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1 Then
Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
2 After
fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
3 The
tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to
become bread."
4 Jesus
answered, "It is written: `Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word
that comes from the mouth of God.' "
5 Then the
devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the
temple.
6 "If you
are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "`He
will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their
hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. "
7 Jesus
answered him, "It is also written: `Do not put the Lord your God to the test.
"
8 Again,
the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of
the world and their splendor.
9 "All
this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."
10 Jesus
said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: `Worship the Lord your
God, and serve him only. "
11 Then
the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Temptation: No enemy you face is more persistent. Just
about the time you think you've outrun it, temptation shows up around the next
corner. You think you've finally delivered a knock-out punch, it gets back
up.
Temptation
is not only persistent, it's also pervasive. It winks at you from a
billboard. It entices you from the TV set. It call alluringly over a radio.
It lives on your computer screen, news papers, magazines and books. It's as
comfortable in your office as it is in your home.
No wonder
the apostle Paul told the Corinthians, "if you think you are standing firm, be
careful that you don't fall" (1 Corinthians 10: 12). Temptation will
sucker-punch you in the blink of an eye, and it will do so with out an ounce
of remorse.
Jesus
himself faced---and overcame---temptation while he walked on this earth. You
can defeat temptation as well, if you'll depend on the spirit to help you
follow Jesus, example. How did Jesus defeat this powerful adversary? First,
Jesus recognized the reality of his enemy. The lord knew that Satan was a
real being who will urge you to satisfy healthy appetites in sinful ways.
Second,
Jesus recognized that Satan deceives by mixing the truth of scripture with a
lie. Satan did this with Jesus, and he'll do it with you. For instance, the
Bible promises that God will forgive a believer for any sin that he or she
confesses (1 John 1:9). Satan will take that truth and whisper in your ear,
"Go ahead and lie, or steal, or fornicate. It doesn't matter. God will
forgive you. "Jesus knew the scripture so well he could combat such
distortions with the truth (verses 4, 7' 10). And so must we.
James,
Jesus, half-brother, provided some additional guidance for us in our battle by
showing us that temptation comes in a four-step process. "Each one is tempted
when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after
desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown,
gives birth to death" James 1: 14 - 15).
The four
steps of temptation are enticement, conception, birth, and death. The key to
resisting temptation occurs at the enticement and conception stages. We avoid
enticement by meditating on Scripture rather than fantasizing about something
that appeals to our sinful nature. We're guarded from conception by
identifying and avoiding those situations that trigger our sinful appetites.
Understand, however, that the Spirit plays a role in this. We can pray to him
for the strength we need to avoid thoughts and places that tempt us to sin.
If you
want to guard yourself against temptation, take these steps today. First,
begin by praying for the Spirit to empower your resolve and resistance to
temptation. Next, make a list of the situations in which you're most
frequently tempted and devise a strategy to physically avoid them. If you
want to see some real progress, share that list with your small group and ask
them to check up on you. You might also want to select a pertinent Bible
verse to meditate on that will help you keep your mind on the things of the
lord. Write it on a card and keep it with you.
Temptation
is a formidable enemy. But the lord is an invincible ally. The next time
temptation mounts an attack, execute a battle plan that will keep you close to
God's side.
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