'Trick or Treat' - a study on temptation

On Tuesday the 31st October we had several children knock on our door saying;

‘Trick or Treat ‘, my wife is very gracious and usually responds to the children by explaining that as Christians we do not believe in Halloween but says “we have some sweets for your costumes”.

This year she forgot to get the sweets in, or to put it correctly myself as the one responsible for the shopping failed to pick sweets up, we failed to be prepared.

This got me thinking about temptations that come into our lives every day and how we may give into them as we are unprepared.

The bible tells us that temptations, which are allowed by God, come from three main sources:

The Devil

Our own flesh

The world around us

When we feel tempted let us ask ourselves is it a ‘trick’, even our own feelings can deceive us, or is it a ‘treat’. If we thought it was a ‘trick’ we would most likely not give in but when we think it will make us feel better we see it as a ‘treat’, our flesh, the world and/or Satan whispers to us “go on that will make you feel better – what harm will it do”. If we are honest giving into temptations, e.g. the temptation to tell a white lie to make us look better to others does make us feel better temporarily.

How often do we pursue temporary pleasures for permanent regret?

OR

Trade temporary pleasures for future blessings?

How then can we win the battle against temptation, the key is preparation – temptations will come in this life and we need to be ready for them.

Remember what God has told us:

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.

If we know the exit route before, then when temptations come we can flee them, the exit door is actually not external but internal.

A 'trick' that our own minds, the world and/or the devil will tell us is that if our circumstances change then our temptations will be reduced. To give you an example from my own life, early in my ministry there was a particular person who constantly challenged my decisions and this resulted in my insecurities and vulnerabilities coming to the forefront of my mind and feelings. The way I initially handled this was to:

1. Pray the person moved on

2. Criticise this person to others, which is clearly wrong and unbiblical for a Christian (let alone a Pastor) to do !!, although this made me feel better and was a temporary ‘treat’.

I was convicted that this was not right and I needed to examine my own heart, although many challenges were unjustified it made me realise that I needed more of God within me and to draw on the security that He provides. At first, I asked God to either change the circumstances and/or strengthen me but three things became apparent to me:

• Having a tender and gentle heart can be used for good and means I have an extra sensitivity to the Holy Spirit.

• A tender heart and a gentle spirit may make me vulnerable BUT when “we are weak we are strong “. (2 Corinthians 12:10).

• Ultimately My SIN was not against the person but against God, remember Sin can be defined as doing things our own way NOT God’s way. God clearly tell us to not gossip about or ‘slander’ others.

My perceived weakness to the world was an opportunity for more of God’s grace to be displayed not only toward the person who was ‘a thorn in my flesh’ but for others in the world to see. I learnt that I had to continually draw on God’s strength and that actually he had allowed this person in my life to stop me becoming conceited.

Temptation to ‘gossip’ and/or criticise still came but I knew by preparing my heart in advance I had somewhere to flee to, that is into the arms of my loving Heavenly Father. By initialling giving into temptation I had traded my own need to feel better for worshipping my Heavenly Father, such a SIN would have grieved the Holy Spirit, who is the most sensitive person in the world, and therefore at that time my intimacy with God would have been lessened. Ironically when you are in a difficult circumstance you would want increased intimacy with God not less.

A biblical example of someone who despite his circumstances chose to worship God and trust his Heavenly Father when he was tempted is Joseph in Genesis 39. Joseph, who was a favoured son with comfort and blessings, had been betrayed by his brothers, thrown down a well, sold to slave traders, carried off to a foreign country (Egypt) and was now a servant to the Captain of the Guard (Potiphar). Things had gone badly for Joseph but the circumstances were starting to look rosier as he had found favour in the sight of Potiphar. Then Potiphar’s wife who, (because Potiphar was a man of wealth and authority in ancient Egypt would have been handpicked) was very sexually attractive tried to seduce Joseph. The 'trick or treat' in his mind may have played out like this

“You are a young man far from home, things have been really rough for you, this beautiful woman wants to sleep with you, you deserve a ‘treat’, sleep with her no one need know, you deserve a break Joseph”.

His flesh would have wanted it, sadly if it was in today’s society it would have been considered acceptable in the ‘ways of the world’ and the devil would have wanted Joseph’s destiny to be derailed.

Note what Joseph says and does:

Genesis 39:9 “How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”

Genesis 39:12 – Potiphar’s wife ‘caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house.

Joseph fled from the temptation and realised that if he had given in he would have been sinning against God who put the dream in his heart to lead his brothers (Genesis 37).

Interestingly the result of fleeing temptation did not initially lead to Joseph being in a place of fulfilling his God given dream, circumstances deteriorated he was thrown into prison (after being falsely accused of rape by Potiphar’s wife) where he was left for a number of years. It may have seemed as he was incarcerated that resisting the temptation did not lead to blessing. However, being in prison led to him interpreting dreams of others, of which the King was eventually informed. Joseph then became the highest official in the land looking after the food supply when the rest of the world where in famine and in due course providing for his family in this Leadership role.

