“We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because he was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means.” -C.S Lewis, Mere Christianity-
If you are battling with trials and temptations at this point in time, I'd want you to know that you are not alone. All of us are going through series of trials and putting on our full armor to combat temptations around us. Even Jesus himself had to overcome a temptation when He was being tempted by Satan and it is found in Matthew 4:1-11. Let's take this time to go over this passage:
The Temptation of Jesus
4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6 and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall 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 glory.9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
Prior to Jesus' encounter with fallacious Satan, Jesus had been baptized first in the Jordan river. Baptism marked the beginning of Christ's ministries-- teaching, preaching, and healing. Like Jesus, just when we are about to begin to step up and work for God's ministry, we also hurdle trials and temptations. No one has a great immunity from life's snares.
It's appalling to know that Jesus Christ, the Son of God and truly a God in itself had to undergo through a series of temptations of the enemy but to no avail, He was a victor. God was tempted by Satan in three aspects:
First, Jesus had been tempted on the area of bodily appetite. In verse 3, Satan enticed Jesus to command the stones to become loaves of bread. But Jesus's response in verse 4 says,“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Christ's dependence to the Words of God the Father was truly evident in his response to Satan. He rebuked Satan by telling Him that "bread" alone won't keep a person alive, but rather, it is the "Bread of Life" that speaks to the heart of man that keeps one alive. How about you? How about us? Where lies our dependence? Is it on the physical pursuits, or to the Word of God?
Second. Jesus had been tempted on the area of intellectual curiosity. In verse 5, the devil once again put Jesus to a test when he dared Him to jump off the pinnacle of the temple to see if the hands of the angels would really bear him up. Noticed that the devil even quoted the Word of God. The Bible tells us that we should be on guard on the enemies, for they are deceitful. They could use the Word of God to distort the truth and use it to their own advantage to deceive us. Matthew 7:15 says, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves".
Jesus responded promptly to Satan saying, "‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’". The God that we worship is unshakable, unstoppable, and incomprehensible. The greatness of God should never be put to test by any circumstance and most of all, it should not be put to test by futile mortals like us.
How could we combat the lies and deceits of the enemies? We should be equipped with the Word of God. Christ knows His Father and that knowledge that He has about His Father made His faith even firmer. We can be easily persuaded by the lies of the false teachers, but we will be able to discern them if we have a close relationship with God and if we immerse ourselves in His Holy Word.
Third, Jesus was tempted in the area of personal ambition. For the third time, Satan attempted to lure Jesus with worldly treasures. In verses 8-9 the devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms of this world and their glory. He even promised Jesus that he would give it all to Him if He would just get down on His knees and worship him. But God stood firm on His ground. He had not been allured by the kingdoms He had seen that the devil showed to him, but rather, with conviction He said to Satan, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,“‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
The unwavering faithfulness of Christ unto God the Father is something that all of us believers should emulate. Christ had been contented with what He had and remained faithful to God. Despite the multiple attempts of tempting Jesus, the devil did not prevail. We may find the offer of Satan appealing, and really really tempting that if we were Jesus we must have been on the verge on giving in. But Christ stood firm, and His faith had not been shaken.
How about us? How firm are we in our faith? If we were Jesus, could we ever possibly defeat Satan too just what Christ did? The answer is, YES. Yes, victory amidst temptation is possible!
Christian life may be tough, it may not always be lying on a bed of roses. At times, our service to God leads us to the cross but it is comforting to know that we shall find the glory and honor of God at the end of it all.
If you are in a middle of spiritual crisis right now due to the multiple temptations that are abounding you, keep in mind that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior had not just once or twice been tempted. He was tempted three times! But despite those multiple temptations, He won over the devil because He had faith in God the Father. Just like Him, we should be guarded too against the deceitful enemies. As it is written in 1 Peter 5:8 it says, "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour".
Jesus responded promptly to Satan saying, "‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’". The God that we worship is unshakable, unstoppable, and incomprehensible. The greatness of God should never be put to test by any circumstance and most of all, it should not be put to test by futile mortals like us.
How could we combat the lies and deceits of the enemies? We should be equipped with the Word of God. Christ knows His Father and that knowledge that He has about His Father made His faith even firmer. We can be easily persuaded by the lies of the false teachers, but we will be able to discern them if we have a close relationship with God and if we immerse ourselves in His Holy Word.
Third, Jesus was tempted in the area of personal ambition. For the third time, Satan attempted to lure Jesus with worldly treasures. In verses 8-9 the devil showed Jesus all the kingdoms of this world and their glory. He even promised Jesus that he would give it all to Him if He would just get down on His knees and worship him. But God stood firm on His ground. He had not been allured by the kingdoms He had seen that the devil showed to him, but rather, with conviction He said to Satan, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,“‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
The unwavering faithfulness of Christ unto God the Father is something that all of us believers should emulate. Christ had been contented with what He had and remained faithful to God. Despite the multiple attempts of tempting Jesus, the devil did not prevail. We may find the offer of Satan appealing, and really really tempting that if we were Jesus we must have been on the verge on giving in. But Christ stood firm, and His faith had not been shaken.
How about us? How firm are we in our faith? If we were Jesus, could we ever possibly defeat Satan too just what Christ did? The answer is, YES. Yes, victory amidst temptation is possible!
Christian life may be tough, it may not always be lying on a bed of roses. At times, our service to God leads us to the cross but it is comforting to know that we shall find the glory and honor of God at the end of it all.
If you are in a middle of spiritual crisis right now due to the multiple temptations that are abounding you, keep in mind that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior had not just once or twice been tempted. He was tempted three times! But despite those multiple temptations, He won over the devil because He had faith in God the Father. Just like Him, we should be guarded too against the deceitful enemies. As it is written in 1 Peter 5:8 it says, "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour".
If we are deeply troubled by the temptations and you're on the brink of giving in, always remember that God is a faithful and a loving God, He won't put us into a test which is beyond what we could bear. As it is written in 1 Corinthians 10:13 it says, "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." He will help us endure and overcome temptation, all we need is to come up to Him in full humility.
A life with and in Christ does not guarantee us a convenient life. It does not guarantee that we won't be experiencing trials and temptations in life. Rather, it is when we have this intimate relationship with God that our hurdles get tougher. But it is comforting to know that each trial that we face serves as our building blocks or stepping stones to a firmer faith to the Lord. As it is written in James 1:12-13 that says, Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
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