His Temptation and Ours

September 18th, 2013 by JDVaughn Leave a reply »

 

We do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin —Hebrews 4:15


Until we are born again, the only kind of temptation we understand is the kind mentioned in James 1:14, “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” But through regeneration we are lifted into another realm where there are other temptations to face, namely, the kind of temptations our Lord faced. The temptations of Jesus had no appeal to us as unbelievers because they were not at home in our human nature. Our Lord’s temptations and ours are in different realms until we are born again and become His brothers. The temptations of Jesus are not those of a mere man, but the temptations of God as Man. Through regeneration, the Son of God is formed in us (see Galatians 4:19), and in our physical life He has the same setting that He had on earth. Satan does not tempt us just to make us do wrong things— he tempts us to make us lose what God has put into us through regeneration, namely, the possibility of being of value to God. He does not come to us on the premise of tempting us to sin, but on the premise of shifting our point of view, and only the Spirit of God can detect this as a temptation of the devil.

Temptation means a test of the possessions held within the inner, spiritual part of our being by a power outside us and foreign to us. This makes the temptation of our Lord explainable. After Jesus’ baptism, having accepted His mission of being the One “who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29) He “was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness” (Matthew 4:1) and into the testing devices of the devil. Yet He did not become weary or exhausted. He went through the temptation “without sin,” and He retained all the possessions of His spiritual nature completely intact.
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September 18, 2013- JDV

Lord, thank you for the reminder that I will be tempted on a number of levels, and I am especially grateful for the reminder that I need not be diligent or concerned about the temptations. All I need focus on is my daily surrender to You, allowing Jesus to live through me.  You can move mountains, raise the dead and change the water into wine; I need not be concerned. Nor am I to try and figure it all out. I am to trust You and rely on Your strength.

And God says…”All things are possible with God. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own capabilities, discipline and or knowledge, and I will make all your paths straight. Delight yourself in the Lord and I will give you the desires of your heart.  Begin this day surrendered and revisit your surrender and connection several times, and grasp the true meaning of the abundant life,  experiencing the peace that passes all understanding.”

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