Temptation

   “Be sober, be watchful.  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5: 8)

   This description of Satan perfectly fits the events of our society today.  Everywhere we turn he is there tempting us.  He will certainly devour us if we aren’t diligent in our efforts to thwart his attacks.  His methods are many and enticing.  He wants us to believe that our happiness depends on the things of this world rather than the things of God.

   From the beginning of time Satan has been tempting us.  Some have succumbed, some have resisted.  Those who overcame the temptation strengthened their relationship with God; those who failed lessened and perhaps destroyed that relationship.  Humanity will be subject to the temptations of the devil until the end of time.  Only when Jesus returns in glory will Satan and his temptations end.

   I suspect that even Mary, the Mother of God, considered whether or not to believe the message of Gabriel.  As a young Jewish woman she knew her pregnancy would be seen as evidence of adultery for which she could be stoned.  Yet she accepted God’s will for her and became the mother of Jesus.  We, as the adopted brothers and sisters of Jesus, are also her adopted children.

   Joseph was tempted to reject Mary when he found her to be pregnant.  Yet, he believed God’s messenger when told that Mary was to be the Mother of God and took her into his home, becoming a husband to her and father to our Lord.

   “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” (Matt 4: 1).  Even our Lord was tempted.  Jesus was incapable of sin so why allow the temptation?  I believe Jesus permitted it in order to provide us an example of how to avoid sin.  If we face the temptation and respond as He did we can reject Satan and his encouragement to sin.

   How do we react when tempted?  Satan would want us to equate the temptation with having sinned.  If successful in convincing us that temptation alone is sinful then he is much more likely to convince us to consummate the sin by our action.  Temptation is simply an effort by the devil to get us to sin.  If we resist, confident in the strength and help available to us through our Lord and Savior we can reject him and avoid the sins he would have us commit.

   “Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experience of suffering is required of your brotherhood throughout the world.  And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, establish and strengthen you.” (1 Peter 5: 9-10)