a potential of bringing us closer to Him. We may fail to enter into the joy because we falter at one or all of the “Triple T” connections.

All three words, temptation, tribulation and testing are found in James chapter 1.

² Consider it pure JOY, my brothers, whenever you face temptations of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴ Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. … ¹² Blessed is the man who perseveres under temptations, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. ¹³ When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. ¹⁵ Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death... ²⁷ This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their tribulation, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Peirazo = Temptation with evil (James 1:2, 12-14). When we are tempted, we are not in sin, but we are in serious danger. Jesus was tempted every day of His existence, in every way (Heb. 2:18) that we are, yet He was without sin (Hebrews 4:15). He is able to help us, but temptation is nevertheless still a battle. There is an escape, 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, but every temptation has the potential of either being an opportunity to get us closer to God, resulting in joy and perseverance OR of being an obstacle to get us closer to Satan and further from God, resulting in sorrow.

Stephen Charnock, a preacher from the 17th century, said, “A deep sense of the Divine Goodness of God would strike Satan’s temptation dead at a blow.”

A way to victory is to remember God is good, divinely good and will deliver from evil (Matthew 6:13).