Tuesday April 02, 2018

 

Temptations are nothing new. Since Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, to the guy with the nice smile, the girl with the attractive body, all the way to those slightly dishonest business transactions, we all face temptations. Every temptation is nothing more than an enticement to misuse our power, talents, abilities, and resources outside of the parameters for which God designed them. What often goes unnoticed is that every temptation is fueled by a lie. Our goal is to discover the lie; because once the lie is exposed, the temptation loses its power.

 

As I began saying, temptations are nothing new they have been with us since the beginning of time. Even Jesus the Son of God had to deal with them; the difference however is that Jesus was able to conquer over every one of His temptations. In analyzing how Jesus dealt with temptation, we discover the secret to conquering our own temptations.

 

Matthew 4:1-3 NIV

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

 

Jesus had the awesome ability to discover the lies behind the temptations. Let us take a quick look at the temptation to see if we can uncover the lie that fueled this temptation. First, it was God, who led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted. Second, the understatement of all times, “After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.” Then, along came the devil, he told Jesus “You have the right to eat.” This is the lie that we are all tempted by; since you have the right then it is ok to go ahead and take care of your needs. Isn’t this the way many of us think? Since we have the right and the ability to supply for our own needs, then it is ok do so. However, Jesus saw things differently.

 

Matthew 4:4 NIV

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

 

Jesus was essentially saying, yes, I am hungry, yes, I have the ability to turn stones into bread, and yes, I have the right to eat after fasting for forty days and forty nights. However, God led me into the wilderness, and God will lead me out of the wilderness. Can you identify the temptation? It is the enticement to do the right thing the wrong way. Jesus knows however, what we often times forget, that you never have to break God’s laws to obtain His blessing.