About Temptation

Matthew 4:1-11

 Then Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted there by the Devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he ate nothing and became very hungry. 3 Then the Devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, change these stones into loaves of bread.” 4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God.’ ” 

5 Then the Devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He orders his angels to protect you. And they will hold you with their hands to keep you from striking your foot on a stone.’ ” 7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘Do not test the Lord your God.’ ” 

8 Next the Devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him the nations of the world and all their glory. 9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will only kneel down and worship me.” 10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God; serve only him.’ ” 

11 Then the Devil went away, and angels came and cared for Jesus.

Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997, c1996 (electronic ed.) (Mt 4:1). Wheaton: Tyndale House.

Jesus quotes scripture here to resist temptation.  I’ve heard people say that this is the key to resisting temptation.  But in my experience, I can quote scripture but still am tempted, and often give in.  There has to be more than just saying the words.   

I'm sure that the Word of God does have power.  Satan can't stand before the word, the truth.  His lies fall apart, and he is defeated.   But if we are merely quoting scriptures without conviction, just repeating words, then what good does it do?    

Jesus was tempted when He was at His weakest, not His strongest. Satan knows when to attack! But He didn’t give in, didn’t make any excuses or rationalizations to allow Himself to indulge His own desires instead of doing what was right. Jesus had His mind made up.  He was going to do what He knew what His Father's will, no matter how tempted He was.    He wasn't trying to bolster His faith or determination in these quotes.  He was stating an undefeatable truth.   

My problem when I merely quote scriptures when facing temptation is that I'm waivering.  I'm trying to convince myself, as much as I am trying to defeat the enemy.  So even if temptation slacks, it comes right back.   

We have a choice to make.  We can obey, or we can be disobedient, and do what we wish.  Speaking God's word may have some effect, but if we are undecided, it won't help us much in the end.  It isn't a magic formula, guaranteed to make temptation go away.   

The victory doesn't come from quoting God's word at the source of temptation so we won't be faced with the choice any more.  The victory comes from facing the strength of our desires, and surrendering to God's truth despite them.  Then, when we quote God's word, we are not waivering but committed, and the enemy is defeated.

Appearances can be deceiving

^{Luke 6:12-16}

¹² One day soon afterward Jesus went to a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. ¹³ At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles. Here are their names:

¹⁴     Simon (he also called him Peter),

Andrew (Peter’s brother),

James,

John,

Philip,

Bartholomew,

¹⁵     Matthew,

Thomas,

James (son of Alphaeus),

Simon (the Zealot),

¹⁶     Judas (son of James),

Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).

Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997, c1996 (electronic ed.) (Lk 6:11). Wheaton: Tyndale House.

In my last post, I talked about how important it is for us to pray.  It is how we know what God wants us to do.  Jesus did this, and because of that He always did the right thing.

I was reading the above passage this morning, and a question came to me.  Jesus spent all night praying before choosing which of His followers would become His closest companions, His 12 disciples.  The decision was an important one.  He wanted to make sure He was getting the right men.  He didn't want to chose based on His human perceptions or preferences.  He wanted the men His Father had chosen.

And amazingly, Judas Iscariot was on that list!  This amazes me!

It is so easy to believe that this was a mistake, an error in judgment.  He seemed ok on the surface, but little did anyone know that deep down he had the heart of a traitor.

The thing is, God did know.  And still it is who He had chosen.  Judas as one of the disciples wasn't a mistake.  It was an intentional choice.

Why?  I'm sure I don't know!  Maybe it is because someone had to be in a position to betray Jesus.  But that seems like too simple of an answer.  I really have no idea why God chose Judas, or how terribly hurt Jesus must have been when this man whom He loved and trusted turned on Him.

One thing I do know from this.  Appearances can be deceiving.  They were certainly deceiving when Jesus was choosing His disciples.  Most of us would have picked natural leaders, important people with good reputations, not tax collectors and fishermen.

But appearances can also be deceiving when we are looking back on events and second guessing ourselves.  If I were Jesus, I'd have wondered if I misunderstood what God wanted, if I made the wrong choice.  

I have a long history of second guessing myself.  I don't really doubt God, I do doubt my ability to correctly hear His word and follow His will.  I do my best but I feel so insecure, and when things go badly I'm convinced I blew it yet again.

But maybe...just maybe...in some of those situations, I got it right.  God doesn't always lead us in the direction that is the easiest.  He doesn't always put us in a place where everything turns out rosy and life is a breeze.  Too often, the right thing is hard, and it can even lead to pain.  

I have to remember not to judge by appearances.  

Our Need for Time with God

^{Mark 1:35-39}

³⁵ The next morning Jesus awoke long before daybreak and went out alone into the wilderness to pray. ³⁶ Later Simon and the others went out to find him. ³⁷ They said, “Everyone is asking for you.”