God used everything that happened to Joseph to get him in the place he wanted him, for the saving of many lives (see Genesis 50:20).

Jesus when he was in anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane and as he was crucified on the cross, would have been tempted in his humanity to flee from the Father’s will, to succumb to the world’s view of power (showing strength and force to overcome a situation) and may have even been tempted by the devil (remember it says that after Jesus was tempted in the wilderness the devil left him until an opportune time – Luke 4:13) to do things his own way. However, by entrusting his life (and death of his body) into the hands of his Father he led to the salvation of many souls which was his overall purpose in entering this world in the form of a man. Man meant Jesus’ crucifixion for bad but God used it for good (c.f. with Genesis 50:20).

So, we have seen that in our weaknesses and/or vulnerabilities God’ s grace and strength can be displayed to the world, we need to trust our Heavenly Father and know God’s ultimate dream for us is that others would be saved through our witness. Temptation is not bad. It actually, if we respond in the right way, can lead to the power of God being displayed in our lives and our God given destiny being fulfilled.

We have said that the key to responding in the right way is preparation but what do we need to do in our preparation time?

We can reason from scripture, logic and sometimes experience that temptation is a trick (from either the world, our own flesh and/or the devil) and although giving into our temptations brings ‘treats’ these are only temporary, so is adopting an eternal view the focus we need in our preparation time?

This may help but will only get us so far, when we are tired, hurt and confused we may say ‘sack the eternal view’ I need pleasure now to feel better. The answer lies in understanding that resisting temptation is not something that can be applied in our own strength. When we are empowered by God’s Spirit then we respond out of his strength in us. Look at Jesus when he was tempted in the wilderness, prior to this the Holy Spirit settled and remained on Jesus (the man) following his baptism (Luke 3:21-22).

He remained because of Jesus’ obedience to the Father and it was then empowered by the Spirit that Jesus was propelled into the wilderness to face his temptations, the three of which are common to man (Luke 4:1-12). Yes, as many commentators point out, Jesus used scripture to combat the temptations Satan gave him, but it is not about knowing scripture really well. Satan knows scripture really well, he twisted it in his tempting Jesus. It is about reading and understanding the true meaning of Scripture through God’s Spirit within us. We cannot draw on his Spirit if we are not obedient to the command to be continually filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). Relying on God’s Spirit to lead our lives requires the humility to realise that in ourselves we are insufficient and inadequate and our need for firstly God and secondly other Christians around us.

Then as we submit to him we experience the greatest pleasure in life his intimate presence within us.

Our desire for this greatest pleasure will result in us not wanting to give into temptation as we know that the ‘trick’ of a temporary ‘treat’ leads to a loss of that pleasure and a delay in our destiny.

I want to end with a temptation, that is common to many men, from my own experience that by the grace of God I resisted.

In the years of 2000 and 2001 God spoke to me very clearly through scripture, others and experiences that he wanted me to serve him in a vocational capacity. I felt that God might have been calling me to Hillsong’s Bible School Australia for ministry training. I went to Sydney and it became clear it was not the college for me, however not to waste my time in Australia I visited the Gold Coast. I was a relatively young single man, away from home and where no one knew me and I was approached by two bikini clad ladies on the promenade and handed a free ticket to a Lap dancing club. Was I tempted to go in – in a word YES!!

My flesh and the world were tricking me, my flesh was saying have some fun, you are miles from home no one will know and the world would have said it is perfectly normal for a young ‘red blooded’ male to go in a lap dancing club.

However, God reminded me of the verse in Job 31:1 - "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman” and that I was in Australia on His service and He would know.

I quickly distanced myself from the ladies and went back to the safety of my Hotel room where my study bible sat. The devil would have wanted me to go in that club and to have delayed my destiny, my relationship with God would have been damaged if I had gone in and I may not have heard clearly from him the College he was calling me to.

You see I applied the words of James 4: 7 to my situation:

‘Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.’

I like Joseph was running in one direction, back into the safe arms of my Heavenly Father and the devil, who trembles when God is near, was running in the other direction.

The submission was not just at that moment but in the preparation time I had prior to going to Australia, through reading the word and being committed to a life of being daily filled with the Spirit.

The fact I was tempted does not mean I am a terrible person but it means I have areas of vulnerabilities in my life like all of us but they are an opportunity for God’s grace to be displayed.

Perhaps you are tempted to place other things before God, to take revenge on others, to gossip about others, to not take a day off each week, to look lustfully at others and to want what others have. Instead of beating yourself up about this, accept that in your frailty there is an opportunity for God’s power to be demonstrated to the world and as you submit to him and flee temptations you will be nearer to your destiny than circumstances may suggest !!.

#temptation #grace #eternalview #humility #submission