Being Tested?

Numbers 17–18; Psalm 55; Isaiah 7; James 1

We discussed hypocrisy last night. It is a sin hated by the Lord and most people yet so often committed. Generally, it means trying to convey that I am a better, more devout person than I am. It is wearing a mask of ‘goodness’ to hide my sinfulness. Examples include those who pretend to be honest and cheat on their income tax, or those who pretend to love and worship God but obedience is lacking or they show up before His throne only on Sunday morning but their heart is on the golf course.

Most of the time, my masks are an attempt to impress people. This is nonsense. Since everyone does it, most everyone recognizes this fake behavior in others. No one is impressed. Sometimes I’ve tried to look better than I am because my self view is incorrect. I think I’m stupid or inadequate and try acting as if the opposite is true.

The other extreme of pretending to be what I am not is acting as if I am not what I really am. I am a child of God, precious to Him and graced with His goodness through faith in Jesus Christ. If I am moaning about my weaknesses, I am also being a hypocrite for I have the power of God living in me through the Holy Spirit. To claim to be nothing but a wimp is hypocritical because it is not true either.

This day, I’m thinking about resisted the temptations to fake who I am or deny who I am. These temptations come in a variety of forms and at various times. I’m tempted to boast when another person is boasting. I’m tempted to feel sorry for myself when others speak of their blessings. I’m tempted to say, “I can handle this” when I know that Jesus says without Him, I can do nothing. How then can this child of God face and defeat temptation?

First, I need to recognize it. Read the Bible.

Second, I need to realize that while Satan tempts me to sin, God also tests me at the same time to trust Him. Seeing what both are trying to do is helpful. Who do I want to obey? I also need to stop blaming either one because the temptation or trial is allowed by God to reveal my weaknesses and help my take charge of my decisions. I cannot be tempted if I am “dead to sin” and “alive to God.”

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. (James 1:12–16)

Ask: what is at the root of this? What desire in me is Satan appealing to? How can I endure this without giving in?

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. (James 1:19–21)

James says slow down and pay attention. Anger or any other emotional reaction is not going to make me righteous any more than faking it will make me righteous. Whatever the temptation appeals to must be addressed by the Word of God and put away, abandoned. The Bible will tell me what to do instead of reacting in anger or other emotions. Find out what it says, but that is not enough.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (James 1:22–25)

Knowing the answer is not enough; I must do it. If I’m tempted and react in anger, but the Word of God tells me to speak softly, then I must speak softly. Tooting my horn about speaking softly doesn’t do it. Mere talk about what I know does not do it. I must sincerely and obediently do what God tells me.

APPLY: This entire page is application. I know the answers from God’s Word — now follow through and do what He says. The temptation will then become a test — and in Christ, I will pass the test.

Faith overcomes spiritual adversaries

A pastor’s wife told us that her husband often struggles with things that seem to have no other reason or purpose except that our spiritual enemy is trying to mess up his walk with Christ. I know that war. If the devil cannot get me thinking against God’s written will, he will attack my body, or appeal to my pride. Sometimes I wonder if there is a target painted on my heart.

Tozer says there is. The target is the Spirit of Christ in me that draws enemy fire. Most people will not understand why they feel antagonism toward Christians nor will they recognize the enemy using them to persecute believers. A few will but in either case, it is Jesus that bothers them (unless of course I’m acting like a real jerk).

Note how quickly and directly Jesus experienced this attack as He began His ministry . . .

“In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’ The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.” (Mark 1:9–13)

Other passages about this incident say that Satan left Him for a time, yet the war went on, just as it does for God’s people. As soon as we believe, the Spirit comes in and the adversary attacks. Our only defense is faith and our spiritual sword — the Word of God.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints . . . .” (Ephesians 6:10–18)

Tozer calls this the war that never ends. My first reaction was a groan yet it must be that way. Satan is after Jesus who lives in me and Jesus says “I will never leave you or forsake you” therefore the battle will not be over until God casts that enemy into the lake of fire.

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Jesus, faith in You is my position of defense and Your Word is my weapon. These days, what I especially need is the ability to recognize his attacks. I get discouraged and self-focused and run with that too long without realizing this is one more attack to keep me from putting to use all You have given me to defeat the enemy and live for You.

All noble things are difficult

Every now and then certain temptations roar at me. Escape seems impossible, even though God promises escape. Today’s struggle came like a roaring lion and in myself, I have no power to resist. In confusion and desperation, I reach for my armor. My defense is the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. I know that a fitting word from the Lord Jesus tames all lions. Today is no exception.

Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (Matthew 7:13–14)

Oswald Chambers says it well. “If we are going to live as disciples of Jesus, we have to remember that all noble things are difficult.” I’ve known that. Rarely do good things happen easily. From raising children to painting a masterpiece, the best requires great effort. So it is with resisting sin.

