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About a year ago I was watching this sports programme on TV. This programme was certainly a show with difference. As I watched I observed these Japanese men doing some extremely peculiar things - and they called it sport????!!!!!
In one event they had to be covered in honey and then released to a swarm of bees. In another event they were dragged along a gravel road on their backside. Can you imagine the gravel rash they were left with?
The event that, I thought, was the cruelest was to do with drinking beer. Now I’m not advocating drinking here, but what happened was cruel.
There were about 6 contestants. Each had to drink about 3 large mugs of beer. After this, they had to stand out, in the cold, in their underwear, only 3 metres from some portable toilets. The winner of the event was the person who could stay out in the cold the longest without running off to the toilet. Now that’s what I call temptation.
Now, to get an idea about the pressure of temptation, I want you to imagine that you are out in the desert. It is 35° in the shade. You are hot, sweaty, thirsty, hungry and tired. Only 10 metres away from you is a pool that you find in luxury resorts. At one corner of the pool is a bar that serves nice cool refreshing drinks - whatever non-alcoholic drink you please. It also has a huge assortment of lovely chocolate bars. But, only 5 metres away is a babies pool, the water is cool, there is a jug of water you can drink from, and some packets of biscuits similar to those distributed on the airlines with a cup of tea or coffee.
Which location would you go to?
Most of us would probably give in to the temptation placed before us of the resort pool.
Now, obviously the illustration I have just given is a bit extreme, but the point is that often we are tempted more towards the luxurious and extravagant, or pleasing to the mind, then we are to the basic necessities.
This is where Adam and Eve gave way to temptation.
They had everything they possibly wanted, and yet they still demanded more. I think the old saying "the more we have, the more we need" is a very true statement. It was certainly true for Adam and Eve.
Let’s take a look at what happened in Genesis 3:1-6
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
2The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "
4"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5"For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realised they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
That’s just what temptation is, something that is pleasing to the eye which then sends a distorted message back to the brain saying - you got to have that.
For us men, the greatest temptations come in the form of girls, gold and glory.
For women it would have to be shops, shops, and shops.
Seriously though, how does temptation get the better of us and what are the effects on the long run.
HOW DOES TEMPTATION GET THE BETTER OF US?
Quite simply, it is the law of diminishing returns.
In a boy/girl relationship. They start to hold hands and the touch makes a light feeling go right through the body. After a while, holding hands has just become a habit, the buzz no longer happens - they need more.
They find that kissing brings back those intimate feelings, but again they find they need more after a period of time. This then leads on to petting, then heavy petting and before they know it they are involved in an intimate sexual relationship.
The law of diminishing returns.
What was it for Adam and Eve?
Did Eve decide that even though she and Adam had access to everything in the garden, that it was just not enough. Therefore, she had to listen to satan, desire more than what was already before her, and take the fruit of the forbidden tree?
Well, we are not told. But my guess is that was the case. They had everything laid before them, but they still had to have more - they were not content with what they had.
That’s what temptation is - desiring after something that just is not a necessity.
The effects are these:
Just as Adam and Eve were tempted by satan, so are we tempted by satan.
Why does Satan tempt us?
Temptation is Satan’s invitation to give in to his kind of life and give up on God’s kind of life. Satan tempted Eve and succeeded in getting her to sin. Ever since then, he’s been busy getting people to sin.
You see satan tempted Eve by getting her to doubt God’s goodness. He implied that God was strict, stingy, and selfish for not wanting Eve to share his knowledge of good and evil. Satan made Eve forget all that God had given her and, instead, focus on the one thing she couldn’t have. We fall into trouble, too, when we dwell on the few things we don’t have rather than on the countless things God has given us. The next time you are feeling sorry for yourself and what you don’t have, consider all you do have and thank God. Then your doubts won’t lead you into sin.
The fact is Adam and Eve got what they wanted: an intimate knowledge of both good and evil, but was it for the best?
You see, they got what they wanted by disobeying God - doing evil - and the results were disastrous.
Sometimes we have the illusion that freedom is doing anything we want. But God says that true freedom comes from obedience and knowing what not to do. The restrictions he gives us are for our good, helping us avoid evil. We have the freedom to walk in front of a speeding car, but we don’t need to be hit to realize it would be foolish to do so. Don’t listen to Satan’s temptations. You don’t have to do evil to gain more experience and learn more about life.
Satan tried to make Eve think that sin is good, pleasant, and desirable. A knowledge of both good and evil seemed harmless to her.
People usually choose wrong things because they have become convinced that those things are good, at least for themselves. Our sins do not always appear ugly to us, and the pleasant sins are the hardest to avoid. In other words, not only do we deceive other people, but we begin to deceive ourselves about what is right and proper. So prepare yourself for the attractive temptations that may come your way.
Notice what Eve did: She looked, she took, she ate, and she gave.
One of the realities of sin is that its effects spread. After Eve sinned, she involved Adam in her wrongdoing. When we do something wrong, often we try to relieve our guilt by involving someone else. Like toxic waste spilled in a river, sin swiftly spreads.
Rev. 9:20-21
The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood--idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
People don’t usually fall into immorality and evil suddenly—they slip into it a little bit at a time. These people were so hard hearted that even plagues did not drive them to God. Any person who allows sin to take root in his or her life can find himself or herself in this same predicament. Temptation entertained today becomes sin tomorrow, then a habit the next day, then death and separation from God forever (see James 1:15).
To think you could never become this evil is the first step toward a hard heart. Acknowledge your need to confess your sin before God.
