What Just Happened In The Wilderness?
Jesus the Son of God willingly, willfully and knowingly submitted Himself to Satan’s temptations as part of God’s plan for His life and ours. In the previous two articles we explored where this happened and some of the circumstances surrounding the event as they are recorded for our understanding. We took thought of the methods Satan used in his temptation of Christ as the devil unsuccessfully appealed to Jesus’ humanity through the lust of the flesh, the pride of life and the lust of the eyes. We considered how Jesus rejected Satan’s wiles through the accurate quotation of appropriate Scripture, but what happened afterward? Matthew 4:11 says, “Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him (Jesus).” In Luke 4:13 we find, “And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season” while Mark’s account, the most succinct of all, simply says in 1:13 “…and the angels ministered unto him.”
Why had Jesus submitted Himself to such an ordeal as His temptation surely was? The short answer is that even as unpleasant as it was for Jesus it was for His benefit as well as ours. In overcoming all three categories of temptation (lust of the flesh, pride of life and lust of the eyes) Jesus proved beyond doubt that He was without transgression. In God’s plan of salvation for mankind He determined to send His only begotten Son – His only expression of Himself in flesh and bone – to bear the sin of the world upon His shoulders and to die to pay that debt. Only by living a sinless life by overcoming every temptation known to mankind could Jesus be proven qualified for such a responsibility as was His, and only by proving His worthiness as a sinless sacrifice would His sacrifice accomplish God’s plan. Everything about Jesus’ life from His miraculous conception to His birth in Bethlehem and the first thirty years of living among men, which we’ll examine in the next article, had been in preparation for the encounter as we have considered it thus far. There was then a very important reason for Jesus to have secluded Himself as He did. Hebrews 4:15 is a verse we will revisit from time to time. It points out, “For we have not an high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted (put to the test) like as we are, yet without sin.” For Jesus to understand our “infirmities” in every conceivable way (the Greek word translated “all” here is panta, a non-exclusive term) He had to first become at least as weak as we could ever be. That Jesus “did eat nothing” during this time is of significant note because as we might have guessed without being told or reading Matthew 4:2 “He afterward hungered.”
From a purely physical standpoint such a declaration as that was and is an understatement of monumental proportion, for six weeks without sustenance would have killed anyone else and of itself is a manifestation of divine will and power, but it also proves the truth of Deuteronomy 8:3 which says, “…that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live,” as Jesus pointed out to Satan. Likewise, Jesus had been emotionally alone and without the encouragement of another human and thus psychologically alone with His own thoughts during that period, but Jesus had throughout the forty day period been concentrating on the spiritual plane and communion with His Father through prayer. By the power of the Spirit Jesus was able to overcome this episode of temptation. Through the power of the Spirit and the advocacy of Jesus as our priest we too can overcome temptation and it is upon His strong arm we can lean. Just as Jesus used accurately-quoted and appropriately-applied Scripture to refute Satan, so can we.
Another Way Out
In an intellectual way Jesus knew his testing would be difficult. In a prior article I pointed out the opinion that His trial may have been an on-going and ever-escalating onslaught that lasted the entire forty days of His seclusion and fasting. While fasting and concentrating on spiritual things He surely prayed, and therein lies another way we may resist temptation. Prayer works! “Let us, therefore, come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need,” (Hebrews 4:16) when we are tempted. Jesus knows our weaknesses and can sympathize with them intimately. He knows they can be overcome through prayer and submission to God, the proper authority. When we ask for help in such situations He is listening and will extend His powerful arm for us to lean upon. There is no need to be shy – just as God ‘speaks’ to us by His Spirit and through His recorded word He invites us to speak to Him whenever we have needs, whatever they may be. Our prayers in situations of temptation need not be flowery or well-worded, they only need to be reverential. Jesus knows what is in our hearts and what is in our minds. Even when we are troubled so that words escape us we have a promise of glorious deliverance in Romans 8:26-27 where Paul writes, “Likewise, the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities; for we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” If our intents and desires are set upon glorifying God rather than gratifying ourselves rest assured the sincere prayer ‘God, help me’ speaks volumes.