As Chambers also says, the Christian life is gloriously difficult, but the difficulty of it is not intended to make me cave in and give up but rise up and overcome. I appreciate the salvation of Jesus Christ and the grace of God. “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.”

Salvation is free. Then God works in me “to will and to do His good pleasure” . . . yet I must “work out” that salvation in practical living. He tells me how to live and I must obey what He tells me. As I do, my spiritual muscles become stronger. Those things that I caved in on early in my walk with Jesus are no longer the same threat.

Except today. To overcome this roaring lion, God reminds me that the practice of obedience will give me victory. Winning this battle depends on remembering those lessons of the past. I know the results of giving in to that “roaring lion” who wants to devour me. I also know the blessing of resisting Satan’s lies. I cannot do it alone, but if I “yield to God” then I can “resist Satan.”

The yielding comes first. Sometimes it means simply saying no to whatever is tempting me. Sometimes it means running to God “for grace to help in time of need.” Today I ran, and today He reminds me that all noble things are difficult. That is a fancy way of saying, “Get your act together. Did you think this would be easy?”

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God, I thank You that you do give me difficult things to do and difficult challenges to my obedience. Your salvation is a joyful blessing, but as Chambers says, it is also a heroic and holy thing. You test me for all I am worth. Jesus is bringing many “sons into glory,” and You will not shield me from the requirements of being like Jesus. Your grace intends to give me a strong family likeness to Jesus Christ, not let me remain a selfish sissy. You have shown me that I need a tremendous amount of discipline to live a noble life, even within the walls of my own home. Thank You.

It seems so good . . .

After writing yesterday about temptation’s subtle forms, I was tested on what I wrote. I received a call from a church I had never heard of asking me to come and teach their congregation about spiritual gifts, a favorite topic of mine and one that has proven to be very helpful to all who understand their gifts from a motivational perspective as in Romans 12.

I was excited as I listened to the request, but as the conversation progressed I began wondering if this was an opportunity or a test. To be fair, I asked lots of questions. I discovered that this church does not have any hierarchy of leadership, but consider themselves egalitarian. They also wanted me to be their Sunday feature. Although they called it a workshop, the sessions in which they wanted me to speak followed their typical worship service format.

What made this even more interesting is that all week my pastor and I have had some discussion on the role of women, both in the church and in the home. I know this is a controversial issue, but both he and I agree on sticking to a literal interpretation of the Bible. This means that from the very beginning, God established a headship or leadership principle that applies to husbands (and later church elders) and requires wives (and non-elders) to align themselves under that leadership. This has nothing to do with equality. All are equal before the Cross and as Christians. It has everything to do with order, and with helping both men and women overcome the power of sin in their lives.

One passage from 1 Timothy 2 covers most of what I’ve been thinking on this topic. Verses 11-14 say:

Let a woman learn in silence with all submission. And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.

Many women are annoyed by this passage and resist it. Many men use it like a club. Neither are God’s intention. First, God knows what happened in Eden. Eve had been created as a suitable helper for Adam (because it was “not good” that Adam was alone). However, she was deceived by Satan and instead of helping Adam, she persuaded him to eat the forbidden fruit with her. He knew better (was not deceived), but let her be the boss. After this happened, the Lord told the two of them that they would be in conflict. She would want to rule, but he was going to rule over her.

Note, this headship/submission thing was in place before their sin, and it is not the curse on their sin. The curse is that both genders are now stuck with that desire to rule over each other. Instead of following those sinful desires, God tells women to fit into the leadership of their husbands because that is the best way we can “help” them. He tells men to lead and love their wives because that is protection and security for women. Of course we need Christ and the Holy Spirit to even want to fulfill this, never mind do it. Sin is powerful and the desire to be the boss and control others is part of that sinful nature. Sin is our enemy; submission and headship are the cure, not the curse.

I’m not sure that a Christian woman is still vulnerable to being easily deceived like Eve was, but have to admit that I certainly struggle with wanting to be the boss and wanting to have my way. In fact, my definition of submission is: “Being free from the tyranny of always needing to have my own way.” When I do as God says, I experience great freedom, not bondage to sin.

When women teach men, we invariable start telling them what to do. Not only do men resist that, but it upsets the order God intended. There is a difference between being a helper and being the boss. I’ve learned that through obedience to these verses in 1 Timothy, God protects me from sin.

He wants me to learn (in Bible days, this was a new thing for women), but He also wants men to learn and to seek His will. While some men need help to do that, they tend (because of their sin nature) to resist the “help” of women when it comes in the form of her telling him what to do. I might know the answers, but the Bible tells me to back off.

