Testing and Temptation

Introduction

In the Bible we read stories in both the Old and New Testaments about Godly men and women going through trials, tests and temptations of various sorts.  The end result of these experiences runs from disobedience and sin, to extreme suffering and even death.  They have as a common thread obedience or disobedience to the Lord.  Should our response then be the same, regardless of whether we are experiencing a trial, test or a temptation?  Put another way, do we need to distinguish between these or just simply walk through the experience by being obedient to the Lord?

As we shall see, trials, testing and temptation are quite similar in some respects - in effect, different sides of the same coin.  However, there are profound differences between them in the source, purpose and especially, the objective or (desired) end result.  Moreover, our response to one of them often determines our ultimate relationship with the Lord.   

As a matter of clarification, the word “test” in any of its forms (i.e., test, tested, testing) does not appear in the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible.  Instead, the KJV translates the original Hebrew or Greek into the English words “tempt”, “prove” or variations of “try” (trial, tried, triest, and trieth).  Other versions generally translate these same Hebrew or Greek words into a form of “test”.  Further, the word “trial” is most often translated or can be translated as “test”, which really reduces the equation down to two concepts: testing and temptation.  To avoid confusion and unless otherwise noted, the Amplified Bible is used for all Scripture quotations found below. 

The Origin of Testing and Temptation

We find the origins of testing and temptation in the Book of Genesis.  In the Garden of Eden the serpent tempted Eve to disobey the only command God had given Adam, namely that he and Eve could eat of every tree in the garden except one, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:16, 17).  Satan deceived Eve in the following way:

 “Now the serpent was more subtle and crafty than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made.  And he [Satan] said to the woman, Can it really be that God has said, You shall not eat from every tree of the garden?…But the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing the difference between good and evil and blessing and calamity.  (Gen 3:1, 4, 5)

We can see from just these few verses of Scripture, several important facts about testing and temptation.

1. The command of God, not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, provided the opportunity for both temptation and testing to occur.  Without the command, neither could occur.  The command provided Satan the opportunity to tempt Adam and Eve, and simultaneously, provide a test of their obedience to God.

2. The command, which was intended to perpetuate life for Adam and Eve, actually brought the opportunity for sin and death to enter into the world.  Paul echoed this in his letter to the Romans:

 “And the very legal ordinance which was designed and intended to bring life actually proved [to mean to me] death.  For sin, seizing the opportunity and getting a hold on me [by taking its incentive] from the commandment, beguiled and entrapped and cheated me, and using it [as a weapon], killed me.” (Rom 7:10-11)

Paul was describing the commandment (in this case, the Law) and how what was intended to bring life, actually provided the opportunity for sin and death to enter his life.  It was sin, not the commandment, which brought this death.

3. The temptation of Eve in the Garden was extremely important to Satan.  It was by Adam and Eve’s disobedience that Satan came to hold the power of death over all humankind.  It was at this point in the Garden that Satan became a key player in world events.  Satan desired this power and needed to have Adam and Eve eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil before they ate of the tree of life.

The good news is that we know from Scripture that Jesus came to this earth to destroy the works of the devil (1John 3:8).  The writer of Hebrews makes note of this when speaking of Jesus and the death by crucifixion that He experienced in His human form:

 

“Since, therefore, [these His] children share in flesh and blood [in the physical nature of human beings], He [Himself] in a similar manner partook of the same [nature], that by [going through] death He might bring to nought and make of no effect him who had the power of death –that is, the devil - and also that He might deliver and completely set free all those who through the [haunting] fear of death were held in bondage throughout the whole course of their lives.” (Heb 2:14-15, emphasis added) 

Satan still holds the power of death over non-believers, but has no power over those of us who believe in Christ Jesus.  He cannot keep us in the grave, as we will be resurrected, while unbelievers will experience a second death.

4. The temptation for Eve was to gain wisdom, to be like God.  She saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye as something to be desired.  However, Eve did not lack for food.  Satan tempted her with something more – the opportunity to be like God (Gen 3:5) and Eve reasoned from this that eating of the tree would make her wise (Gen 3:6).  Satan convinced Eve that God did not want them to be like Him and thus He had not been truthful with them; therefore, they would not die.  The liar, however, was Satan and Adam and Eve did die.

5. Disobedience of God’s command also meant that now people had to wrestle and contend with Satan.  When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, they gained the knowledge of good and evil.  From this point forward, they (and we) would be at constant odds with this knowledge.  Paul later explained in the New Testament the dilemma to which all humankind is subject.  Paul said,

“For I do not understand my own actions [I am baffled, bewildered].  I do not practice or accomplish what I wish, but I do the very thing that I loathe [which my moral instinct condemns]…So I find it to be a law (rule of action of my being) that when I want to do what is right and good, evil is ever present with me and I am subject to its insistent demands.” (Rom 7:15, 21, emphasis added) 

There is a battle that goes on in our minds because of this knowledge of good and evil, and how we respond is extremely important when it arises.

Testing

The first thing that we discover about testing is the source.  Testing originates from the Lord: “The Lord tests and proves the [unyieldingly] righteous, but His soul abhors the wicked and him who loves violence. (Ps 11:5)  Further, this testing can be either directly from the Lord or indirectly by allowing the demonic (Satan) to do the testing.  Examples of the latter include Job (Job 1:9-11ff) where Satan was sure that Job would curse God if God’s hedge of protection were lifted from him and Peter (Luke 22:31-32) when Satan asked the Lord to sift Peter like wheat. 

Purpose and Objectives

Scripture says that the Lord tests both our hearts and our minds (Ps 7:9, Ps 26:2 and Jer 17:10).  The main purpose of testing is to expose what is in our hearts and minds to see if we will be obedient to the Lord.  As Moses admonished the Israelites when they were about to enter the Promised Land, 

”And you shall [earnestly] remember all the way which the Lord your God led you these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and to prove* you to know what was in your [mind and] heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” (Deut 8:2, emphasis added)  (*test)

The objective of testing is found a few verses later: [God] “Who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end.” (Deut 8:16, emphasis added)  The objective of testing is never to tempt us into sinning, but to build us up, strengthen and mature us.

A simple example of testing to expose a heart condition is found with King Hezekiah.  The rulers of Babylon sent envoys to King Hezekiah to investigate the “miraculous sign” in Israel accompanying Hezekiah’s healing (the sun moving backwards).  God, however, was using this situation to test Hezekiah (2Chron 32:31).  Hezekiah, who had a problem in the past with pride but had repented, succumbed once more in this testing and ended up showing the envoys all that was in his palace (2Kings 20:12-19).  Hezekiah did not sin per se by showing the envoys his treasures, but pride was in Hezekiah’s heart and God exposed his pride under these circumstances.  The Lord rebuked Hezekiah through the prophet Isaiah and told him that Babylon would end up possessing all that he had, only not in his lifetime (Isa 39:1-7).  This was the second mention in Scripture of Hezekiah’s pride (2Chron 32:25,26) and the lesson was still not learned.