Just as I speculated previously that by virtue of demons pestering Him and that Christ’s ordeal may have been on-going and ever-escalating prior to Satan’s presentation, so I can speculate that the demons may have remained nearby during the angels’ ministry to Jesus afterward. Later, when we begin to consider the so-called ‘silent years’ of Jesus’ life prior to His baptism and recorded temptation we’ll think more on this.
The Biblical accounts at this point become somewhat ambiguous beyond stating that Jesus was ministered to by angels, the willing and obedient servants of God the Father sent to comfort the Son. What those ministrations involved is not specified, but probably the necessary physical recovery alone was a trial in and of itself. The Gospel accounts say that “the devil” left Jesus. There is no mention of Satan’s demons departing the immediate vicinity so that one might speculate the temptation of Jesus to have continued in some manner, perhaps with enticements to miraculously heal Himself through restoration of his body to full physical health and comfort. In consideration of the human emotional and intellectual aspects of the trial Jesus likely needed at the very least to ‘regroup,’ having as He did the sure foreknowledge of the Father’s redemptive plan and His role in it. Jesus surely knew of the ridicule and rejection He would face, the bearing of the world’s sin upon His shoulders He would endure for us, the physical suffering and death that was to come. It seems likely then that Jesus might have been in need of spiritual reinforcement from the angels as well as from a human standpoint as He prepared for His earthly future. While at His weakest Jesus had just been assaulted on physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual planes by the greatest enemy any of us might imagine and He had prevailed, so as the angels ministered to Him it might have been toward the recuperation of all these aspects of Jesus’ human person and personality. Prayer undoubtedly was also a large factor at the time.
I Believe In Angels
Both the Old and New Testaments are full of accounts that lend insight into angels and their activities. Recall that Satan’s demons were actually once angels disloyal to the God who created them and that alongside Lucifer took part in the devil’s failed insurrection. Just as Satan has a corps of evil agents to do his dark bidding, so God has a host loyal and faithful to Him. After Satan left Jesus alone in the wilderness some of those angels attended Christ.
Are angels present and active in the world today? I believe they are. Hebrews 13:2 says, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Perhaps that homeless man in the park is in actuality an angel and God is giving us the opportunity to serve Him through service to the homeless man. Perhaps we have a co-worker considering abortion – what if she would otherwise give birth to an angel who might, years later, serve some other person? Maybe by appropriately advising her along life’s proper path we’re actually demonstrating through service to an angel our willingness to be the kind of servant God wants us to be toward all people.
Do angels attend us, guard over us, or act as guides at least from time to time? I think they do. It was angels that announced the nativity in Luke chapter 2. Acts 5:17-20 recounts how an angel released Peter and other apostles from prison and instructed them not only where to go afterward but what to say when they got there. Further on in Acts 12:5-11 Peter, under heavy guard while in prison, was awakened from sleep, freed, and instructed by an angel. At one point (Acts 10:1-8) an angel instructed a man named Cornelius to render aid to Peter, and in Acts 8:26 and on an angel led Phillip to preach to a man influential in the court of the Ethiopian queen. Paul was reassured by an angel in Acts 27:24. It was an angel who shut the hungry lions’ mouths when Daniel had been cast into a cage full of them. Remember the story of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus from Luke chapter 16? Verse 22 says that it was angels who bore the spirit of Lazarus to paradise.
Jesus had something significant to say about angels in Matthew 18 while speaking to His disciples. He brought a child close to hand for the purpose of an object lesson and then taught that child-like faith is required to believe in the Son, and that we are to “receive” the new convert and not to “offend” through false teaching. In verse 10 Jesus then says “…that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father, who is in heaven.”
A comprehensive study of angels and their service to both God and mankind is a topic for a different and very in-depth study, but I’ll point out that throughout Scripture they are always referred to in the masculine although actual gender is never ascribed to them. They are numerous beyond human reckoning and powerful beyond human concept. Hebrews 1:14 says their relation to human believers is one of “ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation,” a broad reference to the well-being and physical safety of God’s children. If Hebrews 1:14 is compared to Psalm 91:11 and Matthew 18:10 it appears that their ministry begins in infancy (or even in the womb) and continues throughout one’s life. Jesus’ human body surely needed their ministry after His experiences in the desolate wilderness.
