It was a beautiful sunny morning in March as I headed to church. I was surprised to see the thermometer said 14 degrees. I enjoyed the crisp air and sun as I walked briskly to the back door of the church. Running into a facilities man who was vacuuming the dirt and ice melt from the carpet right outside the door became a God moment. As I arrived at the door, he finished and came inside.
He asked me, “How is your life?” which is a question a former pastor of the church used to ask. I thought that was an interesting spin on a familiar question. I thought how encompassing the question is, and for some reason, I felt full of gratitude for everything in my life.
After responding to his question, I said, “It sure is cold out there.” He said it was 4 degrees when he woke up. I said, “It looks so beautiful with the sun shining bright. I didn’t realize it was so cold.” I could sense he wanted to say something, and it was going to be a God moment. He said, “Yes, you know there are so many things that are deceiving out there.” As I walked away, I felt filled with God from that encounter, and I began pondering his thought as I awaited the service to start.
What are some things that are deceiving in the world?
*Happiness is found only if you have money, fame, or beauty.
*It is okay in the corporate world to lie to get ahead.
*In this world, the lowly are not worth anything.
At times, even nature can seem to be deceiving. When observing the sun setting and going down on the horizon at my daily prayer garden area, I expect the sky to be dark. I stand in awe as the sky will get bright and illuminate even more for a while. The sky is one of God’s many beautiful sights in this world that reveals His great love for us.
I thought of a familiar scripture passage when Satan tried to deceive Jesus. This scene took place right after John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the Jordan River, the point that marked Jesus’ entrance into public ministry.
Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry. Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’ ” –Luke 4:1-4 (NLT)
Jesus, after His baptism, was filled with the Holy Spirit. That same Spirit led Him into the wilderness alone, where He spent quality time with God, His Father, in prayer. Imagine not eating for forty days and forty nights! Jesus must have been very hungry. Satan figured Jesus was most vulnerable at this point. Knowing that Jesus was the Son of God, Satan reasoned Jesus would make the stones become loaves of bread to satisfy His hunger. Jesus shows us the way through any battle is to stand on the word of God, the many promises and encouragement written down in the Bible for us.
Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. I will give it all to you if you will worship me.” Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ ” –Luke 4:5-8 (NLT)
Satan was trying to get Jesus to have worldly power and worship him instead of God. Satan was tempting Jesus to see if He would avoid suffering death, death on the cross. Praise to Jesus He stayed strong, being obedient to God, His Father, and fulfilling the reason He was born. I, for one, am so grateful for Jesus’ obedience, which led to my salvation!
Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, He will order his angels to protect and guard you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.” Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’ ” When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity came. –Luke 4:9-13 (NLT)
Satan’s third temptation was testing to see if Jesus would remain faithful to God and His promises. Jesus understood God’s promises and exemplified faithfulness in word and action. He trusted God 100 percent even to the point of extreme suffering and death on the cross. Notice how this is not the end of Satan tempting Jesus either.
During this Lenten season, I can’t help but see the parallel of this Scripture with some of the practices we try to focus on:
- Fasting—Jesus knew He could live without food for a while, but He could not live without the Word of God.
- Almsgiving—Jesus did not seek monetary wealth in this world. He knew true wealth was in obedience to God.
- Prayer—Jesus knew the power of prayer and continually prayed to God for His will to be carried out in His life.
Keep in mind…
- Since Satan was bold enough to entice Jesus, we need to be alert to Satan trying to tempt or deceive us.
- We, like Jesus, can stand strong and fight Satan’s temptations.
- Jesus gave us examples of how to remain humble and live the truth that is in our hearts.
May we emulate the life of Jesus…
- …living on every word that comes from the Word of God.
- …being obedient to God.
- …praying continually to God and carrying out His will.
For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. –Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)