A second example of testing, only this time with a teaching, is found with the Israelites while they were wandering in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land (Ex 16:1ff).  They were hungry and complained to Moses about the shortage of food.  God said to Moses that He would rain down food from heaven and in the process, test the people to see if they would be obedient to His commands (Ex 16:4).  The disobedience of the Israelites would be exposed when some of them tried to save manna until morning (Ex 16:20 – it rotted) and when some subsequently went to gather manna on the Sabbath (Ex 16:27 – there was none to be found). 

The objective of this testing was to teach the Israelites faith in God’s ability to provide for them.  He would provide food for them daily and they would always have enough.  This is the same thing that Christians pray today when we recite the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matt 6:11)  Through testing, God was teaching them to have faith in His provision.  The food was always there and they ate manna for forty years.  God also tested the Israelites on the Sabbath.  He did not contradict His command about working on the Sabbath and made provision for collecting two days worth of manna on the day before the Sabbath.  That way the Israelites could rest on the Sabbath and keep it holy, yet still have plenty to eat. 

The objective of most testing is to take us to a new level in our Christian walk and otherwise make us more complete in Christ by maturing our faith, strengthening us by teaching us warfare, teaching us about false prophets and giving us necessary experience and confidence to minister to others.  In each of these instances, God uses circumstances to test us, and our positive response (obedience) in these circumstances produces the desired result. 

            Abraham’s Faith

In Chapter 22 of the Book of Genesis is found the story of the testing of Abraham (Gen 22:1-19).  The Lord spoke to Abraham and gave him a most unusual command:

“After these events, God tested and proved Abraham and said to him, Abraham! And he said, here I am.  [God] said, Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah: and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell you.” (Gen 22:1, 2, emphasis added) 

The very first question that comes to mind is, Would God really want someone to sacrifice his own child?  The answer, of course, is no, He would not.  We know from Scripture that God abhors human sacrifice of any kind, especially child sacrifice, which was strictly forbidden (Deut 18:9-13), and we know that God does not change – He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, so this would certainly be true in Abraham’s time as well.  Thus, God had no intentions of letting Abraham sacrifice Isaac.

Even though God would never have let Abraham carry out His command, it was still a relevant request at the time.  During the time of the Patriarchs, there was no Law – this came centuries later in the desert after the exodus from Egypt.  Scripture had not been written as yet, so God’s will concerning human sacrifice was not generally known, except what He had revealed to individuals.  However, Abraham knew God’s voice, trusted Him and had tremendous faith in His promises.  God had previously given Abraham the gospel (Gal 3:9) and thus, Abraham believed that God would simply resurrect Isaac from the dead to fulfill His promises (Heb 11:11-19).  Of course, Abraham passed the test.

The purpose of this was to test Abraham’s obedience.  However, the objective or end result of the test was to complete or perfect Abraham’s faith and reveal Abraham’s total commitment to God.  As James said,

“Was not our forefather Abraham [shown to be] justified (made acceptable to God) by [his] works when he brought to the altar as an offering his [own] son Isaac?  You see that [his] faith was cooperating with his works, and [his] faith was completed and reached its supreme expression [when he implemented it] by [good] works.” (James 2:21-22, emphasis added) 

In the above Scripture, James is describing the relationship between testing, faith, works and the result of this mix: a completeness of Abraham’s faith.  The testing of Abraham’s faith required an action, placing Isaac on the altar, which ultimately led to the maturing/completion of his faith.  Peter said that we should rejoice in trials (testing) and suffering because they refine our faith and prove it to be genuine (1Peter 1:6,7).  In other words, faith is not faith until it is tested and this requires action on our part.

Notice that there was a progression in the testing of Abraham’s faith.  The first step was moving as God commanded, even though he didn’t know where he was going (Heb 11:8).  The next test in building his faith was making his home in the land of promise, like a stranger in a foreign country (Heb 11:9).  The next test came when God announced that his wife would bear him a son, even though she was barren and well beyond childbearing years (Heb 11:11).  The ultimate test of faith was asking Abraham to offer Isaac as a sacrifice (Heb 11:17-19).  At this point, Abraham’s faith was complete.  Each test required action on Abraham’s part, and with his obedient action, righteousness was credited to him.  The testing had produced the desired results.

Our testing today will be very similar to that of Abraham for those of us committed to God, His Word and His ways.  Our faith will be tested in small ways, such as putting down a pastime or habit that we enjoy, dissolving a relationship with an associate or doing something that may make no sense to us at all.   From that point, we may be asked to take some action that is awkward, embarrassing or extremely uncomfortable for us to do.  Are we willing to appear ungraceful, or be embarrassed or pushed so far out of our comfort zone that it causes real anxiety in us?  Finally, some of us will be asked to figuratively put some near and dear things to us on the altar, such as our job, our children or even our own spouse.  Are we willing to do whatever God asks us to do, in faith such as Abraham did with Isaac, even if what we are asked to do is beyond our understanding, is extremely hard for us at the time or may even bring opprobrium? 

Teaching us Warfare

Sometimes the Lord will test us with the objective of teaching us warfare, as was the case with the Israelites shortly after entering the Promised Land.  Joshua had died and a new generation had taken the place of the original conquerors.  The first generation had not been obedient to the Lord and did not completely drive out the native peoples.  Worse, they started worshipping the gods of the conquered nations thereby incurring God’s anger.  As a consequence, God would no longer fight their battles for them and drive out the Canaanite nations before them, but would leave some to test the new generation that had not experienced warfare:

“Now these are the nations which the Lord left to prove* Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not previously experienced war in Canaan…They were for the testing and proving of Israel to know whether Israel would listen and obey the commandments of the Lord, which He commanded their fathers by Moses.” (Judges 3:1, 4)  (*test)

The nations who were left would prove to be a continual snare to the Israelites.  In the physical realm, they would constantly attack and harass the Israelites, even at times overcoming them and enslaving them.  On the spiritual side, these nations would lead the Israelites into sin, such as idolatry (worshipping their gods), sexual immorality (e.g., temple prostitution was often part of their pagan worship), and child sacrifice (also part of their pagan rites). 

