Temptations Got You Down?

Temptations are real. We all struggle with them every day. But I wonder, why some people give in more quickly than others. Then there is Jesus. After 40 days of fasting, He still did not give into the temptation to make a rock into bread. Why? He did not give into the temptation for power over all nations. Why? He did not give into the temptation to jump from a high place and prove He was special. Why?

I have studied those temptations may times and from many angles. Today, I saw something different as I was reading the passage in Luke 4. I was hearing John 13:3-5 playing in the background of my mind. “Jesus knew that the Father had given Him authority over everything and that He had come from God and would return to God. So He got up from the table, took off His robe, wrapped a towel around His waist, and poured water into a basin. Then He began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel He had around Him.” (NLT)

As I read through the temptations one at a time, I began to understand more why Jesus was victorious over these temptations. The devil started the temptations with three words, “If you are….” And I begin to wonder, do all temptations begin there? At the core of every temptation is the question, “Who am I?”

First, Jesus was tempted to prove He was the Son of God by doing the miracle of turning the stone into bread. But Jesus knew that He was the ‘bread of life’ that came into the world to provide a way for us to repent and be saved. He did not need to make a stone into bread – did not need to prove anything. He knew who He was!

Second, Jesus was tempted to bow down and worship the devil in order to have authority over all the kingdoms of earth. But Jesus knew that He already had that authority not only over all kingdoms but over all creation. He knew that the devil’s days were numbered, and that true authority comes from God, not from the devil. He did not need a shortcut to be honored as king. He was the Lord of Lords and King of Kings!

Third, Jesus was tempted to jump from a high place to prove that God would rescue Him. But Jesus knew that He could call on God and 12 legions of angels would rescue Him. (Matthew 26:53) He did not need to prove anything to the devil. He did not need to test God’s ability to save Him. He came into the world to save us!

So how does that help me overcome temptations? Because I have repented of my sins and accepted Jesus as Lord of my life, I have a new identity in Him. I am His child. My Father is King of the universe! I can have confidence that He will provide for me. I don’t need to steal or connive to get things. I can even be generous with what He has already given me because I know He will provide all I need. I don’t need to try to gain power over others because He is Lord of my life and as I humble myself before Him and before others, He will put me in places of honor in His kingdom. I can even encourage others as I have been encouraged by Him to grow into my role as a child of the King. And I don’t need to constantly test Him to see if He is there. He will rescue me when I need to be rescued. I can trust Him to be there for me. And when I am done on this earth, I know where I am going – to an eternal home with my Father!

If I walk in that identity, temptations will not overtake me. It is when I forget who I am that I am most vulnerable.

Father, thank you for providing a way out for me when I am tempted. Thank you for saving me and for your promises that guide me as I put my trust in you. Help me to continue to grow into my position as your child so that I can become all that you call me to be without fear. You are awesome and I love you. Amen.

Made in His Image

As I sit here this morning with my Bible open, I glance out at the blue sky and remember so many powerful times with God as I walked under His great expanse. Our man-made houses are stuffy and full of man-made things. They do not easily take us into the presence of God. Some of us try to overcome this by visual reminders and music that talk of God and our relationship with Him. But they are reminders, not the real thing!

Blue sky, outdoors, expanse, sun, moon, stars, amazing nature on the micro and cosmic levels and everything in between… these lead us into the presence of God, recognizing our Creator and worshiping Him.

King David grew up out in the fields watching and caring for sheep. He knew God personally as day after day, night after night he was in awe of all the creation he observed. He knew God personally as his protector, defender, healer, and friend. Who else could he talk to when he was with the sheep? All that he learned in that environment served him well most of his life.

It was when he moved into the palace he created for himself and gained many wives that he lost his footing with God and messed up big tim,e. Even David, a “man after God’s own heart” began to mess up as he had more power, more kingdom to rule, more success as a leader, and more praise from people.

When we determine to satisfy all the desires of the flesh, we make less and less room for God. Our eternal vision is dimmed and we focus on the insignificant things like accumulating wealth, power and prestige. We build bigger and bigger houses and spend more and more time and money maintaining and filling them. And God becomes smaller and smaller until we believe that we can define Him, instruct Him, and make Him meet our expectations by rituals, chants, and demands. Or we even begin to ignore Him and tell ourselves he doesn’t exist.

