One Does Not Live on Bread Alone

The devil is not particularly known for being original. So-much-so that one could accuse him of being a one-trick pony. But why is that? Why is Satan often using the same strategy over and over again?

Well, I am not as smart as a fallen angel, but I guess Satan is thinking: “My strategy works pretty often. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.”

So, what is the devil’s main trick? Isolation. The main temptation the Devil uses to slow us down—or even to paralyze us on our spiritual journey—is to suggest to us that we should isolate from others.

We read in Genesis: “It is not good for man to be alone.” So, when we go through difficult times, or in moments where we need to make difficult decisions, it is easy to think that we can figure everything out by ourselves. And, the devil will often suggest to us that our friends and our family cannot really understand our situation or be of any help, or even that they are just getting in the way, and that we are probably better off just keeping everything close to our chest.

Well, when that happens, we are EXACTLY where the devil wants us to be: alone, by ourselves, vulnerable—a bit like a gazelle singled out of the herd and chased by a lion. Your opponent the devil is prowling like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

In loneliness, in isolation, we contract a lot of spiritual diseases. We don’t have friends to keep us on track, to challenge us, to correct us, or simply to help us to see more clearly.

On the other hand, friendship—with God and our neighbor—is THE remedy to all spiritual diseases. Our real friends know us, they keep us honest, and they can be of good advice.

I said earlier that the devil is like a lion, but truly there is nothing to fear. If you stay close to good and holy friends, the devil will be nothing more than a one-trick pony.

Image: Tobias Verhaecht, The Temptation of Christ, Public Domain