Resisting these nations, especially spiritually, was an uphill battle.  Nevertheless, when the Israelites would finally turn, repent and cry out to God for help, He would raise up a Judge (leader) to overthrow their oppressors.  Thus, warfare was learned by God’s testing of their obedience.  When the Israelites were obedient to God and followed His commands, there was peace in the land.  However, when the Israelites were disobedient, war followed and, like it or not, the Israelites had to fight (or learn how to fight). 

Warfare in the Bible begins in the Book of Genesis in the Garden of Eden, ends in the Book of Revelation with the defeat of Satan and is found in virtually every book in between in both the Old and New Testaments.  In other words, spiritual warfare is part of our Christian walk and is quite relevant today. 

Just like a modern-day soldier, we need training and testing to be victorious in our warfare.  This, in turn, also leads to our maturity and completeness.  As the author of Hebrews put it,

“But solid food is for full-grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law.” (Heb 5:14, emphasis added) 

The practice (testing) provides us the opportunity to train ourselves to distinguish between good and evil and results in an action: rejecting the evil and cleaving to the good.  After making the right decisions, we get rest and peace.

In the Garden of Eden, we gained the knowledge of good and evil, and as explained by Paul, this knowledge leads to a constant struggle with the evil (Rom 7:10-21).  On the other hand, our continual testing (trained by practice) trains us to distinguish between the two and leads to our maturity in Christ.  As a consequence, we can boldly and confidently call evil, evil and good, good. 

The significance of this testing and the eventual warfare (on the corporate or church level) are found in the Book of Revelation.  Jesus told John to, “Write therefore the things you see, what they are [and signify] and what is to take place hereafter.” (Rev 1:19)  Each of the seven churches written to were in existence at the time John wrote the Book of Revelation and each of the seven are in existence today somewhere in the world.  Each of the churches had warfare of some type, as shown below:

• Ephesus - there was an attempted infiltration of the church by false apostles, which they tested and turned away.  They also took a stand against the doctrine of the Nicolaitan’s (i.e., they didn’t tolerate that false doctrine either – they hated it). (Rev 2:2, 3, 6)
• Smyrna - Jews from the Synagogue of Satan slandered them.   Jesus told them that they were going to be persecuted and that Satan would throw some of them into prison.  Worse, some would even be killed.  (Rev 2:9, 10)  Note: Smyrna was not being tested because they had done anything wrong – they were being tested to strengthen them – to see if they would be faithful to the Lord, even if it meant dying for Him.
• Pergamos - they were persecuted by the state and one of their members was even killed (Antipas was martyred).  However, adherents to the doctrines of the Nicolaitans and Balaam had successfully infiltrated the church.  (Rev 2:13-15)
• Thyatira – a self-proclaimed prophetess and false teacher, Jezebel, who taught sexual immorality and idolatry, had infiltrated them. (Rev 2:20)
• Sardis – they were overcome by superficiality (they were spiritually dead church).  (Rev 3:1)
• Philadelphia – was persecuted to the point that they had a little strength left and were slandered by Jews from the Synagogue of Satan. (Rev 3:8, 9)
• Laodicea – was overcome by wealth. (Rev 3:15-18)

Jesus directly rebuked five of the churches and told each one to repent or face the consequences.  In other words, Jesus was telling them to confront their problems and fight their warfare.  If not, He would take action and they would not like the consequences of their inaction.  Conversely, the church at Smyrna suffered persecution and Satan’s followers, the Jews from the Synagogue of Satan, slandered both the church at Smyrna and the church at Philadelphia.  No matter what situation we find ourselves in, we are going to have a battle on our hands and shrinking back or doing nothing are not options.  What holds true for our churches also holds true for individuals.  There are always going to be conflicts and warfare within our churches and individual relationships. 

These same things are coming at us today: false teachings and doctrines, false prophets, sexual immorality, slander (of righteousness), superficiality and debilitating wealth.  Consider what is happening to the American Episcopal Church.  Sexual immorality has been embraced by this denomination.  They are now tolerating open and unrepentant homosexuals, ordaining some of them as pastors (even a bishop), and performing same-sex marriages.  We are absolutely not to tolerate this in our churches – these unrepentant people are to be excluded from our fellowship.  However, those who take this stand are slandered for their righteousness and are called intolerant, homophobic and void of Christian love.  Regardless of their slander, we are to take action and stand by our convictions, even if it means that we are the ones expelled from the church!  Constant testing of our obedience teaches us warfare by having to distinguish good from evil and matures us in the process.

Teaching about False Prophets

Sometimes the Lord gives us the lesson first and then gives the test.  For example, He taught the ancient Israelites through Moses about false prophets:

“If a prophet arises among you, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder he foretells to you comes to pass, and if he says, Let us go after other gods – gods you have not known – and let us serve them, you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or to that dreamer of dreams.  For the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your [mind and] heart and with your entire being.” (Deut 13:1-3) 

In this Scripture, the Lord is clearly spelling out the lesson and then adds that we will be tested on this.  The lesson is this: don’t be fooled by someone who appears to be of the Lord because one or more of their prophecies, dreams, visions, etc. come true.  If their prophecies come to pass, we also need to listen carefully to what they say about following the Lord.  If they try to lead you into idolatry or sin of some sort – reject them!  The Lord is exposing whether we have our priorities straight: God and His commandments first and everything else second.  Put another way, will we walk by faith or by sight?

The office of prophet is Biblical (1Cor 12:28, Eph 4:11) and there are many “legitimate” prophets both inside and outside of organized religion (i.e., denominations).  Further, many within the Body of Christ have the gift of prophecy – a gift that we are told to pray for earnestly. (1Cor 14:1)  However, this office and/or gift can be misleading.  Some in the Body of Christ believe that if a prophecy from them comes true, then this validates that person’s ministry.  In other words, if they have heard and heard correctly from the Lord, then they must be of the Lord.  Not necessarily.

Scripture says that the gifts and the calling are irrevocable (Rom 11:29); that is to say, what God gives, he will not take back.  However, those gifts can be misused or otherwise perverted.  A good case in point is the story of Balaam found in the Book of Numbers, chapters 22-25.  Balaam was a prophet, heard clearly from the Lord (Num 24:16), and even gave a profound prophecy concerning the coming Messiah (Num 24:15-19).  However, he was also widely known for the effectiveness of his curses (Balak tried to hire him to curse Israel) and divination. 

Balaam eventually led the Israelites into idolatry by following other gods, specifically joining themselves to Baal of Peor, and sexual immorality with the Moabite women by showing Balak how to use the Moabite women as a stumbling block to the Israelite men. 

