The apostle Paul made it very clear that the child of God can be easily deceived. II Corinthians 11:3 states, “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” This truth and principle are emphasized in Heb. 2:1: “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.” The picture painted here is to do what is necessary to not drift away from walking in Jesus’ footsteps.
The first trap to avoid is drifting. This can be defined as “a process of gradually moving away from the ways and directions of God.” It involves neglecting the priorities set by your calling into the kingdom of God and His service. Usually, it does not happen intentionally, but rather due to inaction. Amazingly, the transcendent God of the universe has made Himself known through creation, His Word, His Son and the Holy Spirit. He has gone to extraordinary lengths to make Himself known to us, and He asks one thing of us — “Seek Me.”
The second trap occurs when you are not concentrating on where you should be focused, which creates confusion. Why is it so incredibly easy to get distracted? In Younique, Will Mancini reminded us of the challenge of three life drifts — your appetite, ambitions and desire for approval. To better understand how the enemy operates, examine and study Luke 4:1-14. These three items are precisely how Satan tempted Jesus in the desert. Someone has said, “Satan may not be very creative, but he is remarkably effective.”
• Appetite — You can easily become distracted by your appetite. What are you hungry and thirsty for? What is that one thing out there that you think, “If only I could have that?” What do you desire, covet or are jealous of because someone has that and you don’t? You might easily define them as things you need, but in reality, they are often wants rather than actual needs. In the fall of man, as described in Genesis 3, the Bible states that the food was good and delightful to look at. Appetite causes you to drift when you become preoccupied with your “needs” and fulfilling them.
• Ambition — The second life drift occurs when your ambition becomes imbalanced and the end begins to justify the means. Satan told Eve she would be as wise as God. The drive to be smarter, faster, better, prettier and more successful than those around you is always present. In the ministry, this often manifests as a strong work ethic, but it can actually lead to workaholism. You start to believe that you have unlimited capacities, but the only entity without limitations is God. The ministry itself can create a facade of performance, projecting success.
• Desire for Approval — Then there is the demon of craving approval. Satan made quite an offer to Eve in this area: “You will be like God.” What could possibly be wrong with that? Everything! If you are driven by an unhealthy desire for man’s approval, either criticism will crush you or applause will corrupt you. Man was never made to be worshipped because he cannot handle it. The extremes of this tempting distraction are that you either need affirmation 24/7, or you arrive at a point where you don’t care. Take a close look at Gal. 1:17 on this distraction.
Satan is always striving to sabotage your story just like he did Jesus’ before our Lord ever began His ministry. Avoid these traps at all costs and recognize that you are susceptible to these temptations and distractions every single day. This was Paul’s concern for believers in I Thess. 3:5 NIV, “For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain.” Are your appetites, ambitions, and desire for approval all surrendered to His will and timing?
The Younique materials remind us that the core issue of appetite is fear. You are always concerned that you will never have enough. That is why Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…” (Matt. 5:6) The Younique training teaches that the core issue behind ambition is guilt, which says, “I’ll never accomplish enough.” God knows your limitations and loves you more than you will ever realize. The core issue behind approval is shame. This causes a gnawing feeling deep inside your soul that says, “I’ll never be enough.”
Your life and ministry will drift from God’s plan whenever you allow these three temptations to trap you. If you want to be like Jesus, then do what He did. As recorded in Matthew 4, to the appetite, He said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” To ambition, He said, “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” Then, when confronted with approval, He said, “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” It is all about His name, His kingdom and His will.
Traps are real, and Satan will throw them in our path continually. He loves to trip up leaders because of the negative impact their fall has on others. The “snares of the devil” are the traps and temptations set by Satan to lead you away from God and toward sin. They are subtle and deceptive, aiming to ensnare you in worldly pleasures, doubts or self-centeredness. These are the strategies Satan uses to undermine your faith, spiritual well-being and destroy your testimony and impact for Christ.
