“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” ~ Matthew 4:1
A lot of people don’t realize that there is a difference between temptation and sin. The above Scripture goes on to say that Jesus was hungry, so He very much wanted something to eat. Therefore, His temptation to turn those stones into some nice soft yeast rolls with some good hot chocolate and have Himself a good ole time was very real. But He didn’t sin because He didn’t act on the temptation. Please understand that if the temptation is not appealing, then it is not a real temptation.
Jesus had just fasted 40 days in the desert and was starving, so tempting Him with a giant house wouldn’t be very tempting to a starving Jesus. The point is, in order to be a true temptation, it has to be appealing to the one being tempted, and that is not the sin. The sin happens when we act on those lustful desires called temptation. We know it’s not a sin, for Jesus was without sin, and He was tempted. So, don’t be discouraged when you are tempted; everyone is tempted, but stand strong and overcome as Jesus did.
Heavenly Father, give us the spirit of wisdom and discernment so that we may know the schemes and tactics of the evil one. Protect our minds from evil and lustful thoughts. And when we are tempted, help us to know that You will provide a way out so that we will never fall. Also, help us to understand that when we are tempted, we have not sinned. It is not until we have acted on those temptations that we have crossed the line into sin. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
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