“And Moses said to them, Have you let all the women live?  Behold, these caused the Israelites by the counsel of Balaam to trespass and act treacherously against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and so a [smiting] plague came among the congregation of the Lord.”  (Num 31:15-16) 

The true test of this prophet was not the just truth or validity of his prophesies, but his teachings and attitudes concerning God.  In fact, the Angel of the Lord described Balaam’s character as willfully obstinate and contrary before him (Num 22:32).  In the New Testament, Jesus, Paul, Peter and John all warned of false prophets within the Church and that we are to be constantly vigilant.

Some within the Body of Christ today are so starved for a word from the Lord that they follow or latch on to prophets or prophetic ministries, regardless of that prophet’s teachings, beliefs or lifestyles.  This is also one of the primary characteristics of cults and false ministries that result in drawing people off their walk.  The focus is taken off the Lord and Scripture and put on the person, in this case the prophet, and his or her prophecies.  Their followers let their guard down and accept other teachings from them that are not of the Lord. 

As Paul wrote to the Thessalonians,  “Do not spurn the gifts and utterances of the prophets [do not depreciate prophetic revelations nor despise inspired instruction or exhortation or warning].  But test and prove all things [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast.” (1Thes 5:20-21, emphasis added)  This type of testing teaches us to quickly reject false prophets and not to be ensnared by any of their teachings.

Ministering to Others

Much like discipline, testing can be an unpleasant experience at the time, but in the end, it leads to our strengthening and ability to minister to others.  Peter found this out at the Last Supper when Jesus disclosed to him a most alarming fact: Satan had asked to sift him and the other disciples like wheat and that this was going to be allowed! 

“Simon, Simon (Peter), listen!  Satan has asked excessively that [all of] you be given up to him [out of the power and keeping of God], that he might sift [all of] you like grain, but I have prayed especially for you [Peter] that your [own] faith may not fail; and when you yourself have turned again, strengthen and establish your brethren.” (Luke 22:31-32)  

Satan wanted to sift the disciples (much as he wanted to test Job) once God’s hedge of protection was lifted, expecting to find nothing but chaff.  However, Jesus interceded for them, especially for Peter.

There is no doubt that Peter loved Jesus (John 21:15-18), but what was being exposed here was the true condition of Peter’s faith (weak).  Peter thought his faith was so strong that he would willingly go to prison or even die for the Lord (Luke 22:3).  Jesus disavowed him of that by telling Peter that he would deny him three times that very night.  The objective was that after Peter walked through the testing, albeit painful, he would be strengthened and could then strengthen others with his renewed faith.  Paul echoed a similar theme in his second letter to the Corinthians.  Speaking about God, he said,

“Who comforts (consoles and encourages) us in every trouble (calamity and affliction), so that we may also be able to comfort (console and encourage) those who are in any kind of trouble or distress, with the comfort (consolation and encouragement) with which we ourselves are comforted (consoled and encouraged) by God. (2Cor 1:3-4) 

Trials or testing of this sort have a twofold benefit: it strengthens us and gives us necessary experience to minister to others in the same area.  It is often difficult to minister to someone if you have no idea of what that person has or is experiencing.  For example, it would be hard to provide comfort to a sick person if you yourself had never been sick or even seen sickness. 

That is why sometimes the most effective ministers or evangelists have been some of the worst of sinners.  As Paul said, “For I am the least [worthy] of the apostles, who am not fit or deserving to be called an apostle, because I once wronged and pursued and molested the church of God [oppressing it with cruelty and violence]” (1Cor 15:9) and “[Yes] I harassed (troubled, molested, and persecuted) this Way [of the Lord] to the death, putting in chains and committing to prison both men and women.” (Acts 22:4)  Saul’s (Paul’s) righteous zeal, he was the Pharisee’s Pharisee, led him to oppress, persecute and kill Christians, and yet God used him as the principal evangelizer of the Gentiles.  Paul, in turn, suffered much in this role, but was able to comfort others with the comfort that he had received. 

Often times in ministry or in fellowship with brethren, we know how to respond to a situation with boldness and confidence if we have experienced (and overcome) that very obstacle being experienced by others.  Our testing and trials are indeed beneficial to the Body of Christ as well as ourselves.

Temptation

Unlike testing, temptation is not of the Lord.  Scripture is very clear: “Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted from God; for God is incapable of being tempted by [what is] evil and He Himself tempts no one.” (James 1:13, emphasis added)  God created us and knows all in our hearts.  If God were to tempt us, the temptation would be perfect, irresistible, lead us into sin, and thus separate us from Him.  He would not do that to His children.  His stated plans for us are not to harm us, but to prosper us (Jer 29:11-13) and have us to live in righteousness.  Therefore, we must look elsewhere for the culprit.  The most obvious is the demonic.

Purpose and Objectives

Revisiting the first temptation, we can find the general purpose and objectives of temptation: 

“Now the serpent was more subtle and crafty than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made.  And he [Satan] said to the woman, Can it really be that God has said, You shall not eat from every tree of the garden?…But the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing the difference between good and evil and blessing and calamity.  (Gen 3:1, 5, 6)

Satan was trying to get Eve to doubt God’s word (command).  Employing tactics he still uses today, Satan challenged God by asking Eve, “Did God really say…” (NIV translation) suggesting that there might be another explanation or get Eve to doubt that she heard correctly.  This engaged Eve in a dialogue, which was the first step of the process. 

Although Eve answered Satan’s question correctly, the next step on Satan’s part was an outright lie contradicting what God had said: “You shall not surely die”.  This now pitted God’s word against Satan’s lie and created a debate.  Satan quickly backed up this lie with another lie using reasoning that sounded logical and even good to the ears: “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing the difference between good and evil and blessing and calamity.” (Gen 3:5)  The temptation escalated to telling Eve something she wanted to hear – you will be like God.

Eve took the bait.  “And when the woman saw that the tree was good (suitable, pleasant) for food and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she gave some also to her husband, and he ate.” (Gen 3:6)  She started dwelling upon what the serpent said, reasoning things out according to her own (human) logic, then looked at the fruit in a different way according to her thoughts, and ate of the fruit.

We see the general purpose and objective of temptation from this experience in the Garden of Eden.  First, the purpose of temptation: to redirect the focus of our thinking away from God and His commands.   Putting thoughts into our mind, getting us to dwell on these thoughts and debate the merits, getting us to question God’s motives, etc.  Second, the objective is clear as well – disobedience to God’s word (sin).  The ultimate objective of temptation is to get us to take action contrary to God’s commands.  We are now following our own way of doing things, using our own thinking, reasoning, logic and conclusions.  However, Scripture says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord.” (Isa 55:8)  Whenever we try to reason out Biblical truths according to our own human logic, we will come to wrong conclusions, which can lead us into sin.

