This Sunday marks the 1st Sunday of Lent, a time of personally preparing oneself during the 40 days that leads up to Easter.  We will be looking at the temptations that Jesus faced from the devil when he was alone in the wilderness based on Mathew 4:1-11.

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There are many verses on temptation in scripture.  Two of these verses share some principles about temptation. The 1st is God is not responsible for tempting us because it is against His character to lead anyone into sin. From James 1:13-15 it says “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me”. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone.  But each one is tempted, when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin.  And sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death.”

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Secondly we see that all temptations can be overcome by the power of God. First Corinthians 10:13 states,  “God is faithful, He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it”.

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Though it is not a sin to be tempted, it is a sin to give in to temptations.  Everyone is tempted at one time or another.  It is not the temptation itself that can be a problem, but it is our response to it.

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It is those times when we feel empty, overwhelmed, hungry and thirsty or just plain tired when we are most likely to yield to temptation. Francis Chan has quoted, “I have one good reason why you should walk away from temptation right now. One reason: GOD. IS. BETTER”.

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