Haunted By Temptations
Only 24 days left in the 28 Day Challenge. If you’re reading along with us today you’ll be in Matthew 4. I’ve been overwhelmed by how many of you have joined in on this challenge. If you haven’t then it’s not too late. Just start in Matthew 4 with us today. I’ve had a blast reading your observations on twitter. If you twitter use the #28dayCP hash tag on your twitters and we’ll be able to interact with each other easier.
This morning I was thinking about Matthew 4:1-11 where Jesus is tempted. There were 3 basic temptations.
1) Appeal to physical appetite. (4:3)
2) Appeal to personal gain. (4:6)
3) Appeal to power and glory. (4:8-9)
I believe Satan’s temptations of people today often fall into the same three categories (this was the same pattern of temptation Satan used against Adam and Eve by the way). Now I’m not one who believes Satan is behind every bush, but I do believe he is very much alive and active in our world today. I believe he seeks to “steal and kill and destroy” and most often it will be in the form of one of these three temptations.
The one I think he tempts me with most often is the “appeal to personal gain”.
Sometimes I’m tempted to spin a conversation where it makes me sound like a better husband or father than I actually am.
Sometimes I’m tempted to take a short cut and receive God’s promises without accepting His timing.
Sometimes I’m tempted to position myself to get more credit and in the process steal God’s glory.
Sometimes I’m tempted to think If I’m waiting on God and nothing is happening I must be wasting my time.
Sometimes I tempted to make Christianity about my ego driven, self-centered, materialistic needs!
Which one of these three areas do you think Satan tempts you most often?
What else have you been learning in Matthew the last few days?
Loving this tweak on “community” Pete. “Sometimes I’m tempted to think If I’m waiting on God and nothing is happening I must be wasting my time.”
Convicted. And unplugging for Matt 5-8. Peace.
Candy’s last blog post..Unplugged
My greatest temptation lately is my lack of self control with my appetite for food.
I’m not a big person,(just bigger than I normally am) but I still know that you can be a glutton without being fat.
It is disgusting- and I feel horrible afterward, just like you do after you sin.
At this point, another man is not tempting to me.
Not power nor glory or the accumilation of more things.
But put a Big Mac anywhere near me and I become a different woman!
I’m serious when I say, I covet your prayers.
sherri’s last blog post..Your Nose is Fine
@Sherri, You’ve got my prayers. I know that is a difficult battle. Thanks so much for having the courage to share!
Which one hits home – appeal to power and glory. I want to believe that it is me accomplishing things. All by myself. No help. Just me. Then I think – as an after thought – oh yeah and God was there too. Not a good thing. It is something I have been working on. Pride. Ugh.
Michael’s last blog post..Pride and life
It is definitely the physical for me.
We learn many things from chapter 4 but none more vital than the importance of incorporating the Word of God into our daily lives.
Three times Jesus was tested and three times He stuck The Word of God in Satan’s face.
Tommy Sircy’s last blog post..Study Nook
I think power and glory are it for me. Wanting to be in control, wanting to be the man, wanting to get the credit. It is great to know that no temptation is new, and it is also great to know that there is a Spirit living in us that overcame those tempatations and He will give us the wisdom and the strength to do so as well. GREAT post today my brotha.
Justin Davis’s last blog post..8 Things that Restored Our Marriage-Pt. 6
Thought provoking post. Love it.
My comments may/maynot fit exactly into those 3 categories. I’m sure I have many more but this is what comes to mind…
I’m tempted to think I am waiting on God’s timing but often that’s just an excuse. He’s waiting on me.
I’m tempted by the physical (beauty of a woman). I love my wife more than anything but I have to watch myself to not take extended glances other attractive women (just being honest).
I’m tempted by busyness. Busyness keeps me on task but sometimes robs me of creating the new. A man once said to me, “The devil might not make you bad but he sure can make you busy).
Daniel Decker’s last blog post..H.O.P.E.
to feel good enough,
to wait on Gods timing,
to not want credit for things i do
Jessica Esch’s last blog post..P2: The New Prologue
Oh dang Daniel. Love the honesty! Glad I don’t wrestle with ANY of those things.
I’m just trying to practice something you inspired… the Gift of Going First!
Not that I went first but you get the point. I think too many of us deal with similar issues that we aren’t willing to talk about for fear of what others might think. If we were all open, we might help each other be better or at least more accountable.
Daniel Decker’s last blog post..H.O.P.E.
The Calling of the First Disciples
18As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19″Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 20At once they left their nets and followed him.
I absolutely love that you brought this challenge up! I know that you wrote your blog post on temptation but I thought I’d talk about the rest of chapter 4 and how it’s impacted me. I love the way Jesus called Peter and Andrew who were fishermen. They were simple everyday joes who had normal jobs yet they are the ones Jesus called to walk with him. This definitely sticks out to me because once again Jesus is showing us that he can take the average guy and do the above average through him!
The next thing I love about this verse is that when Jesus asked them to come follow him they did it “at once” with out thinking about it! How many times when we feel called to do something do we hesitate and question God???? But Andrew and Peter didn’t hesitate at all! It also says they dropped their nets! This is huge too because I believe nets is anything that gets us caught up and takes our attention off following God. But Peter and Andrew dropped them and didn’t even think twice about it!
This really hit home to me because I’m trying to learn to just trust God and do his will without questioning anything! So thanks for the challenge of reading this. It’s already blessing me!