As we saw above, the objective of testing, through our obedience, is to strengthen and mature us and build us up.  Conversely, the objective of temptation, through our disobedience, is to weaken us and bring us down. We can learn some important lessons concerning the nature of temptation by observing how Jesus was tempted in the desert.

Lessons from Jesus - The Wilderness Temptation

In the Gospel of Luke (Luke 4:1-13; also found in Matthew 4:1-11), we are given a rare glimpse into the inner workings of Satan himself when he personally tempted Jesus in the desert.  Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the devil and Scripture records three different temptations.  He was asked by Satan to satisfy his hunger by turning a stone into bread (Luke 4:3), to worship Satan in return for earthly kingdoms (Luke 4:5-7), and to demonstrate his power over angels (Luke 4:9-11).  We can learn eight lessons about demonic temptation from this experience of Jesus. 

1. The very first thing we see is that we don’t have to have any sin or spiritual openings in a particular area of our lives for the demonic to tempt us.  Jesus was completely without sin, yet the devil approached him anyway.  The conclusion we can immediately draw is that the demonic can and will approach us with tempting thoughts or situations, regardless of our relationship with the Lord or our heart condition.  In other words, every believer is susceptible to temptation – we are all in the same boat. 

2. If we are not in sin (as in the case of Jesus), the devil wants to entrap us somehow to get us to sin (e.g., lose our temper, become jealous or fearful, question our faith, be unforgiving, or go against God’s commandments or will in some way).  On the other hand, if we are in sin, the devil wants us to keep sinning so as to harden our hearts toward that sin and make it more difficult to repent and change. 

3. The timing of the temptation is significant.  The demonic will attack us when we are vulnerable and weak.  Jesus had been fasting for forty days when these particular attacks occurred.  We can expect to be attacked at times when we are vulnerable and our guard is down.  This can be when we are beaten down, tired, worn out or even after a great spiritual victory (e.g., Elijah was attacked demonically just after his great victory for the Lord on Mount Carmel)

4. The battle is in the mind.  Although Satan spoke to Jesus in person, the demonic will speak to us by putting thoughts in our mind.  These thoughts run the gamut of evil and can include doubt, fear, confusion, lust, envy, anger and hatred, slander, cursing, and all sorts of inappropriate thoughts about people or situations.  The objective of placing these thoughts in our mind is for us to take inappropriate action and sin.  In each temptation, Satan was trying to change Jesus’ mindset to take an inappropriate action, such as testing God by throwing himself down and having angels rescue Him.

5. Jesus experienced three different temptations, which are the three temptations of the world: “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.” (1John 2:16)  The lust of the flesh is satisfying our carnal needs for food, sex, pleasure, etc. (turn this stone into bread).  The lust of the eyes is satisfying our wants and desires for material possessions, such as a new or more expensive car, a bigger home or more earthly “toys” (I will give you all the kingdoms of the earth).  Finally, the pride of life is boasting or taking pride in our power or position in the world, how ever that world is defined, such as our employment position, education or degrees, social standing, etc. (throw yourself down to demonstrate your power with angels catching you).  We can expect temptations in the very same areas of our lives.

6. Satan misinterpreted Scripture to tempt Jesus (Luke 4:10-11).  He purposely misinterpreted Psalm 91:11-12 to convince Jesus to take inappropriate action.  We can expect to be tempted by false teachers, false prophets and even by friends, all inspired by the demonic, who use Scripture to tell us that a certain action is acceptable when in fact, it is sin.  The demonic will put thoughts in our mind to twist Scripture trying to make us think that we have the liberty or authority to do something that we shouldn’t.  Thoughts can range from, “you’re just being legalistic” to “the Bible doesn’t say that, rather, it says this”.  This is a variation of the first temptation in the Garden of Eden, “Did God really say…”. Again, the objective is the same – to get us to sin, but this time using Scripture to tempt us into sinning.

7. With each temptation, Jesus did not use His own power to resist the devil, but used Scripture to correct and rebuke Satan: “It is written.”  The written Word of God is our one offensive weapon in the armor of God (Eph 6:17) and we need to fight this spiritual battle with spiritual, not carnal, weapons (Eph 6:12).  It is the whole armor of God, especially the Word of God, which will sustain us in any spiritual battle and lead us into eventual victory.  Remembering what is written, reminding the demonic of this, and then acting according to Scripture will lead us to taking appropriate, not inappropriate, actions.  The corollary to this is that we must be extremely well versed in Scripture to effectively use this weapon.

8. Finally, when Satan left Jesus in the desert, he only left him, “until another more opportune and favorable time” (Luke 4:13).  Satan and his demons are always crouching at our door.  We can expect a continual barrage of demonic thoughts and temptations, just when we least expect it.  As Peter reminds us: “Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautions at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.” (1Peter 5:8)  We never know when a demonic attack will occur and it is our responsibility to never let our guard down.

We can see from the experience of Jesus that the demonic will attack our minds with a variety of tactics, including the timing of the attacks, with the sole purpose of putting us into the bondage of sin.  However, are demonic temptations the only type that we can expect?

The Enemy Within

There is a second source of temptation and it is none other than ourselves.  The Apostle James put it best,

“But every person is tempted when he is drawn away, enticed and baited by his own evil desire (lust, passions).  Then the evil desire, when it has conceived, gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully matured, brings forth death.” (James 1:14-15, emphasis added)  James is saying that our own evil desire results in temptation!

At the root of this is an incorrect or unsubmitted heart attitude – our “own evil desire”.  We know from Scripture that the heart is a citadel of evil.  “For out of the heart come evil thoughts (reasonings, and disputings and designs) such as murder, adultery, sexual vice, theft, false witnessing, slander, and irreverent speech.” (Matt 15:19)  At times even our own words betray us, often to our surprise, dismay or chagrin: “For out of the fullness (the overflow, the superabundance) of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matt 12:34) 

Outwardly, we can seemingly be free of sin, but if we have a wrong heart attitude, then we are still in sin, even though we have not taken any outward action.  Jesus made this clear to the Pharisees and others when he taught about the heart attitude and associated thoughts concerning the sins of murder (Matt 5:22), adultery (Matt 5:28) and forgiveness (Matt 18:35).  Jesus said that we can outwardly follow the commandments by being faithful to our spouse or forgiving someone who has wronged us, while inwardly in our heart and thoughts, transgress in those very areas by lusting after another or harboring anger, hatred or unforgiveness (bitterness).

