Something for the Young Sisters
Temptation
by
Sis. Jacquelyn Jackson
(Study
guides give us many different ways and outlines of understanding and defining
temptation, here are a few)
Definition:
1.
The trial of man's fidelity, integrity, virtue, constancy. This is an
enticement to sin and to temptation arising from the desires or outward
circumstances.
2.
Of the temptation by which the devil sought to divert Jesus, the
Messiah, from His divine errand. This is the condition of things or a mental
state, by which we are enticed to sin, or lapse from the faith and holiness.
3.
Temptation (i.e. trial) of God by men. Rebellion against God, by which His power
and justice are, as it were, put to the proof and challenged to show
themselves.
Scriptural Theme: James 1:12
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall
receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him.”
In this study, we may find
ourselves in the same situation(s) as others used and described in the
Bible. We also take this opportunity to
examine ourselves while transforming into stronger/ better Christians whom will
be able to handle, endure, and resist the temptations that will arise and
challenge our spiritual lifestyle.
In Matthew 26:1-4, Jesus
tells His disciples that one among them will betray Him to be crucified. Then the chief priests, scribes, and elders
of the people consulted with each other how they might subtly take Jesus and
kill Him. In Matthew 26:47-49, suddenly
Judas Iscariot arose from the disciples to deceive our Lord Jesus unto the
chief priests. While the rest of the
disciples were supposed to be watching our Lord’s back for perpetrators coming
to take Him while He prayed, they fell under the temptation given in definition
#1 (Matthew 26:36-46)(let us reflect for a moment).
*Can you think of something you
were tempted to do and perhaps did it while you had a much more important task
that required your immediate attention?
To understand James 1:13, we
need to understand that though we serve a great and terrible God, our God has
no evil in Him. His greatness will
never be matched even beginning with His most simple foolishness (His
foolishness just can’t be comprehended).
This is terrible because He is the one we should fear unto reverential
obedience. We should not fear timidly,
but fear from love. We do not want to
lose His love because most of all He is the judge of all souls. God will not tempt us with evil neither will
He allow us to tempt Him with evil. So
let us be mindful of I Corinthians 6:18 that all sin we give in to is
done without the spiritual body and is against our individual selves. This type of temptation can be described in
definition #2.
*Have you ever gotten in your own
way (meaning you knew better but did it anyway) by letting outside influences
blur your spirit and block any blessing you may have had coming?
In Hebrews 2:18, it reminds
us that we are not alone in this Christian walk. Yes, we will be tempted, we will suffer the endurance of
temptation, and our cross is going to get heavy but as long as we never put it
down. Our Lord has blessed us with the
affirmation that He, the Son of God will help us with any and all temptation as
long as we abide in the love of Him and He who sent him (John 14:15 & 1
Corinthians 10:13). The temptation
described is that of definition #3.
*Has there ever been a time when
you weren’t influenced by anyone/anything and blocked your conscience of the
Holy Spirit while at the same time neglecting your only escape?
In Matthew 4:1-11, we see
our Savior being tempted with things, which the average person could hardly be
patient. When we are hungry, we want to
eat right now because we act as if we can’t wait. When we have, great connections we tend to take advantage of them
with as much hook up as we can get.
With our goals, we want the fastest way to achieve them with the easiest
credit. Our Savior is teaching us
patience with our temptation (James 1:2-4, Romans 5:3-4). This form of temptation is described in
definition #2 and #3.
*Have you at anytime been so
impatient that not only did you not wait on our Lord, but also nothing went
right because of your impatience/arrogance?
Examine Yourself
1.
What could you
do the next time you are tempted that you didn’t do in time(s) past to resist
temptation?
2.
How can God
get the glory when you are tempted?
3.
Who is in
control at all times and do you have an option to submit?
4.
Is
Christianity hard? And if so, why are
you a Christian?