There is more here. The words used also indicate that God does not want women to take an authoritative position such as the role of pastor-teacher, or elder in the church. Other places in the New Testament show that this is a male role. Aside from other reasons, I’m convinced that this relationship has a big-picture purpose. A biblical male/female relationship in marriage and in church roles mirrors or images Christ and the church. Ideally, men are to be as Christ in their leadership and women are to be as the church in responding to that leadership. There are lots of issues and questions, but in my heart, I know it is best to aim for the ideal.

Back to the request. It came from a church that is not following the biblical pattern for leadership, nor is it following these verses that say no to women taking an authoritative teaching role over men. It doesn’t matter how good I might be in that role, or how helpful the material I teach might be to the congregation; God says no. On a human level, I wonder even this group could benefit from my input when they have ignored other instruction from Scripture.

With that, I’ve decided to also say no to this request. The invitation seems more of a test than an opportunity. I’m aware that I could be wrong in my understanding, yet I am trusting God in this one. His Word says this is not what I should do. Something in me wants to jump at the chance, but I need to know the source of that something; is it God or is it that old nature that likes to have power and control? I can’t go by my feelings on this one so I am trusting in the Word of God!

Temptation

Temptation comes when I’m in a place where I ought to be and my spiritual enemy wants me to move out of there and sin.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’” (Matthew 4:1-4).

Notice that Jesus was led by the Spirit into that wilderness place. He was exactly where His Father wanted Him. When temptation comes, too often I find myself assuming that I’ve done something wrong and that is why I’m open to enemy attacks.

If I focus on, “Oh my, what did I do now?” I miss what is really happening. I busy myself running through all sorts of mental gymnastics trying to figure out what needs to be fixed before eventually realizing that the Spirit of God is not convicting me of anything. It takes me a while to figure out that I’m under attack by the enemy simply because I’m obeying God and Satan doesn’t want that to happen. He wants me to sin.

Temptation also comes when I am feeling a legitimate need. Jesus was led to that wilderness place and into a long fast. After six weeks plus, His hunger is no surprise. Surely there is nothing wrong with wanting to eat in that situation. However, Satan’s temptation was not about filling that need, but about filling that need apart from the command of God. He tried to get Jesus to do it by using His own resources.

This test has a broader base than usually noticed. Jesus was standing in the place of God’s people who were also tested in the wilderness. Would they rely on God? Or would they try to fulfill their needs in their own way? Where Israel failed, Jesus succeeded.

Every day I’m tempted to do things my own way without consulting God. Sometimes I don’t even notice that I’ve been tempted and just go ahead on my own. Interestingly, the response of Jesus applies to this. When He says I need to live by “every word that comes from the mouth of God,” He uses the Greek “rhema” for word. It means “a word suitable for the need of the moment.”

To put it another way, when I feel a need or when I need to do something, God has a word for it, an instruction or something to help or direct me. He wants me to live by that word for that need, not by physical, human sustenance, or my own reasoning or my strength. I’m to find in Him the answers to my questions, instruction on how to proceed, and the attitudes and strength for each situation. In each part of life, I’m to live by His word that is suitable for each circumstance.

Of course that means staying close. I cannot have the Bible open every moment, but I can read and study it, and I can be open to the Holy Spirit who will bring to my mind whatever I need from Him for that moment.

Temptation comes also when I doubt my identity or place in life. Notice that the devil said, “If you are the Son of God. . . .” then added the challenge to do what He could with the power that He had. Jesus didn’t live that way. He came to do the will of His Father and determined, “Not my will but Thine be done.” If Satan could break that determination, Jesus would sin.

The worst doubt is wondering if I’m really a Christian. However, Satan can suggest that I’m not what I ought to be in other ways, or even appeal to who I am with something like, “If you are a Christian . . . you can do it . . . He will forgive you.” These and other suggestions appeal to a need to know who I am and that I have significance. To counter them, I need to know what God says about my identity and purpose in life.

Temptation comes with the suggestion that I can do it without God’s help. Jesus had the power and ability to make bread from stones. He was hungry so why not use His power in that way? Part of the reason He refused is that He needed to pass the tests that Israel failed to pass. Part of His refusal is because we need to see how we must live.

I can do a lot of things. Does that mean that I do all of them? The older I get, the more I realize that I will not live long enough to do all that I could do. This necessitates choices and elimination. Often these choices seem very difficult, but they are simplified if I come to my Father and seek His “rhema” on each decision.

The temptation of Christ has great significance in fulfilling His role as the Israel of God, yet for each believer including me, the way He did it instructs us about the way temptation happens, and why, and even better, how we can also overcome all those sly suggestions.