Sin starts with a promise to satisfy a craving, need, or desire. But, sin is only a quick fix for our present discomfort and we inevitably pay for it later.
Behind the temptation is a personal animating force of evil, the Devil. Just as God has a plan for our lives, so does the devil. The Devil wants to rob us of everything that is good, beautiful, and true.
In the desert, Jesus faced temptations to passion, possession, and position.
- Passion – a desire to satisfy a craving.
- Possession – desire to accumulate, own, and have possessions.
- Position – a temptations to glory and power.
These are the three temptations of Jesus. Every temptation we experience can be filed under these categories.
In these temptations, Satan is offering us a promise. However, these promises compete with God’s promises. Satan’s promises always involves a short cut. The Father’s promise always involves a process. In every temptation we face there is a battle between promises.
These past few years have taken a toll.
But, God is doing something new and he is inviting us into it. God wants to affect a deep work of a personal transformation in each of our lives. We all need a good Lent. Don’t exit Lent the same way we went in.
Let us not flee from the battle that is set before us. Let the Holy Spirit lead us into the desert in our hearts. Let us resist the temptations of the Devil and trust in the Father’s promise to work a process in our lives of personal transformation.