Temptation

Temptation is not a sin; however, giving into temptation is sin.

Jesus was tempted by the Devil for 40 days in the desert after he was baptized by John the Baptist. If we remove the invisible chains that are keeping us from giving 100% of ourselves to Christ, temptation eventually becomes easier to defeat. The devil will ultimately realize that we are too closely connected to God and will concede (focusing his efforts elsewhere for the time being). However, we must always keep up our guard.

8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8 (NIV)


The Temptation of Jesus


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.

Matthew 4:1-11 (NIV)

I believe that a lesson can be learned in everything that Jesus did. In the above verses from Matthew, Jesus shows us a couple of things:

First, the devil is desperate for attention due to his extreme pride (which got him kicked out of Heaven in the first place) and will stop at nothing to deceive and poison the hearts and minds of men.

Second, Jesus shows us that even during the toughest times, i.e. hunger, lack of physical comfort, minimal sleep etc. that these are the times that we will be most vulnerable to temptation. During these times we must remain strong in our faith. Remember, Jesus was in the desert and he did not have the luxury of a bed or a roof over his head. The devil attempted to tempt Jesus right after he received the Holy Spirit thorough Baptism. That’s like attempting to stop a train at full speed traveling down a mountain…it’s just not going to happen.

Final thoughts:

If you look close enough, you should be able to find a message that ‘hits home’ for you somewhere in the Bible. I pray that you can find one that inspires you to have a life long relationship with Jesus Christ. You will always go through good times and bad times; but remember, the Lord will never leave your side.

I’ll leave you with this verse from the book of Romans:

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23 (NIV)


God bless you. And this is for His Glory!