In one of his latest messages, Evangelist John Ramirez exposed the price behind temptation as he asks one of the most important questions about the enemy’s tactics: “What is he tempting you with?”
“Temptation comes with a price,” Ramirez said. “What is the price of your temptation? Temptation comes with a price because the biggest weapon the devil [has] against the body of Christ is temptation.”
Ramirez warns that just as in the biblical stories we see about angels falling from heaven after Satan’s temptation, Adam’s fall into sin and Peter’s denial of Jesus three times, we too are tempted by the devil to fall for his schemes that lead to destruction.
“Temptation knows your price,” Ramirez said. “The devil’s number one weapon against the body of Christ is temptation. If you’re not tempted, you won’t open the door.”
Ramirez points out that the devil knows what he does and does not have access to. We have to be careful not only of keeping the doors open to Satan’s attacks, but of knowing what he is likely to go after to tempt us away from the Lordship of Jesus.
“See, the devil knows your price. You know why? Because the devil knows one thing he can’t mess with—your inner man—because your inner man is in agreement with the Holy Spirit, but he can mess with your soulish man.”
Ramirez shares that one of the biggest ways we are tempted is by chasing after influence instead of spiritually maturing in the fruit of the spirit.
“Jesus said in Matthew 14, ‘Depart from Me; I never knew you’ because you know why? Jesus said that because we are operating in influence and gifts in the house of God, not by the anointing and the fruits of the kingdom,” Ramirez said. “You will know me by my what? Not by my gifts they will know you; they will know you by my fruits…without fruits, Jesus will never know you.”
John’s point about the fruit of the Spirit goes even deeper. He believes lukewarm Christians today aren’t just seeking out to be popular and to have influence, but rather, instead of chasing after the Lord and His Word, they are chasing prophetic words more than they are running toward the Creator.
“You know what people do? They take advantage of the prophetic,” Ramirez said. “You know how they take advantage of the prophetic? Because you rather not read your Bible, fast and sacrifice…because you want a shortcut. You might as well go to the medium.”
Ramirez’s convicting message should strike a cord in the heart of all Christians. What is it that we are after? Are we trying to spiritually grow so we can enter into a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Jesus? What is it that we are most motivated by? May our hearts always be captivated by the One who gave His life for us.
To discover how to pray more like Jesus and seek after him, you can learn more through John Ramirez’s book, Fire Prayers.
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Abby Trivett is a marketing copywriter and coordinator for Charisma Media.
