What methods does Satan use to tempt people?

Satan uses a wide array of methods to tempt people. His scheme is varied ranging from short term tactics to long range strategy. He plans well to maneuver his method systematically and orderly. But as we gather information on Satan and analyze his method, we will be able to see his tempting technique always falls into three areas of temptation.

Jesus knows Satan's ploy. This is why Jesus let himself be tempted in the desert to give us a model in learning Satan tricks. We can see here that Satan's deployment is set out in a cunning prioritizing list. His method is not random, disorganized, or without purpose. Instead, Satan first attacked Jesus in His weakest area with a timely manner. That is His basic physical need of food at the time after Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights.

In life, our weakest area is our physical need. The renowned Maslow's hierarchical needs tell us that our human needs are set out in 5 stages. The basic and foremost need is physical needs of food, clothing, shelter, medicine and transportation. If these needs are not basically fulfilled, we will not normally climb up the ladder to seek for our other wants of security, social, esteem and self actualization. Who wants to socialize if the stomach is emptied? Who wants to have 3 million dollars antique to satisfy our higher inner hierarchical need while we still do not have a house?

This is why Satan will always attack the mass with the want of basic human necessities. The poorer you are, the more temptation. Satan's troop is well trained in this area and has the biggest numbers of troop station here. We are tempted to glutton food more than we need, and then we go into medicine with obesity. He tempts us into physical lust of sexual need. His first method, indeed, is to tempt our physical want.

Jesus then reviews Satan second level of tempting method, the attack on our pride. The downfall of Satan himself is pride. He wanted to be greater than his own creator and to rebel and wage war against God. He knew, once Adam and eve are stomach full with all the fruits in the Eden, the second method to activate is to tempt on the human pride. "Eat the food and you will be like God", or in Jesus case, "If you are Son of God, jump" tempted Satan.

Satan's temptation method is in a way trying to arouse our pride. "You will be better and greater, you will be like God and you will be bigger than God" or "You are not really what you say you are, if you are so, proof it by jumping down.", Satan will tempt us this same way and always. And so when our basic need is met, beware of our pride, Satan will surely apply his second unique tempting method on our pride and proud.

So, do not get puffed up when Satan tells you, you are great, beautiful, successful, and admirable especially when you are really in that positions. Bow before Him and thank Him for His gifts He chose to give you and not anyone else.

Up the final ladder, Satan's method of temptations is to entice our want for power. He tempted Jesus, "All this will be given to you". He will also tempt us the same way. "All this will be given to you, you will rule, you will have power over it, just bow down to me and do evils". The familiar voice is always the same. Satan will say to us, "You will get to power, just push your colleagues down", or "Do this and that evil and you will have all the power".

Lucifer, the angel of light", the most beautiful creature God ever created has waged war against God in tempting human being to fall since the every beginning of human history. He is still warring with intensity. His methods may be deceitful, crafty, cunning, dodgy, foxy, guileful, knavish, slick, sly, tricky, tricky, wily or what ever, but the pattern is always the same. And to fight him, we should guard the three areas in life we know he will certainly attack.