Learning to Resist Temptation
We could list all the "tricks" to saying "no" when you're tempted to say "yes," but something much more profound confronts us today!
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The old saying is, “It is easier to avoid temptation than to resist it.” 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 that 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. The joy that I experience in my faithfulness encourages me to keep going.
I recall a particular moment in my life when I could say “no” to a temptation I wanted. I walked out of that experience with renewed confidence and strength. I also remember the moments when I didn't resist and felt weak and helpless. It sure is obvious which one is the better choice!
But resisting temptation isn’t automatic, and it isn’t magic! This ability to say “no” to the temporary and “yes” to the eternal flows from an attentive and faithful life.
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.
We’ve seen this story before, and it is so familiar that 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 the scripture: “led by the Spirit for forty days in the wilderness…” Pay attention to this. Because Christ came to enter into your human life, He doesn’t avoid the consequences of this ministry to be like you and make you like Him. 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. Be careful; you may assume this is no big deal since He is God in the flesh. 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 apparent!
Next, He was Glorified by all. Overcoming temptation and the devil's lies 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 truly are when our lives face temptation and overcome it through dependence on God’s grace and strength.
On this Afterfeast of the Elevation of the Holy Cross, we Orthodox are offered another perspective about suffering, pain, tragedy, unfairness, and all that can go wrong with life. The very fact that we have taken the symbol of our Lord’s suffering, torture, and death and turned it into a symbol of victory is the key to grasping just what Orthodoxy is all about. Death has been undone. If death is dead, then everything that looks and feels like death is dead, too. No longer will we be enslaved by the tragedy of mortality. And every time misfortune comes, we are treated unfairly, misunderstood, or mistreated; we Orthodox confront those moments with honest faith. Not some false “positive thinking” mind game, but the quiet confidence that, while this moment is difficult, it is not eternal!
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. Lord, save Your people and bless Your inheritance, granting our rulers to prevail over adversaries, and protecting Your commonwealth by Your Cross.
Fr. Barnabas Powell is the parish priest at Sts. Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene Greek Orthodox Church in Cumming, GA. He is also the founder of Faith Encouraged Ministries and produces the Faith Encouraged Daily Devotional on Substack.
