“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” Hebrews 4:15
Do you identify with the saying, “I can resist anything but temptation?” I expect this speaks loudly to us all. But the message of the temptations of Jesus is very encouraging: the devil cannot make us do anything. When we are tempted, the choice is ours. We can resist temptation if we so choose. We have God’s promise in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
Jesus faced His temptations in His humanity. He refused to use His supernatural powers in the wilderness with Satan. He used the same resources that are available to us--the power of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. His example shows us that we can resist temptation if we so choose.
Jesus’ baptism with God’s overt approval was a mountain top experience. We need to be especially wary of Satan and his tactics after we have just had a great spiritual victory. We seem to be the most vulnerable then, and our enemy knows it.
Matthew 4:1 says, “Then Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Wait a minute! I left out three words--”Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Never forget that God is sovereign. He is in control of all our circumstances. Who set this scenario up? God did. God sets the times, the places, and the limits to our testings.
In the English language, the word “tempt” has the meaning “tempt to do evil”, but in Hebrew and Greek it means “to test or prove”, as in testing the quality of something. God will never tempt us to do evil, but He will test us to see the quality of our faith. “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;” (James 1:13) But God will allow Satan to tempt us in order for us to be tested. When Satan tempts us, he tries his best to get us to do evil. God hopes we will pass the test, and Satan hopes we will fail it.
When the Union-Pacific railroad was under construction, a long trestle bridge was built over a large canyon. The builder loaded a train with extra cars and equipment, drove it onto the bridge, and left it there for a day. A worked complained, “Are you trying to break the bridge?” The builder replied, “I’m trying to prove the bridge won’t break.” Satan tries to break us, but God wants to prove we won’t break. Warren Wiersbe wrote, “Temptation is Satan’s weapon to defeat us, but it can be God’s tool to build us.”
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