Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Temptation

From Luke 4 - Christ's temptation

Satan sought a showdown with Christ.  Challenged him to PROVE himself.  Satan approached him at a time and area of vulnerability,  40 day fast and  very hungry.

        i.e. You may query in your mind  "You say God loves you?"
        when you've been crying out to Him  regarding some need or
        personal hurt,  where there seems to be no answer. 

That thought is not your own although it seems like it. 

How to respond?  I've found the only way is to deliberately remember the word of God and to quote it, speak it. To give God praise for his promises of love.  For this reason it's good to seek out scripture that speaks of who God is and what he's done and memorize it.  One doesn't often have a Bible handy when such thoughts come.  If you don't know a verse remind yourself actively that he gave his life for your salvation and that he has all of life, and your life, in his care.

Don't enter the arena to fight such thoughts.  That is Satan's turf.  Christ could have felt spiritually strong here, from his close and unencumbered commune with his Father, but he didn't enter the arena Satan chose for him.  He chose his own arena, God's word.

Satan left that attack with Jesus, but didn't leave the field.  He came at the attack from a different slant. This one was a challenge to take an easy out offered by Satan.  To not have to die.  It offered quick returns, instant gratification, power, wealth success and adulation, and offered to have no pain.   

That may not be our own "Hot Button".  But we have them in smaller ways:

A little spot of theft.  i.e. software
A little toying with a spot of mental infidelity
A bitty malicious gossip
A little TV watching that flouts God's stated righteousness.

All of which originate with our own desires not entrusted to God.  A feeling nobody will know, nobody sees, nobody cares. 

Christ again spoke the Word of his Father, nailing the real result.  In Satan he would not be free, he would have traded masters and this master wishes to destroy all good.

Satan changed tactics a bit.  He used the very words of God, seeking to make the action appear to  be  God's very will.

Satan tempts us often to test God's validity.  Not seeking God himself, but seeking for our will to be given to us by God.  Failing to judge the request in light of God's holiness and the righteousness of our desire.  We need to be aware that though we have our own lot of  dumb thoughts, we also have an enemy who plants thoughts in our minds.  And whether ours or his, the only answer is to run to God, fall on our knees and worship Him and seek His ways.

And there is not a temptation that will ever come to you that Christ himself did not face.  He chose the Father's way, and he died so you have  the choice in your days.

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