One other key note about angels: no angel is omnipotent (all-powerful) and no angel is omnipresent (everywhere at once, as is God). There are human conditions and human activities the angels “…desire to look into” according to 1 Peter 1:12, meaning they aren’t omniscient (all-knowing). Keep in mind that Satan and his demons are in actuality fallen angels and you’ll understand why I can say with confidence that Satan doesn’t always know the most successful stratagem to employ as he attempts to destroy our lives, our witness, or our communion with God, and that’s why he had to walk away from his encounter with Jesus.
Where Was The Devil?
Luke 4:13 says, “And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him (Jesus) for a season.” Beyond that, where the devil went and what he was up to isn’t specified. What is specified is that it was only for “a season” or, as analysis of the Greek reveals, until an appointed time. While the angels were attending Jesus and ministering to him we might suspect the devil had withdrawn to draw up new battle plans and maybe even to test them on faithful people elsewhere. Here I’ll insert an important note regarding the eternal salvation of a person’s soul: Old Testament saints were redeemed through looking forward in faith toward the sacrifice Messiah would make, as typified in their ordained sacrifices and order of worship; New Testament saints are redeemed by looking back in faith upon the sinless life of Christ, His sacrifice and resurrection so that no further sacrifice is needed. Satan knew that if he could get Christ to fall short in any way at any time before that sacrifice was made, he would win. In the meantime he was likely stalking around in a frustrated rage “like a roaring lion walketh about, seeking whom he may devour,” as Peter warned. Once a person gives his or her heart to God through Jesus the Son their spiritual security is eternally sealed. One day when Jesus was in the temple He was approached by a group of men who asked Him to tell them plainly if He was indeed the Christ, so Jesus did in John 10:25-30: “Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one (a reference to Jesus’ divinity and position in the Trinity).”
The implication is clear – believe and be eternally alive or disbelieve and die eternally. As Satan attempts to “devour” believers it can not be for the purpose of seeing our souls cast into hell because that matter is already settled beyond doubt, but Satan does work toward the purpose of stealing the joy of salvation, ruining our lives, thwarting our discipleship and inhibiting the Gospel. If, on the other hand, a person has never believed and given his or her heart to Christ, Satan has no need to put them to further test or “devour” them because they are already in the spiritual condition of doom he desires for all of mankind – hell-bound right alongside him in the lake of fire described in Revelation 20:15.
We aren’t told how long the “season” of Satan’s retreat lasted or when the time appointed for him to once more begin his assaults on Christ’s ministry was. We do know, however, that Jesus was given time by His Father to recuperate and that He was cared for by God’s angels. “For there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man (wrote Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:13); but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will, with the temptation, also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” The Greek word eilEphan (gotten hold of) is translated “taken” while “suffer” is translated from easei (be leaving or departing from). In other words, when we are confronted with temptation we are not alone; God is aware and through His Spirit lending His strength for the purpose that we may remain true to Him. He is steadfast and provides a way out – if we choose to look for it. Calling to mind an appropriate Scripture works. Prayer works. Singing your favorite hymn or praise song, even if only to yourself in your mind, works. James wrote (in chapter 4 verse 7) “Submit yourselves, therefore, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” The book of James, written by Jesus’ half-brother, is actually a brief open letter intended for general distribution within the first-century churches and beyond, and is one of the most practical manuals we can embrace to learn about day-by-day Christian living.
