Temptations come at us from all sorts of sources. Most of them come from my own not so healthy desires. Let's face it, the Apostle Paul was right in Romans 7, we don't always do the right things. Our human nature gets the better of us sometimes even when want to do or say the right thing. Since I can't get rid of my human nature until I shed my human skin and God gives me a heavenly body, it's something I'm gonna have to continually face.
Even Jesus faced temptation as human. Hebrews tell us that Jesus was tempted in all ways as a man and yet did not sin. That's both encouraging and disconcerting. It's disconcerting in that apparently it's possible to live your entire life without sin, but I've already blown it. It's encouraging in that Jesus showed us a way to overcome temptation.
In the Matthew passage Jesus is in the process of officially beginning His earthly ministry. He comes to John the Baptist to be baptized by him. Why would Jesus need to be baptized? John's was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin. Jesus was submitting completely His will to the Father's, committing to His human element completely to the Father. God anointed Jesus for His task, marking Him with the Holy Spirit.
It was after His baptism, that Jesus faced one of His tough temptation periods. Satan came directly to Him to in order to tempt Him into following His own path to Kingship. The devil appealed to Jesus' human side in tempting Him. Popularity, Prominence, Power are enticing seducers to most humans.
But Jesus didn't bite (no pun intended). He warded off temptation by staying committed to God's Word. He recalled God's directions and focused on doing His will, openly quoting scriptures. He was able to remain steadfast by devouring God's truths and teachings and living in them. He relied on God's power through His spirit to overcome the temptation.
In Proverbs 1, Solomon says to be wary of people with whom you hang out. Don't let them drag you into improper behavior. If you do, it will only come back to bite you. Peer pressure is hard to overcome. It's not just the voice of Satan in your head. It's the voices of people around you urging you to join in their sinful practice. Not only are you now dealing with the temptation, you're dealing with being loved, accepted, included by others. That makes the peer temptation even harder to resist.
Solomon's advice to this temptation is simply don't fall for it. Resist! If that is where your friends are headed, you have the wrong friends. They're headed down the wrong path. It will lead to destruction, pain, etc. eventually.
Noah had to stand alone for 600 hundred years. Talk about peer pressure. It was he and his family resisting the entire human civilization of his day. But God rewarded his faithfulness and steadfastness. Depending on God for help is the only way out of temptation. We don't have the power to resist on our own. We need His help.
God, I'm so thankful that you provided a way out through the sacrifice of your Son, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Empower me. Keep into your Word throughout this year and aware of your Spirit.
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