T. Rousey’s last blog post..Productivity Without Passion…
Definitely personal gain for me. I’m such an achiever that I tend to turn everything into what I can accomplish and how I can get ahead. I absolutely hate this about myself.
Jenni Catron’s last blog post..Citrus Obsession
Oh wow. I have the same problems. I am definitely “appeal to personal gain.”
I try so hard to put myself out there and make myself look good, which is not that hard. I do sometimes leave stupid, “you look like your on crack” videos on facebook, and that helps me balance my want for “personal gain.” Right now, if you go read my blog, I am taking a break from this whole web world… It is kinda like carlos whittacker’s convictions as well, but I think that once a leader takes the problem for himself and fixes it, it ripples out into the rest of the christian community… So it is like what he did, and of course different, but just to seek the Lord more and get out of this pattern of living I’m in. See you in a few weeks!
Stephen
Stephen Stonestreet’s last blog post..the boy in the window
How horrible – I can’t say that one stands out over the other 2 – which means all three have strong holds on me – OUCH!
Right now I’m battling with patience in our home buying/selling scenario – Relying on God to provide through my business – Glorifying Him for the accomplishments to date – Feeling completely inadequate – Bitterness to my colleagues experiencing and succeeding MY goals (which goes against my whole business foundation) – Laziness with my family when the hubby is traveling (which happens to be most of the time) – Relying on my dress and daily beauty routines to provide my confidence – let’s see… shall I go on? There’s plenty more right now! Ugh.
What has been eating away at me has been v.25 – talking about all the people crowding in and hanging around everywhere Christ was. The people came and followed. So much of my “identity” as a missionary is that I “take” the love of Christ to people (and everywhere we go and do there are tons of people….) But in this particular verse it says that “large crowds followed him…” I wonder sometimes how much I get caught up in the busyness of the work here, and what I really ought to be doing is loving and living Him and “they” will come on their own accord without any extra effort from me.
kristiapplesauce’s last blog post..A lesson in love
For me it has to be my ego. I have long felt God was leading me into a ministry with an Extreme Sports focus but the doors kept shutting. Turns out, that didn’t happen because that was going to be about me and NOT Him!
Thanks for the inspiration and the 28 Day Challenge!
It’s definitely the appeal to power and glory for me. The Lord has taken me through such a season of humbling this winter, and although I would have chosen a less painful route, I am so, so, so thankful to Him for the deeper intimacy that’s come from it. He’s brought me to the place where I can honestly say: I would rather be a nobody for the rest of my life that walks so closely and so intimately with You, than a somebody who loses touch with You along the way.
Sara’s last blog post..Operation Ant Control
I just started with the 28 day challenge this morning, but I read through Chapter 4 so I could be caught up.
I think physical appetite temptations are a big one in my life, followed by power and glory.
Jenny’s last blog post..Unfortunate Event
I am definitely tempted most by the waiting on God’s timing for things by thinking that I’m either wasting my time, or the thing I’m waiting for won’t come. Ish!
Maureen’s last blog post..Oh Where, Is My Hairbrush?
At my site I have began day one. My observation was this: When God told Joesph to do something Joesph had radical, immediate obedience.ﾠWhat hinders us when we are not quick to respond like Joesph?
As for today, I think I have a difficult time waiting on God’s timing. Of course I wonder how many times He tells me to get up and go and I just sit there.
David Knapp’s last blog post..28 Days With Jesus Day 1
I think I’m most tempted by power and glory. I want to be right. I want to get credit for the “good” things I do. I want to be “special.”
Even though I know those are wrong attitudes, I have to be honest: when I look into my heart, that’s what I see, and I just keep fighting and praying to change for the better.
Jan Connair’s last blog post..Crafty
@T. Rousey, love your insights on the rest of Chapter 4!
Pete Wilson’s last blog post..Haunted By Temptations
@David Knapp, I love that immediate obedience!
All at times but the worst is glory and power. I want credit for doing the right thing and sometimes I care more about pleasing people to gain glory and power in their eyes than I care about pleasing God. I need to be more submissive to God.
@Gina T., Isn’t it weird how we seek to please other people instead of God?
Great post. What I love about Matthew 4 is how the second half of the chapter answers Jesus’ tempatations with God’s blessings. He is tempted with appetite, personal gain, and glory. Each thing he resists, and when the time of tempting is over, God provides each of those blessings that the devil promised. The angels attended him. God brought him disciples, and God brought him the glory of a great following from the farthest reaches of Israel.
Matt’s last blog post..Googling My Blog!
“appeal to personal gain”. that’s the one for me that has come to in waves. my mentor said to me the other day…” Shannon, your a collector of opportunities!” a nice way to say, I get excited & distractd from my true calling my other opportunities that come my way. It’s Satan’s way of pulling me off the path, often I mistake for God’s leading. thankful today for folks like my mentor and blogs and twitter’s of encouragement to pull me back in to embrace the vision that the Lord has placed on my heart.
To grow the ministry of http://www.Shine.FM through internal and external relationships…those online and off. & through the hospitality of givelovecoffee to artists and pastor’s like Pete Wilson.
Blessings and thanks for the opportunity!
@Shannon La France, “A collector of opportunities”. Wow, I’ve never heard it put that way. I would say I can fall into that category from time to time.
Best of luck to you and your ministry!