A Mind Game

Initially, we are tempted when an incorrect thought comes into our mind.  As we have seen with the temptation of Jesus, the thought can and often does come from the demonic.  However, the thought can also come from our own imaginations (i.e., our own evil desires – those found in our heart).   Likewise, thoughts can be triggered from the world.  We must keep in mind that Satan is the god of this age and has tremendous influence over the world systems.  Thus, temptation can come from such things as an inappropriate scene in a movie, an advertisement on television or something that we read in a book or magazine.  Particularly good (in a bad way) is the Internet at providing triggers to inappropriate thoughts.  We are constantly bombarded by inappropriate suggestions from the various media.

Regardless of the source, what we do with these inappropriate thoughts when they come into our mind is absolutely critical.  We have exactly two choices: submit them to God or dwell upon them. 

Submitting thoughts to God (taking thoughts captive to Christ) is a way of refuting and refusing to yield to temptation.  As Paul wrote the Corinthians, “[Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).” (2Cor 10:5, emphasis added) 

James said in a similar fashion, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) Submitting to God means to be subordinate to or in obedience to God.  In other words, we can stop wrong thoughts dead in their tracks if we immediately take them to the Lord, and as some have suggested, lay them at the foot of the cross.  We are declaring to God that these thoughts are not of Him and we do not want them.  If we actively resist the devil, as James says, he will flee.

On the other hand, if we dwell on the inappropriate thought(s), then it can quickly become sin in a simple four-step progression (see James 1:14-15, above): 

1. When we dwell on an inappropriate thought, regardless of the source, the thought entices us and draws us away from the Lord.  At this point we become vulnerable.  Our thoughts are not on the Lord or His will or His way, but on our own will and ways. 
2. If we do not stop dwelling on the thought, the thought conceives an evil desire.  Now it becomes even harder to stop the process.
3. Next, the evil desire gives birth to a plan of action.  With a plan established, it becomes almost impossible to derail it unless the Lord intervenes with circumstances preventing it.
4. Finally, we act on the plan, and it becomes sin. 

 All the above four steps can occur in a matter of moments.  The lesson to be learned is that the best time, and perhaps the only time, to stop this process is when it first begins.  This was the mistake Eve made in the Garden.  She needed stop the dialog immediately.  In other words, not even carry on a conversation with the serpent.  Failing that, she needed to confront the serpent the minute he lied to her (You shall not surely die).  After that, she started dwelling on what the serpent had said, reasoning things out according to her own thinking and logic, and ultimately ate the forbidden fruit.  When we dwell on inappropriate thoughts and, in effect, carry on a dialog with ourselves in our minds, we have started down a slippery slope that can ultimately lead to sin.

Our Mindset

There is another serious problem with combating thoughts that enter our mind and that is our basic mindset or way of thinking.  Scripture says that we are to think differently:

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Rom 12:2, NIV) 

Paul is saying that our mindset needs to be changed by a completely new way of thinking.  If our mindset remains worldly, we will not be able to rightly discern God’s will for us.  Conversely, if we change our thinking along spiritual lines, then and only then will we be able to properly understand God’s will. 

It is instructive to review just how our minds came to this state where they need, as Paul said, to be renewed.  First, we know from Scripture that God gave us the ability to reason.  Right from the start, He gave Adam the task of naming all the animals in the Garden of Eden and Adam even named his helpmate that God created for him, woman, reasoning that she was “taken out of man” (Gen 2:19-20, 23).  We also know that reasoning brought the fall of man when Eve reasoned that the fruit of the forbidden tree was desirable for gaining wisdom (Gen 3:6).  Finally, in the same Genesis account, we know that Eve was guided or directed in her reasoning by the serpent.  Therefore, it would seem that the serpent, Satan, is at the heart of this.

When we understand what happened with Satan, we can better understand his approach with Eve. 

Ezekiel initially described Satan as, “full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” (Eze 28:12).  However, a few verses later, Ezekiel said, “Your heart was proud and lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.  I cast you to the ground; I lay you before kings, that they might gaze at you.” (Eze 28:17)  The word, corrupted, in verse 17 in the Hebrew means to “ruin or destroy”.  In other words, Satan, who had started out full of wisdom had ruined or destroyed this God-given wisdom and reasoning ability because of his pride.  Satan’s thinking and reasoning were now apart from God.  This is exactly how Satan wanted Eve think and reason.

Paul was concerned about this type of reasoning when he wrote the Corinthians about false apostles: “But [now] I am fearful, lest that even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, so your minds may be corrupted and seduced from wholehearted and sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” (2Cor 11:3)  Paul was saying that even as Satan corrupted Eve’s mind by his trickery or craftiness, he was afraid that these false apostles would also corrupt the minds of the Corinthians into believing in a Jesus other than what Paul preached.  Reasoning apart from God leads us away from a sincere and wholehearted devotion to the Lord.

Getting Eve to reason apart from God is what led to Eve’s eating of the forbidden fruit.  It wasn’t exclusively the lie, “you shall not surely die”, that prompted Eve to sin, it was the dialog as well which was designed to get her to reason things out on her own.  When Satan engaged Eve in a conversation, he immediately redirected the reasoning to something apart from God. 

Scripture then records that Eve “saw” that the tree was desirable for gaining wisdom.  In other words, Eve thought about (saw) what the serpent had said to her and reasoned apart from God that it was desirable for gaining wisdom.  In the end, both Adam and Eve’s minds were corrupted because they had reasoned apart from God, which led them astray from a pure and sincere devotion to God.  By contrast, when Jesus was in the desert being tempted by Satan, Jesus never reasoned anything out apart from God, but used God’s own words, “It is written…”, in response to Satan’s temptations.  In this context, it is even more understandable that the one offensive weapon that we have in the armor of God is the sword of the Spirit, the written word of God. 

Not all wisdom described in the Bible is desirable, pleasant or rewarding.  In the case of Adam and Eve, their wisdom and knowledge apart from God led to curses: Eve was cursed in childbearing, the ground was cursed and Adam would have to toil and work for food.   Solomon described human wisdom – that apart from God – as vexing and sorrowful: “I entered into counsel with my own mind, saying, Behold, I have acquired great [human] wisdom, yes, more than all who have been over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has had great experience of [moral] wisdom and [scientific] knowledge…For in much [human] wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. (Ecclesiastes 1:16, 18, emphasis added)  Contrast this with the Godly wisdom described throughout the Book of Proverbs as something to be greatly desired and treasured.

