Sweet Temptation (12/8/2009)

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. (Matthew 4:1-2)

Did it ever occur to you that so many of us who count ourselves as Christians or Followers of Jesus Christ go on with our daily living with the mistaken belief that because Jesus never sinned, he was never tempted? And every time we are tempted, we scold ourselves and beat ourselves up because we faced temptation.

If you’re like me, sometimes it’s easy to fall into that thinking trap. But there is good news in Matthew 4:1-11. These versus tell of how satan tempted Jesus, and how Jesus never fell for the devil’s bag of tricks. What makes this story even more incredible to us as fallen humans is that Jesus faced these temptations after he had not eaten for forty days. What? Most of cannot imagine not eating for four hours! Jesus had not eaten for forty days. He was tired. He was hungry. His blood sugar levels must have read zero. And, after forty days and nights in the wilderness without food and water, Jesus was at his most vulnerable. And the devil knew it. And used that opportunity to attack!

First temptation – c’mon Jesus, you must be hungry…turn this rocks into bread. Jesus says no way.

Second temptation – hey Jesus, if you are the son of God, just jump from the top of the temple and God will catch you. Jesus laughs him off and refuses to test God.

Third temptation – ok Jesus, just worship me and I will give you the power to rule over the entire world. Jesus, tired and hungry and beaten with temptation, clenches his fists, breathes deeply, and tells satan to take a hike as there is only one God to serve.

You may not be hungry or thirsty. You may not be tired. But as a follower of Jesus Christ, satan has you in his gun sights, right now, even as you read this. But he is waiting – waiting until you are the most vulnerable to strike. It may be when you are frustrated at school, have a bad day at work, or a fight with a boyfriend or girlfriend or wife or husband. And most of all satan will wait for tragedy or disaster to strike you or your family or your friends. And when any of these things happen in your life, Satan will be there, waiting patiently to offer you false hope and false promises.

There may not be any easy 3-step programs guaranteed to defeat satan. But there are ways we can do some preventive maintenance…try making it a habit of being in God’s word every day, even if it’s only for a few minutes. Keep your prayer life active and fresh by just talking with God throughout the day. And immerse and surround yourself with genuine followers of Jesus Christ who are certain to pick you up when you feel you are starting to fall down.

Temptation is part of everyone’s life everyday. The key is resisting the urge through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Because if you keep Him big in your life and yourself small, satan has no chance.