Temptation

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. 1 Corinthians 10:13

We are all tempted to do things we shouldn’t do, say things we shouldn’t say and think things we shouldn’t think. Jesus Christ was no exception. He was also tempted by the same tempter that tempted Eve in the garden and continues to tempt us today. In Matthew 4 the bible tells the story of how Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, and AFTER he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights and was hungry….satan came to tempt him. Have you ever noticed how temptation is harder to resist when you are weak, hungry or desperate?

1 John, Chapter 2, verse 16 reads: For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

Let’s examine how the devil tempts through these three consistent methods:

First, the tempter challenged the identity and authority of Jesus by saying, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. (Here he’s appealing to the lust of the flesh and pride of life). Jesus responded with the Word of God – WHY? Because HE IS the word of God, and his response confirmed his identity and authority….What if someone said to you; “If you are really a child of God, the bible says that you can do what Jesus did, so show me a miracle?” What would you say? Like Jesus, you should respond with the Word of God. You can say, I AM the miracle ….because first I was lost and now I’m found. I have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus. My sins have been forgiven. I am a new creature. I am an heir of Christ. I have eternal life. I would have been dead if not for the power of salvation and the gift of God’s grace. Jesus changed my life, and he will do the same for you if you accept him as your savior. When Jesus responded with “It is written”, He was quoting his own book. In Hebrews 9, it says, And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; In Hebrews 12, he is the author and finisher of our faith.

Next, the tempter took him up to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and told him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. (Here he’s appealing to the Pride of Life) Again, Jesus quoted the book, It is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. It is the fear of God that prevents us from tempting him. A wise man would not allow his pride to foolishly challenge God. After all, he is not at OUR beck and call, but we should be at his. It doesn’t mean that God will not hear us or respond to us when we call, but he is sovereign. He does as He wills.

Next, the tempter took him to a high mountain and showed him the kingdoms of the world and the kingdom’s in them……and this is where many of us fall. The devil said, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Jesus responded, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. (Unfortunately, the Lust of the Eye and the Pride of Life are a very effective combination because our enemy knows how much we love ourselves and our stuff): The fact is, we have idols. An idol is something that if the Lord asked you to give it up, you could not or would not. It could be a person, a desire or a thing. Think about Abraham’s test. He was asked to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac, the son he waited a lifetime to have, and then he was asked to give him back to God. This would be hard for any parent, but His faithfulness revealed God’s faithfulness….He didn’t even ask Abraham to do anything he wasn’t willing to do. 16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Contrary to popular belief, we CAN resist temptation. James 4:7 tells us how, Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

What is the reward for resisting temptation? It is also written in the book of James Chapter 1, verse 12. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. Do you love Jesus? Jesus said, if you love me, keep my commandments.

I encourage you to Submit yourself to Christ today, and resist the temptation of sin so that you may obtain the reward of the Crown of Life. It’s priceless.

This has been a message from The Prophetic Scribe. God bless you.