The dictionary says it is "the desire to do something, particularly something wrong or unwise". I think of synonyms such as testing and trying. In my mind, this could apply to a lot of things. Who or what tries my patience? Who or what tests me? What do I do that is wrong or unwise? How can I be more conscious?
The Lord's prayer says "Lead me not into temptation." Jesus knew the lure of temptation. Remember what he went through with the devil in the desert after those 40 days of fasting. Whew. I have trouble fasting for more than a few hours. How could he have done 40 days? Now that is self-control. Plus don't forget, he is God incarnate.
Temptation comes in many forms.
The Lord's prayer says "Lead me not into temptation." Jesus knew the lure of temptation. Remember what he went through with the devil in the desert after those 40 days of fasting. Whew. I have trouble fasting for more than a few hours. How could he have done 40 days? Now that is self-control. Plus don't forget, he is God incarnate.
Temptation comes in many forms.
Food, alcohol, chocolate, chips, pizza. They appeal to our appetite but what is our appetite for exactly? Is it really for food or for something else such as a comfort for loneliness, anger, frustration, etc? When tempted with turning stones into bread to satiate his hunger, Jesus answered "Man does not live by bread alone, but by the very word of God." (Matt 4:4) In other words, we often turn to externals such as food, alcohol, and shopping to satisfy, satiate, and comfort us when really we should turn inward and apply God's word to comfort and console ourselves.
The temptation to glorify ourselves.
The temptation to glorify ourselves.
The devil tried to entice Jesus to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple and call on the angels to rescue him. We are not to tempt God. Many people have claimed "God will protect me" as their reason for not getting the Covid vaccine. To me this seems like putting God to the test rather than taking personal responsibility.
There are other ways we try to glorify ourselves. Having to have the last word. Not admitting fault. Trying to outshine others by our travels, our intelligence, or our knowledge. We want all the credit, the acclaim, the recognition, to be a big whig and to look good in front of others. None of us want to look bad. Ever. We don't like to take responsibility for our faults and weaknesses. We don't like to admit we made a mistake or said something hurtful. We like to blame, shame, and judge others to make ourselves feel better. But, does it really? Or do we feel worse?
We think we achieve great things and material wealth all on our own accord, but it is God who gives us the talents, the abilities, and the opportunities to achieve these things and so the glory belongs to him alone. Remember the story of Daedelus who flew too close to the sun.
We think we achieve great things and material wealth all on our own accord, but it is God who gives us the talents, the abilities, and the opportunities to achieve these things and so the glory belongs to him alone. Remember the story of Daedelus who flew too close to the sun.
The lure of wealth, power, fame, beauty, and status.
People want to be popular, admired, accepted, well-known, "in the cool crowd". Remember the high school cliques? They made you feel excluded and less than. Many people thrive on adulation as evidenced by all the buzz on social media, but as we see in Jesus' case, the crowd's opinion is fickle and can change on a dime.
Don't we know how well known we are in the eyes of God? I think we sometimes lose track of that fact. How much he loves us - no - adores us, despite our flaws, our faults and our failures. God knew us even before we were born. "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you." (Jer 1:5). We are uniquely and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). In fact, God calls us a "masterpiece" (Ephesians 2:10). Nothing here on earth can even come close to that kind of love and recognition.
Don't we know how well known we are in the eyes of God? I think we sometimes lose track of that fact. How much he loves us - no - adores us, despite our flaws, our faults and our failures. God knew us even before we were born. "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you." (Jer 1:5). We are uniquely and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). In fact, God calls us a "masterpiece" (Ephesians 2:10). Nothing here on earth can even come close to that kind of love and recognition.
We often look to others for approval and acceptance, when it doesn't matter what other people think of us at all. God sent Jesus to this earth to die to cleanse us from all unrighteousness so that we can have full access to the throne of grace, because only blood can cleanse us of sin. When we accept Christ as Lord, we are found righteous, approved and accepted. Our sins are forgiven. Case closed.
It's all about the Ego
The bottom line is temptation comes from our flesh aka our ego. We look to the wrong things to comfort us, to give us a sense of worthiness, and to make us feel good about ourselves when really Christ is the answer to all our identity problems. When we come to know who we are in Christ, we don't succumb to the temptations of the flesh as much or as often. We are more willing to accept the will and sovereignty of God and to acknowledge our humanity and the humanity of others.
The bottom line is temptation comes from our flesh aka our ego. We look to the wrong things to comfort us, to give us a sense of worthiness, and to make us feel good about ourselves when really Christ is the answer to all our identity problems. When we come to know who we are in Christ, we don't succumb to the temptations of the flesh as much or as often. We are more willing to accept the will and sovereignty of God and to acknowledge our humanity and the humanity of others.
For Reflection
This Lenten season, let us each ponder the ways in which we are tempted and why. We all have our weaknessesand our sensitivities. Let us humble ourselves before the cross instead of judging because "There but for the grace of God go I". Let us pray for God's grace and mercy and extend that grace and mercy to others.
I hope this post has given you food for thought as we prepare our hearts during this holy season. If you'd like more positive and practical advice, enter your email address in the box provided. You'll receive my weekly posts plus a copy of my free eguide entitled "7 Steps to Finding Your Spiritual Path" to read and share with a friend.
Stay tuned for more on healing,wholeness,health and harmony so YOU can ignite the power within and discover YOUR destiny!
This Lenten season, let us each ponder the ways in which we are tempted and why. We all have our weaknessesand our sensitivities. Let us humble ourselves before the cross instead of judging because "There but for the grace of God go I". Let us pray for God's grace and mercy and extend that grace and mercy to others.
I hope this post has given you food for thought as we prepare our hearts during this holy season. If you'd like more positive and practical advice, enter your email address in the box provided. You'll receive my weekly posts plus a copy of my free eguide entitled "7 Steps to Finding Your Spiritual Path" to read and share with a friend.
Stay tuned for more on healing,wholeness,health and harmony so YOU can ignite the power within and discover YOUR destiny!
In the meantime,
Keep looking up!
Ariel Paz
Keep looking up!
Ariel Paz
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