On its surface James 4:7 may seem like a simple verse to interpret – submit and resist – but there are things to consider about this verse that give insight into victory over temptation. The first step in the formula for success is always and in all ways the choice of submission to God. The word James uses is hupotagEte (or being actively subjected) to God. When we pray, when we read and study, when we meditate upon God’s word, we are making a conscious choice to subject our will to His and thereby reconcile our will to His. When we call upon memorized Scripture and the principles and precepts embodied therein we are choosing to submit ourselves to God. Those hymns and praise songs mentioned above? They work! By deliberately accessing them from our memory we are choosing to focus our thoughts off the present temptation or things of the world and center them upon things of the Spirit, but before we can successfully claim the promise of success over temptation we must first and always make the choice of submission to the proper authority – God rather than Satan. Resisting the devil, then, isn’t always or in all ways easy but it is possible. Pheuxetai is the Greek word James employs to describe Satan’s flight when we resist. It is in Greek an active verb that carries the thought of actively fleeing. Even when Jesus was at his physical weakest He had the spiritual strength to drive Satan away with the command to “Get thee hence,” as both Matthew’s and Luke’s accounts of the event confirm. To paraphrase, Jesus said, ‘It’s time for you to get out of my face and into your place’ for a while. Luke 4:13 says the devil departed “for a season,” an important statement to consider. One successful skirmish with the devil does not win a war, and we should never complacently think our enemy will give up his attacks easily.
To make an informed and conscious choice to subjugate oneself to the will and way of God is to make a choice not to rebel against God’s will and way; conversely, a choice to resist the devil is to actively choose submission to God. Resistance through reliance upon our own strength and willpower will, however, always be unsuccessful.
Other Ways To Overcome Temptation
There may be times when we are tempted that it seems we are either circumstantially overwhelmed or in some way hindered in practicing the methods mentioned above. Maybe we are so overwhelmed by a temptation that we can’t remember that verse of Scripture the pastor mentioned last Sunday, the one that now seems so relevant. Perhaps we pray but it seems as though God isn’t listening at the moment because the source of temptation is still present. We try to call up that wonderful song of praise we learned week-before-last in worship service but the words just aren’t there. What can we do?
Let’s imagine that our minds and hearts are subjected to God but we walk into a ‘situation,’ a circumstance we didn’t foresee such as overhearing a conversation ‘round the water cooler. Because we know that at least a couple of the rumors about Mike’s recent separation from his wife are true we’ve already had to face and overcome the temptation to participate in gossip sessions, but since the water cooler is there in the same place every day and we can’t readily remove it from our presence we have the option of removing our presence from it. We can get our cup of water and walk away, also leaving the bawdy conversation surrounding Alex’s most-recently-viewed porn movie behind at the same time. Sometimes we can effectively remove our presence from the source of temptation, which in this case may have been to add to the gossip and thereby to satisfy our pride in an ‘I know something you don’t know’ sort of way. Walking away is then a practical way out in consideration of Proverbs 4:14-15, which says, “Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men. Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.” As we turn away from the water cooler it may then be effectively possible to decline the invitation to drop into the sports bar with the boss after work for nachos and a couple of beers while watching the basketball game.
But what might be the outcome if we didn’t turn away and we stayed around to add to the gossip and rumor mill? For one thing our Christian credibility would be undermined, because while we might be readily accepted into that conversation there would surely be others in which we are not participant, conversations in which we may be branded as a gossip ‘not to be trusted.’ If people can’t trust in our verity and confidentiality how can they believe in our sincerity while sharing the Gospel with them? Another thing to consider is that when listening to Alex’s lewd description of an illicit physical relationship carried on without shame and before the cameras our ears are assaulted with the descriptions and our minds become loaded with mental images conjured by those descriptions. Might concentration upon such things draw us away from a happy spousal relationship toward sinful gratification of the flesh and set our feet upon a path that can at best only end in remorse and regret? And that drop-in at the bar with the boss? It might enhance our chances for that upcoming promotion, and wouldn’t that be nice! We could certainly satisfy our longing for the car that’s fancier than Don’s and become the envy of the office, sport a more expensive watch and a custom-tailored suit. We could gratify our flesh, our pride and our eyes all at once! But is that what God really wants for us?
One may recall that in a previous article I mentioned the two basic types of sins into which every human transgression will fall – sins of commission (doing things we shouldn’t do) and sins of omission (failure to do the right thing when we know we should). Of those two types, every sin falls into at least one of three basic categories – lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, or pride of life. Let’s take a brief but closer look at each of these three categories of temptation that every human will encounter.