In the Garden of Eden, God gave Adam and Eve a reasoning mind and also gave them boundaries – they could eat of any tree in the Garden except one.  This is still true today.  We have all been given reasoning minds and boundaries (commandments) within which to stay.  When we ignore these boundaries or try to reason things out according to our own thinking apart from God, His will and His ways, this is how our mind becomes (or stays) corrupted. 

Peter is another good example of reasoning apart from God.  When Jesus told His disciples once again that He would have to suffer and die, Peter took Him aside privately and rebuked Him, saying, “God forbid, Lord!  This must never happen to You! (Matt 16:22)  Here is how Jesus responded:

“But turning around [His back to Peter] and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, Get behind Me, Satan!  For you do not have a mind intent on promoting what God wills, but what please men [you are not on God’s side, but that of men].” (Mark 8:33)

There is no doubt that Peter loved Jesus with all his heart.  He gave up his profession, fishing, to follow Jesus, was one of Jesus’ closest disciples, was one of the three to go to the mount of transfiguration with Jesus and in his heart, was willing to go to prison or even die for Jesus.  When Jesus asked Peter if he loved him, “He said, Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” (John 21:17, NIV)  There was just one problem: Peter had the wrong mindset.  Peter’s mind was on the world and the world’s ways, not on the thinking and ways of the Lord. 

As a result, Satan could try to tempt Jesus by working through Peter’s worldly opinion/earthly point of view concerning Jesus’ destiny.  Jesus didn’t buy any of it.  He bound Satan from interfering (Get behind me, Satan!) and rebuked Peter about his worldly mindset.  Peter’s example shows us clearly that we can love the Lord with all our heart, yet be incomplete. 

By contrast, Abraham’s reasoning concerning his son, Isaac, was completely different.  Abraham’s mindset was on the Lord, His thinking and His ways when he offered his son, Isaac on the altar.  He reasoned that because of his faith in God’s promises and the gospel that he had been given (Gal 3:8), that God would resurrect Isaac. 

“For he reasoned that God was able to raise [him] up, even from among the dead.  Indeed in the sense that Isaac was figuratively dead [potentially sacrificed], he did [actually] receive him back from the dead.” (Heb 11:19)

Therefore, Abraham put Isaac on the altar according to God’s thinking, not his own thinking or opinion.  Speaking of Abraham, James said, “You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. (James 2:22, NIV)  Instead of a rebuke, such as Peter received, Abraham’s actions made his faith complete.  It was the combination of his heartfelt love of God, his Godly mindset and his obedient action of placing Isaac on the altar that made Abraham’s faith complete.

When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect).” (Matt 22:37, emphasis added)  Jesus was saying that everything about us is to love the Lord – our heart, our actions and our mind and mindset.  The heart, the seat of emotions, and our soul, actions or human effort, are not enough – our mind must be conformed as well to the Lord’s will and thinking. 

Like Peter, Abraham loved the Lord with all his heart, believed what the Lord told him and obediently followed his commands.  However, Abraham was missing one thing - his faith was not complete because his mindset was wrong.  We can see the contrast in his changed thinking by looking at two separate incidents in Abraham’s life: the birth of Ishmael and placing Isaac on the altar.

Even today, the worldly mindset will persecute the Godly mindset, as Paul noted this in his epistle to the Galatians (Gal 4:29).  Nevertheless, he went on to say, “Get rid of the slave woman and her son…” (Gal 4:30, NIV).  In other words, get rid of the worldly mindset and the bondage it brings and develop a Godly mindset that brings freedom.  Even knowing that those with a worldly mindset will be our antagonists, we are still to rid ourselves of worldly thinking and yield our mind to the Lord.

Worldly Thinking

Paul told the Romans that, “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live by the Spirit have their minds on what the Spirit desires.” (Rom 8:5, NIV)  If our minds are not conformed to the Lord’s will, ways and thinking, it will be impossible to please God (Rom 8:8). 

This is how otherwise Godly men and women, men and women who love the Lord with all their heart and know, read and preach Scripture, fall well short of a total commitment of loving God with their mind and soul.  They often allow the demonic to work through this mindset and end up displeasing God.  Like Peter, our mindset will determine how we interpret what God is saying or His will and can lead us into obedience or disobedience.  A good example of this secular mindset is the celebration of the worldly traditions of man within the Church. 

Many man-made traditions, such as Christmas and Easter, are clearly not of the Lord and are displeasing to Him.  There is no command in the Bible to celebrate, honor or otherwise annually recognize the day of our savior’s birth.  Moreover, Jesus was not born on December 25^th.  Scripture is completely silent on the date and no historian, contemporary or otherwise, has established the date of Jesus’ birth.  Many theologians speculate that He was born either on the Passover or on the Feast of Tabernacles, but it is just that, speculation.  December 25^th is a complete fabrication of the early 4^th century (AD) chosen to coincide with the pagan celebrations of Saturnalia honoring the god Saturn, the winter solstice honoring the god Sol Invictus (the Unconquerable Sun), and the birthday of the god Mithra (Mithraism rivaled Christianity in adherents in the early 4^th century and Mithra’s birthday was December 25^th).  This was done to make Jesus and Christianity acceptable and compatible with pagan beliefs when Christianity became the state religion under the emperor, Constantine (The Great).  Even the name, a contraction of the Mass said for Christ or Christ’s Mass, is indicative of its popish origin.  Similarly, Easter, the English name of the goddess of the dawn and traced back to the goddess Ishtar (Astarte), is steeped in paganism and void of a Scriptural basis. 

Yet because of the worldly mindset of many within the Body of Christ, these man-made traditions are defended vociferously from the pulpit (as well as by the laity) as if they were sacred holy days.  Their origins are pagan and in honor of pagan gods (principalities), something strictly forbidden by God.  This is nothing less than the sin of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, referenced repeatedly in the Old Testament as a symbol of evil (1Kings and 2Kings).  Jeroboam made up his own holidays with dates of his own choosing to false gods and idols (1 Kings 12:32, 33) and called it of God, just as we have.  Further, he led the people of Israel into sin by observing them.  Jehovah God is a jealous God; He is not about to share His glory with any other (Isa 42:8). 

Just as Peter was a snare or stumbling block to Jesus because of his worldly mindset, so we Christians can be a snare or stumbling block to non-believers who know the truth behind these man-made traditions.  For example, Christ is made even more of a stumbling block for Jews who know that the Messiah would never be associated with pagan traditions and holidays and have a hard time reconciling this with Christmas and Easter.  Refuting and refusing to participate in these traditions of man is currently not the most popular position to take, but it is the correct and Biblical position taken by those who love the Lord with their heart and their mind.

