Facing Temptation

Matthew 4:1, 5, 8, 11: Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness … Then the devil took him to the holy city … Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain … Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

We know the story of Jesus' temptations while He was communing with God in the wilderness just prior to the beginning of His earthly ministry. We have read or heard the account of the ways Satan tried to tempt Jesus to sin, even though he knew that Jesus was sinless.

But have you ever noticed how much the locations of Jesus’ temptations represent the full gamut of our life experience? Think about it for a minute ...

Have you ever felt like you were in a spiritual wilderness in your life? A time when you felt like you were not close to God? When you were discouraged? 

It is at times of discouragement or depression that we might expect a person to come face-to-face with the temptation to sin. When we are hungry for something more, something better. We might be tempted to look to the "bread" of hopes and dreams to fill us.

Jesus faced that temptation in His wilderness.

Sometimes, even while involved in church or religious activity I have been tempted to be or to do something other than godly-based things.  When I am seeing some spiritually significant thing happening either in my own life, or I see how God has used me in someone else's life, I am tempted to become proud of my service for God.

Jesus faced that temptation at the pinnacle of the temple in the holy city Jerusalem.

In a sense, we are probably most tempted to sin when we see ourselves being successful in some public way. When other people recognize something we have done and applaud us.

Jesus faced that temptation when looking at all the kingdoms of the world from the top of the high mountain.

Our enemy knows us well enough to hit us with temptation when we are least expecting it as well as when we are most vulnerable so we must be on guard always.

When we stand against temptation as Jesus did, our tempter will have to leave us and God will minister to our weak or wounded spirit just as He did for Jesus.

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." ~ James 4:7