What Is The Lust Of The Flesh?
Simply stated, the lust of the flesh is any temptation that entices us to experience physical pleasure through some sinful activity by doing something that gratifies the flesh. It is the first of the three categories mentioned in 1 John 2:16 and can involve any sinful activity that brings pleasure to the body. A few examples of the “lust of the flesh” might include sexual sins, gossip, the consumption of alcohol or a drug, or even violent acts. In Galatians 5:19-21 Paul lists a few things for our consideration: “Now the works (natural activities) of the flesh are manifest (made apparent), which are these; adultery (sexual relations outside our marriage bond), fornication (sex without marital relationship), uncleanness (moral dirtiness), lasciviousness (wantonness or carnality), idolatry (devotion to or worship of any thing or any person other than God, even to include ourselves), witchcraft (any of various forms of sorcery or enchantments in which one may believe or even practice), hatred (unwarranted enmity, hostility or antagonism), variance (contentious disputes), emulations (rivalries), wrath (anger or fury, in this case particularly toward someone undeserving of it), strife (the propagation of discord or conflict), seditions (inciting rebellious actions toward authority or, particularly, toward God), heresies (unorthodox or untrue teaching), envyings (jealousy), murders (whether we commit the act or merely wish we could), drunkenness (not only in the literal sense but to include thinking in less-than-sober ways), revellings (riotous behavior), and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” If we allow our flesh to rule us the resulting attitudes and behaviors will serve neither us nor God very well in Christian witness.
What Is The Lust Of The Eyes?
Casting our gaze upon anything God doesn’t want us to look at falls into this category and can lead to a multitude of sins, including the desire for something we shouldn’t have. The tenth commandment, “thou shalt not covet” (Exodus 20:17), is one about which we hear very little these days. Our society and culture bombards us with invitations to ‘look, desire, and acquire,’ sometimes leading us to yearn for things not in our better interest. That’s what David fell prey to when, as recorded in 2 Samuel 11:2, the king took an evening stroll on his roof. “And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.” What follows this simple verse is a tragic tale indeed, one that involves adultery, the conception of a child, conspiracy, murder, and the death of an innocent baby. The story ends with great heartache for everyone directly associated with the incident as well as others who were not, and it all began when David let his eyes linger where they shouldn’t have. He looked upon a beautiful work of God’s creation, he desired physical relationship with someone he should have left alone, he acquired that relationship, and along with many others he then paid the price for having yielded to the lust of the eyes.
What Is The Pride Of Life?
Pride is one of the sins most abhorrent to God and is the sin that led Lucifer and those angels following him to seek God’s throne – a position in no way rightfully his or theirs to attain. Lucifer’s words are recorded in Isaiah 14:14, where he is quoted saying, “I (emphasis mine) will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I (again, emphasis mine) will be like the most High.” Satan prioritized himself above his dutiful service to God. When we allow pride to rule our lives we may desire undue recognition, the achievement of ‘bragging rights,’ to be in some way ‘valued’ more than we ought or to have our ego stroked in some way. It is “Pride,” according to Proverbs 16:18 that, “goeth before destruction, and an haughty (disdainful, lordly or supercilious) spirit before a fall,” and there are a number of other passages that have a great deal to say about the negative outcomes that result when pride leads us to prioritize our own position to the displacement of God’s. In Mark 7:20-23 Jesus included pride in a list of things that come from within one’s own heart. “And he (Jesus) said, That which cometh out of (from within) the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile (Greek koinoi, or are contaminating) the man.” We are left no conclusion other than that these tendencies already exist within our hearts, making them ready tools for Satan and his demons to employ when we encounter the tempting situations offered to us every day. It is therefore our responsibility to be on guard against them.
Temptation In Action
Every sin we commit, whether through action or inaction, will fall under one of the three headings mentioned above, but many may involve two or even all three. Temptations are a little like a plate of spaghetti that way, often becoming so entangled as to make a full analysis of the root problematic, at least on the surface.
