Faith stands or falls on the truth that the future with God is more satisfying than the one promised by sin. Where this truth is embraced and God is cherished aboe all, the power of sin is broken. The power of sin is the power of deceit.
Sin has power through promising a false future. In temptation sin comes to us and says: "The future with God on his narrow way is hard and unhappy; but the way I promise is pleasant and satisfying." The power of sin is in the power of this lie.
Satan's main strategy is to use a thousand devious ways to make this lie look appealing and persuasive. The beginning of all our misery came from Satan's first geat success on the earth. It was not by means of scaring or harassing or possessing Adam and Eve. It was by deceiving them. And the deception was just this: God cannot be trusted to meet your needs and satisfy you. The serpent says only two things. One is a question that suggests God is stingy, "Has God Said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?'" The other utterance is a murderous half-truth, "You surely shall not die!"
Satan began by calling God's goodness into question and that has been his primary strategy ever since. His aim is to subvert trust by influencing us to believe that the promise of sin is more satisfying than the promise of God.
--Taken from John Piper, "Future Grace." pg. 326
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