In football, you can either run or throw. Three things can happen when the team throws a pass and two of them are not good. A pass can be incomplete or intercepted. Likewise, in the game called life, when Christians are confronted with temptations, three things can happen and two of the three are not good. The first and worst thing that can happen when tempted by sin is to just give in and do it, which is the choice of many people. The second bad choice is to try to fight the temptation in our own strength, which will leave us miserable or in failure. As Christians, we must learn to fight temptation in the power of the Lord. Remember, Jesus is not only our example, but he also is our strength!
Consider, how Jesus overcame the temptations in the wilderness when tempted by Satan himself. Jesus had just been baptized in the Jordan by John, endowed by the Spirit, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. During his baptism, the Father spoke and said, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” So, JESUS was tempted by the devil, directly after being filled with the Spirit, in a desert, showing us that temptation can come to any person, at any point, and in any place!
The Bible tells us that Jesus was tempted in every way that we are so that he could truly be our high priest and give us comfort and aid (Hebrews 4:15). John tells us in first John that we are tempted in one of three ways: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Temptation to “do”, to “have”, and “to be”. To do what our flesh desires, to have what our soul craves, or be something in the eyes of the world. Jesus fell for none of them. He simply shredded them with the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, when he said: It is Written!
Let us look at the four ways Jesus defeated the devil and his temptations. Jesus heard the Father say, This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Jesus’s first defense was his “sonship”, his relationship to his Father, the creator and owner of the world. Second, Jesus was well pleasing to his Father always doing the Father’s will over his own. Thirdly, Jesus entered the wilderness with the Spirit of God, not in his own strength. Finally, Jesus used the Scriptures to combat the lies of the evil one.
My friends, we must fight the schemes and temptations of the devil in the same way that Jesus did. As Christians, we must know that we are truly the sons of God and our Father will one day give us the world! The devil’s offers are fleeing and temporary. We must strive to walk in obedience to the Father. We must seek to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh and we must know the Word of God so that we can remove the Sword of the Spirit when needed and run the devil through just as Jesus did! These, my friends, are the keys to victory! Join us Sundays at 10am, come early for coffee.