Two things are significant about that fact, however. First, all the things that lead us into various temptations already exist within our own hearts as a result of the nature we inherited from our fathers. In other words, we are at the very core of our own temptations. We are “drawn away” of our “own lust, and enticed,” (James 1:14). Jesus had no such nature, having inherited His divine nature from God His Father as He did rather than Adam as we did. That’s one of the reasons Satan’s effort to tempt Jesus failed; these character flaws exist within us, but Jesus’ character is in no way flawed. A second point to ponder involves the way yielding to one temptation can easily lead to yielding to another. Recall how yielding to the lies of Satan ultimately led Adam to sin? Let’s look once again at James 1:14-15 and I think the progression will likely become more clear to us. “But every man (each of us) is tempted (tried), when he is drawn away (from communion with God) of his own (naturally-inherited) lust, and enticed (to desire something we shouldn’t have or to participate in some activity we shouldn’t). Then when lust hath conceived (ambition or thoughts of rebellion come to the fore), it bringeth forth (results in) sin (a breakdown of our communion with God); and sin, when it is finished (the results of our actions come to full fruit), bringeth forth death (the breakdown of our communion with God, the natural result of transgression, the reason we need redemption).”
This may be the point at which we consider that in the beginning God created all things perfectly. Didn’t that include Adam? Yes, most assuredly, which also included Adam’s full ability to reason and his full privilege of choice. Adam wasn’t compelled to sin but he chose to do so after he gave greater place in his heart and mind to his own ambition than to the commandment of God. Our lives are no different in one important respect: we don’t have to sin – we choose to. We don’t have to yield to temptation in its various presentations but, like Adam, we choose to yield. Here I’ll reiterate a point from the first article in this series. Man, the centerpiece of all creation, is a free agent to make his own choices, so let us understand that being presented with an opportunity to rebel against God’s stated law is not a sin; taking advantage of that opportunity is always a sin. Being presented with the choice to do what is known to be wrong is surely not a sin; failure to do what is known to be right is definitely a sin.
It is then important to note that God did not create us to be confused or miserable. God wants us to experience a broad range of pleasures in life – but within the bounds He has set for our own good. God gives us food to sustain us and He wants it to not only nourish our physical bodies but to be tasty at the same time; His command is against excess and gluttony. One of the strongest human urges is for sexual intimacy, and God gave it to Adam and Eve as a wonderful wedding gift so there isn’t anything at all wrong with sexual expression within the bond of matrimony, but fornication or adultery are always sinful. Likewise, God has given us many beautiful sights to behold, such as the wonders and grandeur of the material creation. God wants us to enjoy such sights and through them to become ever more appreciative of His power at holding the universe, the earth and our lives in the palm of His creative hand. It is when we let our eyes take over our thought processes and we begin to covet the possession of beautiful things more than we desire to be ever-closer to our Creator that trouble begins. There isn’t anything wrong with being ambitious and wanting to be successful, with working hard and doing our best; it is when we fail to glorify God for giving us the abilities and talents we have and the opportunities to use them in His service, when we prioritize praise for ourselves more than we desire to give praise to Him, when we seek influence or knowledge purely for the sake of building our own reputations that the pride of life begins to drag us into a deep pit.
The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are the categories of temptation with which we all deal every day. It follows then that the words of 1 Corinthians 10:13 apply to our lives every day. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” We can always choose obedience over sin and there is no situation in which obedience isn’t the correct choice. No matter how tempted we may be in any situation, Jesus experienced that same temptation. God promises us that no matter how difficult the temptation is to bear He will always provide an escape route. We can respond to temptations in the way Jesus did – by rebuking Satan with the word of God. If we have the Scriptures in our hearts and minds we can recognize temptation and sin for what they are, we can rebuke the tempter and resist his endeavors, we can be drawn closer to God and even strengthened to better resist Satan’s next attack. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
In the next article we’ll begin to take a look at other times when Jesus was tempted and how he responded on those occasions as well as further considering our own temptations and how we respond. In the meantime may we be delivered from the wiles of Satan through the power of God and constant submission to Him. Be blessed, Dear Friend…
Tom