Understanding the seducing spirit and why we must overcome it

At some point during their journey to Canaan, the children of Israel were caught up in immorality. The enemy had tried to curse them through the Moabite king who had summoned Balaam for the assignment, but God withstood it. Immediately after this, these people were lured into immorality by the Moabite women and they fell right into it.

Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel ~ Numbers 25:1-3 NKJV

Following this, 24000 of them were killed that day on the Lord’s command. Shortly after, God instructed Moses to declare war against the Midianites for seducing His people.

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Harass the Midianites, and attack them; for they harassed you with their schemes by which they seduced you in the matter of Peor and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a leader of Midian, their sister, who was killed in the day of the plague because of Peor.” ~ Numbers 25:16-18 NKJV

To seduce is to simply lead someone astray from the right paths often through deception and or temptations. The spirit of seduction is one of the greatest weapons that the enemy uses against those who carry the seed of God in their lives and it is often after satisfying the desires of the flesh. This means that it looks for a fleshly desire within someone and builds a temptation around it, eventually luring that person into sin without their knowledge. The enemy has successfully managed to bring many down just by using this weapon alone. It’s a spirit that seduces people to perversion with the aim of turning their hearts away from God and crippling their effectiveness in accomplishing their divine purposes in life.

Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted from God; for God is incapable of being tempted by [what is] evil and He Himself tempts no one. But every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed andbaited by his own evil desire (lust, passions). Then the evil desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully matured, brings forth death ~ James 1:13-15 AMPC

Consider the case of Samson for example. He was one of the greatest and most powerful men that the Bible has recorded in his days. He was a one man army whom the Spirit of God used mightily to fight against the Philistines and his strength became a mystery to them. They were very desperate to find out about the source of his strength, but they couldn’t. Samson, however, kept messing himself up with the Philistine women until the enemy realized that only a woman could bring him down so he used Delilah. He fell helplessly in love with her, but he lacked the wisdom and discernment to know that she was working for the enemy. So even when the signs were obvious, he still could not break out.

So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me where your great strength lies, and with what you may be bound to afflict you” ~ Judges 16:6 NKJV

And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was vexed to death, that he told her all his heart, and said to her, “No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man.” ~ Judges 16:16-17 NKJV

It is not the will of God for us to be brought down by the enemy like this, yet it has happened so many times and it continues to happen to so many believers. The enemy seems to have a field day especially where men with great destinies are concerned, but I believe we can still conquer this spirit just like in the case of Joseph. Despite the fact that the wife of Potiphar kept pestering him day in day out, he refused to give in to her demands and chose to suffer for it. The world we live in is exactly like Egypt and Gaza where Joseph and Samson were. The schemes, tricks and wiles of the enemy are always there and they fly like arrows targeting the children of God. Yet no matter how much he tries, we must learn to overcome.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour ~ I Peter 5:8 NKJV

We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. ~ I John 5:19 NKJV

BUT THE [Holy] Spirit distinctly andexpressly declares that in latter times some will turn away from the faith, giving attention to deluding andseducing spirits and doctrines that demons teach ~ 1 Timothy 4:1 AMPC

And I found that [of all sinful follies none has been so ruinous in seducing one away from God as idolatrous women] more bitter than death is the woman whose heart is snares and nets and whose hands are bands. Whoever pleases God shall escape from her, but the sinner shall be taken by her ~ Ecclesiastes 7:26 AMPC

Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, Do not stray into her paths; For she has cast down many wounded, And all who were slain by her were strong men. Her house is the way to hell, Descending to the chambers of death ~ Proverbs 7:25-27 NKJV