Seemingly good and positive goals can sometimes be
temptations in disguise. Success, control, ease, freedom, acceptance,
recognition—are all good things to strive for—until we become so focused on
achieving them that they morph into temptations. And yet, God expects us to
resist them, to put aside those earthly desires and instead seek to please Him.
God knows that is easier said than done.
Perhaps that is why the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness
to be tempted; God wanted us to be assured that He really can relate to our
struggles. The three temptations Jesus faced that are recorded in Matthew 4 are
familiar to all of us.
Hunger: We are tempted
to hunger after many more things than food—possessions, power, praise, etc. However,
what most of us don’t realize, but that Jesus did, is that the only way to fill
that emptiness is with a relationship with God. Jesus knows that God’s Word will
lead us to the One who satisfies our hungry hearts.
Disobedience: We are
all tempted to disobey what has already been spelled out for us when it means
denying ourselves. When we want something that we know goes against God’s best
for us, we do exactly what Jesus says we shouldn’t—we test Him, thinking, “If God
doesn’t want me to do it, He’ll stop me.”
Pride: We are
tempted to think more highly of ourselves than we should—and we want others to recognize
our “superiority”. At times, in our efforts to appease our pride, we will
compromise our convictions. We will foster and encourage co-dependent
relationships. Jesus knew only God is Lord; only He is worthy of worship and
praise.
It is a comfort to know that Jesus understands the
temptations we face during our time on this earth. He showed us the perfect armament
to resist temptation—the Word of God—an offensive and defensive weapon
available to everyone. We just need to pick it up.
“The temptations in
your life are no different from what others experience.
And God is faithful.
He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.
When you are tempted,
he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”
1 Corinthians 10:13
And God is faithful.
He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.
When you are tempted,
he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”
1 Corinthians 10:13
Be encouraged!
Pam
©2019 Pamela D. Williams
Comments welcome via Facebook or email (writepam71@gmail.com).
