Do not give in to temptation! But it looks so appealing.
The big ones – sex, money, power. Oh yes indeed – I have been behind the scenes in too many situations not to know the reality of those; the backroom where things are out of order, and the front stage where ‘God is present’ and the ‘anointing is breaking yokes’.
And there sits a dilemma. Useful, let’s be spiritual, being used by God, ‘proof’ that God approves and yet something later gets so uncovered and we end up disillusioned. Damaging to faith, and so it should be, damaging to that kind of faith that has a contorted view of God. The bells and whistles are not the proof.
Maybe more intense – and tying a little into yesterday also on accusation – it is easy to see where the big ones mentioned (sex, money and power) are present and yet also God is present… BUT it is very hard to see where there is continual discouragement and also the tangible presence of God. The big ones don’t really clobber us (though they obviously can) but the little and continual discouragements do.
Why temptation(s)? Well obviously to bring us down and into bondage. That is one perspective. However… let’s see the positive side for the pattern of Jesus being anointed by the Spirit immediately led to a series of temptations. The temptations were not a sign of failure, quite the opposite. Intense seasons – following the pattern of Jesus – are markers for a positive shift.
Temptations are really helpful for they expose where God is coming to bring about healing. In all our lives there are areas that simply are not temptations. Maybe ‘bitterness’ when wronged is simply not a temptation for you, but for someone else it really is. This is where temptation is so helpful. I am tempted (using the example above) to be bitter and unforgiving, awesome – shows me where there is a weakness. So following the path of honesty I do not have to ‘do better’ but face the reality of what is inside and allow the Spirit of God into that space, for temptation appeals into the area of wounding, relational absence, wrong persepctives.
The temptations are real. We fall to the temptation. The devil as tempter is real. But even the fall is not too big an issue. The uncovering of where we fall is key; God loves to cover what we uncover.