What Was Your Last Temptation?

A short while ago, we installed three new deacons in our church. As these individuals were starting a new ministry in their lives, I decided to examine the beginning of Jesus’ ministry (Luke 4:1-13) in order pray more specifically for them and to see what challenges they might face as they too embarked on a road of Christian service. Through my reading, I was reminded of the direct link between the devil’s efforts and the beginning of Jesus’ main ministry. I could not help seeing the significance of this correlation, not only for the deacons but also for the lives of all Christians when they become leaders.

"I was reminded of the direct link between the devil’s efforts and the beginning of Jesus’ main ministry. I could not help seeing the significance of this correlation, not only for the deacons but also for the lives of all Christians when they become leaders."

No matter how unimportant you think you are,
the devil will try to tempt you too.

Although you might be prone to excuse the Christian leader in business from this kind of devilish temptation, I say not so fast. If you find yourself in a position to impact the kingdom, and you find the air you breathe supporting your kingdom purpose - please join the crowd; the amount of temptation you experience will exponentially increase when you are at the beginning any new ministry, whether it be overt through a ministry or under cover through your business. However, by examining Jesus’ example of dealing with temptation, we can become prepared to block the devil’s strikes against us.

What We Can Learn from Jesus’ Temptation

As you probably recall, Jesus experienced Satan’s tempting at the very beginning of his ministry, when he retreated into the desert. There, Satan focused his temptation on three areas.

1. Jesus’ Needs

2. Jesus’ Authority

3. Jesus’ Relationship with the Father

In each case, Satan repackaged a facet of Jesus’ life as a lure to temptation.

Repackaging: If temptation were obvious, it wouldn’t be such a challenge to overcome it. Satan doesn’t usually tempt us by showing us pictures of awful deeds that hurt God and our neighbors. Instead, he takes those awful deeds and wraps them in bright, attractive paper, repackaging them to look appealing so we fall for them.

Satan can repackage physical needs as temptations.

His Needs

After 40 days without food, the human side of Jesus was hungry. Satan repackaged that physical need by asking Jesus to change the stones into bread to prove who He was. Jesus could have rationalized this by saying, “There certainly should be nothing wrong with me turning these stones into bread, for I can do nothing for my Father if I am unhealthy.”

Sound familiar? Maybe you haven’t been trying to rationalize a food need, but how about some other need? How about a lavish vacation or new toy to help “restore” you from your work or the stress you find yourself in?  Jesus answered the devil and said, “Man does not live on bread alone,” proving that He knew the big picture and was not going to be tempted by a perceived need.  We need to have the wisdom to know the difference between our true needs and our hidden wants.

 
His Authority

Every Christian leader can expect to be tempted in the way that Christ was during this second temptation—manipulation by the devil. The devil will disguise his desire that you honor him by offering you something you think is useful and/or righteous. In Jesus’ case, he was ironically offering Christ a level of authority he already had. The devil knew this and was repackaging his offer to get Jesus to worship him. One of the lessons that we can learn from this passage is to examine what God has already blessed us with and determine if the devil is trying to use it against God.  God may have blessed a man with a brand new fishing boat, but the devil wants that very same boat to possess his extra time, keeping him on the lake and out of God’s house of worship.

His Relationship with the Father

The third way in which Christ was tempted was through Satan’s effort to break up His family. When the devil implored Christ to “throw [Himself] down” from the temple, he asked Jesus to do so in order to prove that he really was the “Son of God.” In other words, the devil engaged in a manipulation attempt by telling Christ that he needs to test and prove God’s love for him. Ironically, if Christ had jumped, he would have certainly been denying the Father. Since Jesus knew he could avoid being severely hurt or killed using his own power, His jumping would have simply been a test of His Father’s love, which was just what Satan wanted.

When we succumb to Satan’s manipulation by testing God, it sometimes shows a level of laziness. For example: It is easier to test God with caring for our health than to do our part in exercising and caring for ourselves. If we simply want God to care for our health because we are too lazy to be obedient and take the time to care for ourselves then God will tell us what Jesus told the devil in verse 12 of our scripture, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Unlike Gideon asking for signs to increase his faith, these kinds of tests are simply disrespectful and can cause a break in our relationship with God. On the Discovery Channel last week, I witnessed a bear track down a young deer. I watched the deer first being separated from his family, and then killed by the first bear bite to his neck. Friends, the devil goes for the neck. It is the blood supply path to the whole body.

Leaders are like necks, and the devil is going for you first.

Therefore, be careful my friends. Satan will repackage things to deceive you, so make sure you look beyond the wrapping and into the contents of each “delivery.”

Photos courtesy of iMaffo and Roger Imp.