Temptation

Temptation comes from three sources: The world. The flesh. The devil (Ephesians 2:1-3). While all three of these sources are involved in temptation, one will lead the way. Today, let’s focus on the times when the world takes the lead.

We have learned much about Satan in the desert temptation encounter with Jesus. He attacks when we are vulnerable, alone, and exhausted. He is always offering a shortcut way to live independently from God. He is out to destroy us and make the wrong path look to be the most inviting path. But in the desert temptations, we learn more about Jesus. Here are three important takeaways.

The spiritual battle never ends. Satan doesn’t leave the office and head home. He works day and night, weekends and holidays. He is looking to trip us up whether we are surrounded by people or all alone. As we have seen in the garden and desert temptation encounters, he goes after us in times of strength and weakness.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Satan says. “And it’s the right time to do it.” God’s timing, his destination, and the way to get to the destination are always perfect, but Satan wants us to work in his time frame, follow his path, and get to his desired destination. His way always involves a shortcut from the road of obedience. That was the essence of the third temptation in the desert.

Satan is not particular about when he attacks. He went after Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. At their strongest point, he convinced them that God was holding out. He also attacks us in our weakest moments. That’s what he did when he tempted Jesus in the desert.

Temptation appeals to our senses—our spiritual, emotional, and physical senses. That was the lure for Eve in the garden, and we have followed the pattern ever since.

Does God really love me? Is this the best God has for me? Why is God holding out on me? These questions, which have echoed through the ages, started in the garden when Satan showed up to bring down Adam and Eve. After Satan told Eve that God’s Word was not true, he moved to God’s motive.

When there is an opening in our battle gear, the enemy aims for that vulnerable spot. After Eve’s weak response to Satan’s question, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1), he went from a seemingly innocent question to an attack on God’s integrity.

A small error makes a big difference. Check this out. If you started walking on a straight path toward a destination and were one degree off course when you started, after one hundred yards, you would end up 5.2 feet from your destination. Not that big of a deal, right? However, in that same scenario, you’d be off by 92.2 feet after a mile. If you were driving in a straight line from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., and started just one degree off, you’d miss the nation’s capital by 42.6 miles. One more…in a rocket going to the moon, one degree off at blastoff would cause you to miss the moon by 4,169 miles. A small error makes a big difference. We see that in the first temptation.