Wherefore let him that thinketh he
standeth take heed lest he fall, 1CO 10:12.

Beloved, Scripture teaches repeatedly that when we become strong in our own faith we give occasion to the devil. Our text says, "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." When we are in our right place we can say with the Hymn writer:

I need Thee every hour, Most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like thine can peace afford.
I need Thee, O I need Thee, Ev-'ry hour I need Thee!
O bless me now, my Saviour- I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, Stay Thou near by;
Temptations lose their pow'r when Thou art nigh.
I need Thee, O I need Thee, Ev-'ry hour I need Thee!
O bless me now, my Saviour- I come to Thee.

We must be ware of Satan's occasions which he uses to snare us. As with Eve, he sought an occasion when he found her alone, away from under the umbrella of her husband's protection. Whenever the bride of Christ is near Him feeling her need of her Heavenly Bridegroom, Satan can only flee apace.

Tis Jesus can teach you, the way ye should go,
And out His arm reach to help you on too;
The doubts that perplex you, the fears that distress,
The tempers that vex you, His grace can redress.

One of Satan's most common ambushes is a feeling of independence. As our text says, "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." Peter thought he could stand when he said, "Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended," MAT 26:33.

When Peter came to where he thought he could stand is when he became ripe for Satan's attack. That was when Jesus withdrew His restraining grace and told Peter, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat," LUK 22:31.

Another one of Satan's prime occasions for temptation is idle time. When we find ourselves unoccupied is most often when we begin to entertain a dialogue with the devil, i.e., our hearts begin to entertain evil thoughts. David should have been out with his army, but he tarried at home and became unoccupied. That was Satan's occasion for temptation.

2SA 11:2 says, "And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon."

This shows that David had been idle the whole day! He arose from his bed in the evening. In his idleness he had a roaming eye and lust became his snare. The woman was the object Satan used to draw David into a dialogue. If David had not entertained Satan at this point with those evil lustful thoughts, Satan's snare would have been broken.