ART OF TEMPTATION

‘Be sober; be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour”

“And when the tempter came to him, he said, if you are the son of God, command that these stones be made bread”. How did Yehoshua know that this is a temptation?

The devil uses his strategy of temptation in the bid to devour and we are advised to resist him. One of the processes to resist him is by understanding the art of temptation. The art of temptation shows the ways by which we are being tempted and how. Then, we can identify which strategy and can resist him in faith.

The art of temptation has been the same thing right from the beginning of creation even up till now just as what sin is has never changed. This means that the two prominent people, who were tempted and will be the case studies for this article, were tempted exactly the same way: Eve and Yehoshua and consequently all of us. Our own temptations today never fall outside the art of temptation.

The art of temptation is made up of three divisions according to 1 Yehocanan (John) 2:16, which he called all that is in the world:

1.    Lust of the flesh 
2.    Lust of the eye 
3.    Pride of life

And these three came not of the Father but of the world!

One very important thing to note is that the strategy usually used in tempting us today is well dependent on us. It comes from our innermost desires or yearnings. It can also come from what we were meant to perceive that we really need (even though we might not afore have known that we need such). Also note that certain temptations can fall into more than one of the groups above.

Lust of the flesh includes the things the flesh so desires, that will be beneficial to it especially in the area of what to eat, drink, wear, etc. Lust of the eyes includes the pleasant things of life, so attractive and looking great such as beautiful girls, handsome men, beautiful things of life (designer clothes, gold jewelries, sprawling mansions, nice rides, exotic places, etc.). Pride of life includes the things that would set us above others in life such as prowess exploits (we can really boost of), great wisdom, knowledge and understanding, riches and wealth, power and glory, honor, etc. Possessing all the things listed are not bad but we are usually tempted by our desires to acquire them!

Having seen these, we will have more understanding if we connect the temptations of the two people mentioned above (Yehoshua and Eve) and relate them to the art of temptation. Before commencing, I would like to respond to the opening question. It is not wrong for Yehoshua to turn the stones to bread but the wrong thing is the way the request came “…if you are the son of God…” This actually means that the word of God (declaration of being the son in Mathew 3:17) is being questioned. This is actually what Eve missed in Genesis 3:1, a questioning of the word of God “did God really say…” The word of God is sure and anything done out of questioning his word is wrong.

• Lust of the flesh: the temptation of Yehoshua came in the form of the desire of what to eat as he was hungry. In his desire for food, the devil tried to cajole him into questioning his position as the son of God, of course the son of the Almighty God should not be hungry or in need. In the case of Eve, she saw that the fruit was good for food. The fruit, which has been there all the while, was brought to her attention to see it as something good for food.

•    Lust of the eyes: Yehoshua was taken up to the mountain and he saw the kingdom of the world and the glory thereof. Eve also saw that the fruit was pleasant to the eyes. In certain cases, our friends, colleagues, movies etc. try to show us all these pleasantries in such ways we might not have been seeing them before.

•     Pride of life: Yehoshua was asked to throw himself off the pinnacle of the temple, of course an awesome thing to prove his power, capacity and abilities as the son of God. Eve saw the fruit as something that would make one wise, something that would prove your manhood, showcase your strength, wisdom, capabilities and make you belong to the high and powerful classes of the society.

Just as stated before, our temptations can come from our own desires (just like Yehoshua was hungry and needed food) or our attention can be brought to the fact that we need to desire such things (just as Eve was even though the fruit has been all the while in the garden). 

Finally, seeing these, strive to be in control of your desires and not your desires controlling you, recognize that even though you need these beautiful things of the world (your heavenly Father knows for sure that you do), let the kingdom and of God take preeminence in all things while allowing the sure word of God be your guiding principles. Above all, Yehoshua, our high priest who is touched by the feeling of our infirmities was tempted in all points and he did not fail, he is able to give us help in our times of temptation. Receive him and believe in his name (YEHOSHUA).