How Does Satan Attack Us? — Lust of the Eyes (1 John 2:16)

Spiritual Questions with Scriptural Answers.

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In our last article, we discussed the nature and motive of Satan. After examining his tactics, we focused on his three-fold attack plan: Lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16).

In this article, we want to zero in on the second of the three: “Lust of the eyes.”

What we see with our eyes becomes engrained in our minds. As a child, I can remember hearing and singing the song: “O, be careful little eyes what you see…for the Father up above is looking down in love…so be careful little eyes what you see.”

The Lust of the Eyes in Our World.

It is so painful to consider that many have seen images, videos, etc. that have had a very negative effect on the purity of their minds. Satan is aware of the dangers and relishes in the fact that impure, evil things are broadcast before our eyes every day.

In the world of social media, it is not difficult to stumble upon something immoral. Our commercials today, the short “ads” that are posted, and the videos shared leave nothing to the imagination. By seeing these things, so many have gone down a dark path.

Sin will take you where you don’t want to go and keep you there longer than you want to stay! Satan attacks us by and through the “lust of the eyes” which is why we must be on guard and fight!

Job made an incredible statement: “I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman?” (Job 31:1). This of course requires several things: Discipline, intention, and a desire to be pleasing to God.

Consider that everything you look at and gaze upon God sees! What if God were looking through your eyes? Would you continue to look on things that are unholy and ungodly?

With the space remaining, let’s consider three examples from Scripture; two from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament.

The Example of Achan.

First, we consider an example from the Old Testament found in the Book of Joshua. God was very upset and disappointed with the Israelites for they had broken His covenant by stealing accursed things from people after a battle (Josh. 7:11).

Joshua approached a man by the name of Achan and urged him to confess that he had done wrong. Joshua suspected that Achan was guilty of taking what was forbidden (Josh. 7:19). Achan did confess to stealing. Consider what he said in regards to our study of the “lust of the eyes:”

“And Achan answered Joshua and said, “Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done: When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing ffty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it” (Josh. 7:20-21).

Notice that it all started by what he saw. After seeing it, he coveted it. He coveted it and then made the decision to take and hide what he saw.

Achan would be punished as he was stoned to death for this transgression (Josh. 7:25).

The Example of David.

Second, consider the example of David. King David stayed at home instead of going out to battle (2 Sam. 11:1). One evening, as he arose from his bed and walked on the roof, he SAW a woman bathing. At this point, if he would have turned away, he could have saved himself a great amount of heartache. Unfortunately, he acted on what he saw.

He inquired of the woman, had her brought to him, had sexual relations with her, and impregnated her as a result. This woman was married to a man named Uriah; therefore, David was guilty of adultery.

In an attempt to cover it up, he had Uriah come home so when others noticed that Bathsheba was pregnant, they would associate it with the time when Uriah came home. When Uriah refused, David sent orders to have Uriah put on the frontline where he would be killed.

David was not only guilty of adultery but also murder! This all started with him giving in to the “lust of the eyes.”

What Jesus Taught.

Third and finally, we go to a New Testament text. Jesus preached about the importance of “being careful what you see” as He discussed the danger of looking and longing on a woman to lust after her:

“But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matt. 5:28).

The look Jesus describes has bad intentions. The look is a lustful look that leads to an impure heart. How many have gone down a path of sin all because they continued to look and dwell on something forbidden?

May we all strive to be on guard and fight against the “lust of the eyes.” Tomorrow, we will conclude our series by discussing the “pride of life.”

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Drew Suttles is a minister for the Quitman church of Christ in Quitman, Georgia, and one of my best friends in this world. They live-stream all their Bible classes and sermons on their YouTube channel.

Drew also hosts the “Weathering the Storm” podcast on the Scattered Abroad Network. Drew talks about facing life’s challenges as a child of God. His podcast will be a blessing to your life.