6. We blame others
It is easy to blame others and make excuses for evil thoughts and wrong actions. Excuses include:
- it’s the other person’s fault;
- I couldn’t help it;
- everybody’s doing it;
- it was just a mistake;
- nobody’s perfect;
- the devil made me do it;
- I was pressured into it;
- I didn’t know it was wrong;
- God is tempting me.
A person who makes excuses is trying to shift the blame from himself or herself to something or someone else. A Christian, on the other hand, accepts responsibility for his or her wrongs, confesses them, and asks God for forgiveness.
Matthew (Matthew 4:1-11) spoke of the Spirit leading Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. The temptation was preceded by a fast of 40 days and 40 nights. Then Jesus was hungry. Before the first two temptations, satan mocked Jesus with the insinuating phrase "If you are the Son of God...then do…."
The first temptation was to turn into bread the flat stones of the desert, which looked like the flat round loaves of Middle Eastern bread. Jesus replied in the words of Deut. 8:3 that "man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord".
In the second temptation the dare was to jump off the top of the temple and let God’s angels rescue him. The reason for this dare was that the Rabbis taught that there was a specific pinnacle of the Temple where the Messiah would suddenly appear and jump off, floating down to earth sustained by angels. Jesus responded by quoting Deut. 6:16 that one should not tempt "the Lord your God."
In the third temptation Jesus was on a high mountain from which the worlds kingdoms could be seen. Satan promised to give the kingdoms of this world to Jesus. Jesus stood against this temptation by quoting Deut. 6:13 and by commanding Satan to leave. The devil left, and angels ministered to Jesus.
Therefore, Jesus was tempted with material provision - food, with supernatural appearance - public display of angels lowering him from the temple, and with power - owning the kingdoms of the world. But, he didn’t give into these. The fact is, Jesus was to be faced with these challenges all through His ministry until the end of His life. When Jesus came to the Temple, it was not to perform miracles but to cleanse it (Matthew 21:12-17). When the people came to make Him king, He eluded them, choosing instead to be exalted ("lifted up" in Greek) on the cross.
The point is this, the major temptation of Jesus was to do God’s will the devil’s way. The great purpose of Jesus was to follow the will of God. The evil one sought to have Jesus be a Messiah some other way than the way God had appointed. Jesus did not give in to this great temptation, nor did He give in to temptation at any point.
a) RESIST THE DEVIL
Matthew 4:1
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
Satan is real, not symbolic, and is constantly fighting against those who follow and obey God. Satan’s temptations are real, and he is always trying to get us to live his way or our way rather than God’s way. Jesus will one day reign over all creation, but Satan tried to force his hand and get him to declare his kingship prematurely.
If Jesus had given in, his mission on earth—to die for our sins and give us the opportunity to have eternal life—would have been lost.
When temptations seem especially strong, or when you think you can rationalise giving in, consider whether Satan may be trying to block God’s purposes for your life or for someone else’s life.
b) ESCAPE THE PROBLEM
Running away is sometimes considered cowardly. But the fact is, wise people realise that removing themselves physically from temptation often can be the most courageous action to take. This is illustrated in the next two cases:
a) Genesis 39:10 records how Joseph avoided Potiphar’s wife as much as possible. He refused her advances and finally ran from her. Sometimes merely trying to avoid temptation is not enough. We must turn and run, especially when the temptations seem very strong, as is often the case in sexual temptations.
b) 2 Tim. 2:22
Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Here, Timothy, who was a young man, was warned to flee anything that produced evil thoughts.
The message is remove yourself physically from any situation that stimulates your desire to sin. Knowing when to run is as important in spiritual battle as knowing when and how to fight. (See also 1 Tim. 6:11.)
So to flee temptation,
- ask God, actively in prayer to help you stay away from people, places, and situations that may tempt you.
- Memorise and meditate on portions of Scripture that combat your specific weaknesses, which is what Jesus did. At the root of most temptation is a real need or desire that God can fill, but we must trust in his timing.
- Find another believer with whom you can openly share your struggles, and call this person for help when temptation strikes.
c) WORK ON THINGS NOW - DON’T LEAVE THEM UNTIL THE END
Proverbs 5:11-13
At the end of your life, it will be too late to ask for advice. When the desire is fully activated, then people don’t want advice—they want satisfaction.
The best time to learn the dangers and foolishness of going after anything else that is harmful long before the temptation comes. Resistance is easier if the decision has already been made. Don’t wait to see what happens. Prepare for temptation by deciding now how you will act when you face it.
d) RESOLVING TO OBEY GOD
Daniel 1:8
But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.
Resolve is a strong word that means to be devoted to principle and to be committed to a course of action. When Daniel resolved not to corrupt himself, he was being true to a lifelong determination to do what was right and not to give in to the pressures around him.
We too are often pressured to compromise our standards and live more like the world around us. Merely wanting or preferring God’s will and way is not enough to stand against the onslaught of temptation. Like Daniel, we must resolve to obey God.
Remember, it is easier to resist temptation if you have thought through your convictions well before the temptation arrives.
CONCLUSION:
How could Eve have resisted temptation?
By following the same guidelines we can follow.
First, we must realise that being tempted is not a sin. We have not sinned until we give in to the temptation. Then, to resist temptation, we must:
- pray for strength to resist,
- run, sometimes literally, and
- say no when confronted with what we know is wrong. James 1:12 tells of the blessings and rewards for those who don’t give in when tempted.
- resolve to obey God
By Scott Douglas, Burdekin Baptist Church, 5th February 1998