How To Win Against Temptation

The key to facing temptation and not giving in is simple, but not easy!

The old saying is "It is easier to avoid temptation than to resist it." And while that may be true, our real lives have shown that we will most likely have to resist temptation more than we will be attentive enough to avoid it!

But that isn't all bad. The truth is learning to resist temptation builds those spiritual muscles that give me the confidence to grow in my faith and in my character. Plus, when I resist temptation, I live out an example for others to follow. And the joy that I experience in my faithfulness encourages me to keep going in faithfulness. I recall a particular moment in my life when I was able to say "no" to a temptation that was something I really wanted. I walked out of that experience with renewed confidence and strength. I also remember the moments when I didn’t resist, and I felt weak and helpless. It sure is obvious which one is the better choice!

A hint for resisting temptation: It always starts with the labor of attentiveness. When you see it coming, you’ll be ready for it IF you’re paying attention.

Look at our lesson today in Luke 4:1-15:

At that time Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit for forty days in the wilderness, tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days; and when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone.'" And the devil took him up, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, "To you, I will give all this authority and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I will give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it shall all be yours." And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.'"

And he took him to Jerusalem, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here; for it is written, 'He will give His angels charge of you, to guard you,' and 'On their hands, they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'" And Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'" And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and a report concerning him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

As we've seen this story before, it is so familiar we may have missed what happened after Jesus overcame the devil's temptations in the wilderness. Look at those last few verses! They reveal the natural results of resisting temptations. As a short insight, look at what the scripture says: "led by the Spirit for forty days in the wilderness..." Pay attention to this. Because Christ came to enter your human life, He doesn't avoid the consequences of this ministry to be like you and make you like Him. In fact, He faces it head-on with purpose and determination, not for Himself, but for you!

So the Lord faces temptation, having never been tempted before. Careful, you may assume since He is God, this is no big deal. But, you'd be wrong! Jesus being tempted is infinitely more significant than we being tempted because we are born with a tendency to give in. That's the common challenge we humans have after the Fall. But Christ takes on flesh and faces the full force of the Evil One's attempts to get Him to deny Who He is! And look at the results of His facing and overcoming temptations!

First, The Power of the Spirit. The Lord Jesus is fully God and fully Man, and His overcoming the devil in His time of temptation resulted in it being clear this Man is living empowered by the Spirit of God. Now, you may say, "Well, sure. It's Jesus, after all." But I want to remind you just how far God was willing to go to reach you and me and show us the way to salvation. Jesus was (and is) fully human. His overcoming the devil pushed His Divine nature to the forefront along with all the spiritual power that entails! And that's what happens to you when you resist temptation. Your connectedness to God through your Eucharistic life becomes the dominant part of your life as the spiritual becomes the primary rather than the secondary "face" you show the world! When your Faith is front and center in your life, the power of the Spirit is clear!

Next, He was Glorified by all. Overcoming temptation and the lies of the devil made it clear whose side Jesus was on. He chose the eternal wisdom of God over the temporary gratifications of the evil one. And that choice was displayed in the Lord's teaching and speaking to the people. He was glorified by all on the other side of His time of temptation. So it is with us when we choose the eternal over the temporary. We are set free to be a source of wisdom and an example of faithfulness to everyone around us. We are who we really are when our lives face temptation and overcome it through dependence on God's grace and strength.

A witness to this power to strengthen a person to resist temptation is our Orthodox tradition of monasticism. Monasticism arose early after the persecution of Christianity had ended. It was a feature of the persecution that this pressure created strong saints. After that pressure was over, some found a calling to live a monastic life of strict obedience and ascetical practice. One such great monastic was St. Theodosios the Cenobite. This great monk was the head of a large monastic community in the Holy Land. He is called the Cenobite because that was the kind of monasticism he practiced and directed others to practice as well. Cenobitic monasticism is the monasticism most of us are familiar with - it is monks living together in a community that has three basic characteristics: Strict discipline, regular worship, and manual labor. St. Theodosios was the head of the monastic community in the 5th century AD and was instrumental, along with his dear friend, St. Sabbas, who was the leader of the hermit monks in the area, in protecting the Faith against heresies that were around in their day. The discipline of purposeful living made St. Theodosios a shining example of choosing the holy way of life. He died peacefully at 103.

Today, you are going to face temptations big and small. How will you look on the other side of these temptations? If you overcome them with your humble dependence on God and His eternal love for you, you'll have the power of the Spirit and the confidence of others who see that you are living a Normal Orthodox life!

P.S. As being planted in the courts of Christ your Lord and God, with holy virtues you delightfully did blossom forth and did multiply your children amid the desert, who were watered with the showers of your fervent tears, O chief shepherd of the godly sheepfold of our God. Hence we cry to you: Rejoice, O Father Theodosios.

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