Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.
Mark 1:12-13 NKJV
There is a certain suffering of the soul that we all have gone through, are going through and will continue to go through, Temptation.
It doesn’t ever go away.
We all have a weakness, that if it was put right in front of us it would be a battle not to give in!
It is a real life struggle.
Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose.
When that soul turns to Christ in faith and repentance and the Spirit of God rests in the hearts, then the Temptations of this world actually become noticeable.
Everything we did that we thought was OK to do or say just doesn’t seem right anymore. Why? Because the transforming of the mind through the Holy Spirit starts to give us an understanding of the truth of the Lord and the lies of the devil.
Then we start to notice the battle.
The Biblical definition of temptation is a trial in which we have a choice of being faithful or unfaithful to God.
If it’s a choice then that means there is a way out of Temptation.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil!
Satan’s weapon against all believers is Temptation.
He lures us in such a way that he makes us doubt. What does he have us doubt?
The authority of God. The love, the mercy, the Holiness and righteousness of God.
Everything that the Father of Heaven and Earth represents and stands for, Satan will always come against it.
If Satan can cause us to doubt God then he has done his job.
We in our flesh will do the rest.
When that soul turns to Christ in faith and repentance the Spirit of God rests in the hearts, then the Temptations of this world actually become noticeable.
The Temptation Battle is very real.
The Biblical definition of temptation is a trial in which we have a choice of being faithful or unfaithful to God.
There are many temptations we go through and many times we will fall into them. If we are not careful and vigilant the consequences can be devastating!
Anyone that is fighting against any temptation, anyone that is actively fighting against it right now knows how real and how powerful it is.
Many of us fight this temptation of our souls every minute, every hour of every day.
It is week in week out, year after year. And we will be fighting until either Jesus takes us home or He comes to get us!
There are two ways to escape any temptation.
One, you give in to it.
You let the temptation just take over and give in to its power. The moment you do that, then suddenly the urge is gone.
But now you have to deal with the guilt and shame.
The other is to resist it.
Depend on the Power of the Holy Spirit. He is the One that will give you the discernment to see the temptation, but also the One to give you the strength to resist and walk away.
Jesus in the desert for forty long days and nights, exhausted and hungry and tempted. Isn’t that exactly when Satan comes around, when we are weak?
I make the most mistakes when I’m tired. When I’m exhausted and not thinking straight. When I already feel like giving up.
That’s when it all hits hard.
And it always seems like it all hits at the same time!
We forget something about Jesus.
There is an aspect of Him we forget or never consider.
He was fully man but yet sinless. God in the flesh. Humbling Himself to come to us and go through what we go through.
Emotional, physical, mental but also spiritual.
There are no other “gods ” that can actually sympathize with their followers.
But ours can and does!
Jesus can sympathize with us in our weakness and temptations.
Jesus Christ is The Great Sympathizer to every man’s soul!
We can lean on Him to carry us through the wilderness of Temptation so we don’t sin!
And the weapon Jesus chooses to battle and defeat the urges of the flesh and the Temptation of the soul,
IT IS WRITTEN!
The power of God’s Word!
The authority of God’s Word!
Our submission to God’s Word!
The power of prayer!
Nothing can stand against any of these!
There is power in submission to the will of God and there is such power in prayer that it can break the urges of the flesh.
Prayer changes outcomes in people’s lives.
It’s in prayer that we call out to the Father to let Him know that you need help!
Hebrews 4:15
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 4:15 NKJV
Through this compassion His love abounds. His love carries us through!
We can come to the Lord for His Grace and mercy to get us through the hardest temptations and fleshly desires.
Can we humble ourselves enough to ask for help in our urges and desires that are not from God?
We need help. Help from Heaven’s Champion, Jesus Christ of Nazareth!
We don’t need self help books and a 10 step program to make our lives better.
We need the help of our mighty Savior that has been through it all!
We need the power of heaven!
We need to be ripped from the clutches of our deepest tempting thoughts and actions so we will not sin against a Holy and Just God again!
Jesus knows and understands what it’s like to be tempted. But He also knows what the consequences are for falling into them!
His mighty hand is stretched out today, reach for it!
Either we can deny it, reject it or accept it.
We deny His help because we don’t believe that we are being tempted in certain things.
We reject His help when we think we are strong enough to overcome some of these urges and desire ourselves. Being led by foolish pride.
Or we can accept His Glorious free undeserved mercy and grace.
Grace in the way of His strength. It will guide us away from the lusts Satan throws at us. We must be in full humility to Him to see that we need a Savior in all things!
The mercy Jesus Christ shows us is so good and powerful!
He can relate and sympathize with us in all situations. Through all circumstances. In the deepest darkest night or through the brightest shining of the day, He can help.
He can do it because He has walked a mile in your shoes, and then some!
The Trials and tribulations will come.
The temptations of this life will come. The closer we get to Jesus the more temptation to sin against Him will come.
Why?
Because Satan will do everything in His power to keep us from following and doing the will of our Lord!
Some urges will be easy to overcome. Some temptations are going to come so hard and quickly.
As soon as you recognize what’s happening, come to the Lord for His Grace and mercy to get you through the hardest temptations and fleshly desires.
Lean and rely on Jesus Christ.
Pray.
Study the Word of God.
So when Satan lurks around we too can tell Him with all confidence
IT IS WRITTEN!
Remember that there is no temptation, no devil, no trial that’s stronger than the God we serve!
Today accept your Savior’s grace and mercy in all things and for all things!
Then rest back in the comfort of His love!
His pure, whole, unconditional love will curb every temptation this world offers.
Pastor Ed