Jesus was told by Satan in the temptations that if He would bow down to Satan and worship him, He could have all the wealth He desired (turn the stone into bread), He could rule the whole world (power), and He could draw attention to Himself by surviving a death-defying fall (prestige). Jesus refused them all. (Luke 4:1-13) Instead, He had no place to lay His head (He didn’t own a house). (Matthew 8:20; Luke  9:58) He chose to be a servant of all, (He chose to not use power over others to lead them) washing His disciple’s feet – even the one who would betray Him. (John 13:3-11) And He chose to always glorify God and not Himself. When the people tried to make Him King by force, He slipped away through the crowd. (He wasn’t interested in prestige) (John 6:14-16)

If we were to focus on eternal things like our relationship with God, His plans for us and others around us, His invitation extended through Jesus to come and follow Him, and His command to GO – and make disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:19-20), I wonder if our need for the physical things of this world like wealth, power, and prestige would diminish – if we would be more content with where we are and who we are, and if our desire to control others would be replaced by an invitation to come, taste and see that the Lord is good. (Psalm 34:8)

Lord, You know my heart. You know everything about me. You made me – in your image – to worship You, to follow You, and to live with You forever. I invite you to be my guide through this life, to shape me, to empower me, and to continue to draw me closer and closer to You.

The Devil Didn't Make Me Do It!

“Jesus, full of the Holy spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was very hungry.” Luke 4:1-2 A forty-day fast! That is a long time to go without food. At the end of forty days, I would think a person would be very weak and have difficulty thinking clearly. It would put a person at high risk for failure at anything.

While we are not told what Jesus did during those forty days other than that he was in the desert, I imagine he was spending a lot of time talking with his Father about how to go about showing himself to be the Christ, the Messiah, and how to help people understand the love of the Father for his children – all of us. They may have talked about whether or not physical healings would help or hinder. They may have talked about how to approach the religious leaders who thought they knew everything there was to know about God, but were missing some very important things.

After Jesus had been without food for forty days, who would show up but the devil – stomping on a man in his weakest moment? “The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Luke 4:3 What is it the devil is tempting Jesus with? Obviously, it was food – sustenance. He hasn’t eaten for forty days and bread would taste pretty good right now. What would be wrong with Jesus making a stone into bread? Probably nothing. But Jesus’ answer would indicate the temptation is more than just food. “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone.’” Luke 4:4 Matthew adds, “but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4 I wonder if what Jesus was dealing with here was motive. Why do we do what we do? Is it motivated by self-satisfaction, fitting in with others, or is it to honor and glorify God? God had not released Jesus to eat just yet, and certainly not at the hand of the devil! Jesus answer according to Matthew also indicates that God is our true source of everything we need. We need not turn to the world or the devil to eat our fill.

“The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, ‘I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. So if you worship me, it will all be yours.’” Luke 4:5-7 Jesus could supposedly have all the riches and power in the world if he bowed to Satan. How far will I go to gain worldly wealth and control over others? What will I bow to? Is it truly Satan’s to give? Again, Jesus responds by quoting Scripture, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’” Luke 4:8 It seems Jesus was quite aware of who the true Creator and Master of the universe was and it wasn’t the devil. All the wealth and power in the world would not make Jesus bend a knee to anyone other than the Father in heaven. I wonder if my worship is always in the right place. Am I so sure of who God is that I don’t need to try to gain worldly wealth and power for myself? Is my heart completely focused on God and content with his gifts or do I let myself at times fall into seeking power and wealth that are not mine?

“The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down from here. For it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Luke 4:9-11 Wow! The devil basically said, “You keep quoting Scripture. Well here is some Scripture for you.” Would he catch Jesus with this one? What is he tempting Jesus with? I wonder if it has something to do with who is in control? Children are masters of control. If they want their parent to stop doing something and pay attention to them, they will start getting into things they know they are not supposed to in order to get the parent to stop talking on the phone or paying the bills and pay attention to them. Isn’t this, in a way, what the devil was asking Jesus to do with God? Jesus could control the situation by putting himself at risk and ‘making’ God rescue him. But Jesus wisely responds, “It says: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Luke 4:12 Jesus knew that taking Scripture out of context was not a good idea and he had other Scripture to help keep his focus and interpretation correct.

I wonder how many times I wonder off on my own thing and try to get God to come with me – “God, please bless my project or detour,” rather than seeking where God is going and try to align my thoughts with his and my heart with his? I wonder why Jesus had to go through these temptations. Yet it seems he addresses the most powerful things in this world that can make us wander away from God. If we can learn from Jesus and respond by always turning our hearts and minds to God, trusting him for sustenance, worshiping only him, and following him rather than trying to lead him, just maybe we can get through this life without major falls. I hope I can get better at remembering to ask myself about my motives before responding to something, worshiping God rather than seeking control, and seeking God’s path rather than asking him to bless mine.

Thank you Jesus for showing me how to interpret and deal with temptations in my life. I don’t have to give in and say, “The devil made me do it.” But I can stand strong, trusting you to care for me, worshiping the one and only God, and seeking to follow you. You are my God, the one I serve, worship and adore.