³⁸ But he replied, “We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too, because that is why I came.” ³⁹ So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and expelling demons from many people.

Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997, c1996 (electronic ed.) (Mk 1:34). Wheaton: Tyndale House.

Jesus was a busy man.  The day before this passage took place, Jesus had taught at the Synagogue, and then cast a demon out of a possessed man.  After that, he went to Simon and Andrew’s house.  Simon’s mother was ill, so Jesus healed her.  Then after sunset, many people showed up at the house seeking healing and freedom from demons.  Jesus must have spent much of that night ministering to the needs of the crowds that came looking for help and hope.

  He must have been exhausted.  Surely he had a good excuse to sleep in a bit.  But instead, Jesus was up early the next morning, seeking out some solitude.  He needed some quiet time to talk to His Father.

  It was vital, because there were so many people making so many demands on Him.  It would have been so easy to do what the crowds expected – demanded.  They wanted to be healed.  They wanted to see miracles.  They had His agenda all planned out, and it revolved around them and their desires.

  But Jesus had different priorities.  It is true that He came to minister to humanity, so these needs all around Him were important.  But He had limited time.  It would have been easy to give in to the demands all around Him, but He knew that He had a mission to accomplish, and that meant doing His Father’s will, not the will of the crowds.

  In the busyness of life, God’s voice is hard to hear.  With all the activity and all the demands around Him, Jesus needed to go to the wilderness, to pray.  Because of that, He knew that instead of giving in when the disciples said “Everyone is asking for you, “ He knew that it was time to move on to the next town.

  Nobody in history has had a closer relationship with God than His own Son, Jesus.  He knew the heart and mind of His Father, yet even He needed to get away from the noise and chaos of life’s daily demands, to communicate with His Father. 

  If Jesus needed that, how much more do WE need that? 

Be strong and courageous!

Joshua 1:1-9

After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, ² “Now that my servant Moses is dead, you must lead my people across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. ³ I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Everywhere you go, you will be on land I have given you—⁴ from the Negev Desert in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River on the east to the Mediterranean Sea on the west, and all the land of the Hittites.’ ⁵ No one will be able to stand their ground against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.

⁶ “Be strong and courageous, for you will lead my people to possess all the

land I swore to give their ancestors. ⁷ Be strong and very courageous. Obey all the laws Moses gave you. Do not turn away from them, and you will be successful in everything you do. ⁸ Study this Book of the Law continually. Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed. ⁹ I command you—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Holy Bible : New Living Translation. 1997, c1996 (electronic ed.) (Jos 1:1). Wheaton: Tyndale House

In the first chapter of the book of Joshua, God tells Joshua to "be strong and courageous" twice, and once He tells him to "be strong and VERY courageous."  Why the repitition?

Joshua was in a situation that must have felt completely overwhelming.  The Israelites had been wandering in the desert for 40 years, and their leader Moses had just died.  

Joshua was to take over for Moses, and that in itself must have been a frightening prospect.  Over the years he saw the people turn on Moses whenever things didn't go their way.  If that happened to him, surely it would happen to poor Joshua as well.k 

But the task that God had for him was completely over the top.  He was to lead these stubborn, grumpy former slaves into the land that God has promised them.  In order to take possession, they were going to have to go to war against trained soldier, huge armies, and people who were, according to the scouts who checked out the land years ago, "giants."  The odds were completely against them.

But God was emphatic.  Joshua needed to be strong and courageous, not because he was arrogant or strong or wise.  He was to be strong and courageous, because he was about to carry out God's orders.  God wanted it done.  He promised it would happen.  Yes, things didn't look good at first glance, their foes were very intimidating.  But they weren't fighting Joshua and the Israelites.  They were up against God!  The victory was not even in question when you looked at it through the eyes of faith.

God had some specific advice on how to conquer the fear that surely went with this situation.  He was to:

1.  Remember that God was going to be with him - always!  God will not abandon him, no matter what.

2.  Obey God's commands.  He was to study God's word, think about it, and make it the foundation for his decisions and actions.

Both of these things were vital.  They are vital to us today, as well.  

We face problems on a regular basis.  Stress is our constant companion.  How do we cope?  How do we go on, when daily life feels overwhelming?

We can have hope, if we remember that God is more than just a concept.  He can be our daily companion.  The main point of God's message to Joshua is that He cared about what was going on.  He cares about us and our problems and challenges as well.

If we will let God's principles be our guide, if we will take our problems to Him in prayer, He can help us face them.  He can help us to do the impossible, because He is with us.  So be strong and very courageous!  You are not in this by yourself!