Have you ever wondered why the devil couldn’t get to Jesus in the midst of a 40-day fast when He was starving? He was already satisfied. You see, Jesus didn’t have an itch that the devil could scratch. Temptation really comes down to this: A temptation is when evil, and evil knows all about tempting, can induce a desire that ca...n only be satisfied in an illegitimate way. That’s all there is to it.
The devil also likes to play this game: God gives a desire to us to follow HIS SON and the devil wants to satisfy it in a God-forbidden way. The devil says, “Hey you’ve got a need, to satisfy God, and I can help you satisfy it.” Oh how many has the devil deceived, and we think God is being glorified. Deception is when we feel good about what we have done. We get a "Look at Me" attitude.
When tempted, you are given a choice. Do you get that need satisfied by the devil, or by the Lord? You see, the devil is a pervert. He has no raw material. All he can do is take what God has created and pervert it. Do you want to overcome temptation? Find out the legitimate way to satisfy that desire, and then you will not need the illegitimate way.