Overcoming Temptation

As we begin this Sunday in Lent, we journey together in solemnity and repentance in acknowledgement and full surrender to God’s will for our lives. Before beginning His Ministry, Jesus is lead into the wilderness of suffering. Jesus spent 40 days and 40 nights with nothing to eat or drink.

This temptation of our Lord teaches us how to overcome temptation.

Firstly, Jesus, after 40 days and 40 nights was able to overcome the temptation of being alone with, with, the ability to prepare for himself, bread and water!

I know I would have made my own Shady Maple Buffet right there! A full turkey dinner! Mange! But Jesus, He overcame his own human need. I imagine Jesus had to constantly remind Himself that God would sustain Him, His Father, knew that He had this need, yet God had to leave His Son alone in order to know that He was never alone. After overcoming this first temptation Jesus had to deal with satan. Who taunted Him, and dared Him to command the stones to be turned to loaves of bread.

Remember that just as Jesus was tempted at His lowest point so we are often faced with more temptation, more bad news, and more misfortune, when things are already at their low point. The point where we are most vulnerable. But Jesus answers the tempter saying, it is written; Man shall not live by bread alone, but.but by every word from Almighty God. We as Christ’s followers, called by His name are called to overcome temptation from within and without. Our own needs, physical needs real needs, and the temptation from outside, others calling us to follow in ways that are not of God. When overcoming temptation remember who is in charge of your life. Remember that God who created the heavens and the earth is able to supply all of your needs, He will not leave you or forsake you. We must be overcomers and we can overcome by the blood of the lamb. Surely, we can all follow this road together. Whatever we choose to give up this Lenten season, remember that God will sustain us and bring us through. This is why we give something up that we truly enjoy, so that we can overcome our need for them. So we can know that everything we need and everything we could ever want comes from Almighty God. The point is not just to eliminate potato chips one of those things I enjoy eating, but to refrain from eating them even as we have them in the house for us to get to easily. This is so that our temptation to eat them is ever before us. What about video games, suppose you are addicted to Solitaire or Candy Crush, the battle over temptation is not to remove the games from your phone so you won’t be tempted, the point is to keep it there so that you overcome the temptation. ( This will steady our lives in Christ, as we realize, that yes, through God’s sustaining grace we can overcome anything from within and without. Because we will then realize that it is not we who are overcoming, (yes) it is God sustaining us empowering us, and strengthening us to persevere in our overcoming of temptation. Knowing that our Help comes from the Lord, and nowhere else!

13 No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.

The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), .