It should be noted that this is typically not an all or nothing type of situation.  As Jesus explained in the parable of the four soils (Matt 13:18-23), the fourth type of soil produced crops of varying yields: some 30 fold, some 60 fold and others, 100 fold increases.  This is indicative of how yielded we are to the Lord and how much of a worldly mindset that we retain.  The less we have of the world, the more of a crop we can produce for the Lord. 

On a personal level, a worldly mindset can lead to problems between friends or even within a family.  Eve, for example, reasoned out Satan’s temptation according to worldly thinking and was not able to test the will of God because of this mindset.  As a consequence, she was deceived by the serpent, ate of the forbidden fruit and gave some to her husband, Adam, to eat.  When God rebuked Adam, he referred to this fact, saying,

“And to Adam He said, Because you have listened and given heed to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it, the ground is under a curse because of you; in sorrow and toil shall you eat [of the fruits] of it all the days of your life.” (Gen 3:17, emphasis added) 

Although Adam was not deceived, he sinned nonetheless by listening to his wife and the ground was cursed because of this.  We can likewise be entrapped into sinning by some of those closest to us because of their worldly mindset.  They may love the Lord with all their heart, but if their mindset is on the world and the world’s ways, traditions, thinking, etc., then we can yield to their mindset out of fear of offending them, respect for them, love of them or other similar emotions and end up sinning and displeasing God in the process.  They become a stumbling block and try to pull others into the things of the world because they do not understand that their mindset is worldly – they think it is Godly. 

Distinguishing between Testing and Temptation – Who is Speaking to You?

As we have seen, one of the key differences between testing and temptation is the source.  Testing is of God, while temptation can either be demonic or our flesh (our own evil desires).  We also know that the battle begins in the mind with a thought.  Therefore, distinguishing or identifying the source of this thought is critical as well as what we do with it.  There are several interesting and illuminating examples that we can draw from Scripture that can help us make this distinction and give us direction to a proper response.

The Voice of God

There are two important lessons in Abraham’s testing that we can apply to distinguishing the source of the voice we are hearing.  First, like Abraham, we know (or should know) God’s voice.  God is our Shepherd (Psalm 23) and Jesus said that His sheep know His voice and follow Him (John 10:3-5, 27).  This may take time and training, but hearing and distinguishing God’s voice is a cornerstone of our relationship with Him.  As Jesus said to Peter,

“He said to them, But who do you [yourselves] say that I am?  Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.  Then Jesus answered him, Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are you, Simon Bar-Jonah.  For flesh and blood [men] have not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven.  And I tell you, you are Peter [Greek, Petros – a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra – a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it].” (Matt 16:15-19, emphasis added) 

Jesus was saying that Peter was blessed because he had learned Jesus’ true identity from God the Father, not from others or his own reasoning, and that it was upon this ability to hear from God that Jesus would build His church. 

If we do not know God’s voice or are unsure of this, then we need to train ourselves to listen for His voice.  We do this by spending time with Him in Scripture, constant daily prayer and most importantly, expectantly waiting on Him for a response.  In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul urged the believers at Corinth to eagerly desire (pray for) the spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy (1Cor 14:1).  Paul amplified Jesus’ statement to Peter and encouraged all believers to pray for this gift. 

The point is that our ability to hear from God is central to our walk with Him.  His small still voice (1Kings 19:12) calls out to us and we need to be quiet and listen for Him to speak to us.  Others hearing for us will not suffice or act as a replacement, for we may not know if another individual is hearing correctly or even discerning something in their flesh.  It is upon our own individual ability to hear from God that Jesus built His church – this is our responsibility.

Second, we have an advantage that Abraham did not have: God’s written Word (Scripture).  As Paul wrote to Timothy,

“Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action). (2Tim 3:16) 

We can and should test every word or thought using Scripture as the measure.  Does the thought or word agree with Scripture or does it contradict it?  If the word or thought contradicts Scripture, then it is not from the Lord and is to be rejected.  God does not contradict Himself or lie.  We are told to test the spirits (1John 4:1) and to take every thought captive to Christ. 

Words or thoughts that we receive can be tested in another way. 

“And if you say in your [minds and] hearts, How shall we know which words the Lord has not spoken?  When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or prove true, that is a word which the Lord has not spoken.” (Deut 18:21-22) 

If a thought comes to mind or a word given to you by another that you think is of the Lord and later proves to be untrue, then we know from Scripture that this was not the Lord speaking and is either from the demonic or our own (or another person’s) flesh.  With our own personal thoughts, we can use this experience to better train ourselves in distinguishing God’s voice from the demonic.  Likewise with others, we can (and should) be very cautious about receiving words from them.

The exception to the above is when a true word from God has been spoken to us in our thoughts or given to us by others, but we incorrectly discern the meaning of the word and take it for something that God had not intended.  In other words, we discern a true word from God in or according to our flesh.  This can lead us in a completely wrong direction and may result in false conclusions.  To avoid this, we need to be slow and deliberate in our discernment by asking the Lord in prayer for the correct interpretation(s) of what He is telling us.  Instead of reasoning things out ourselves and certainly before acting, ask the Lord for the correct interpretation.

The focus of our thoughts can also assist in our discernment.  In the Garden of Eden, the serpent got Eve to focus on the one thing she and Adam couldn’t have.  Instead of focusing on all the many blessings and gifts and things they could do, the serpent drew her attention to the one thing that was forbidden.  This is still a tactic of the enemy today where he will try to point out things we don’t have, can’t do or are not exactly “perfect” (as we would define perfect, such as our health, wealth, family relationships, etc.).  This type of thinking can be the result of a heart attitude, from the enemy or both.  Whatever the situation, our thinking should be giving the Lord thanks in all things.

The importance of knowing God’s voice in our personal lives cannot be understated.  If Abraham had not known God’s voice or had not been able to distinguish between God and the demonic, things might have turned out differently for Isaac.  We know that Satan came to kill, steal and destroy, and he would not have prevented Abraham from sacrificing Isaac.  Similarly, if we are hearing from the demonic, the purpose is to cause confusion, instill fear or doubt, produce jealousy or envy, bring about distrust, prevent forgiveness, or any other number of things that will lead us away from God and into sin.

Resisting Temptation

There are three main components to a test or temptation: 1) an external situation, 2) an internal thought and 3) a heart condition.  Our heart condition is just that – it is set at the time of the test or temptation.  The two variables are the external situation and the internal thoughts we have.  Taking these one at a time, we can put together a strategy for resisting temptation. 

Sometimes the key to resisting temptation is the external situation in which we find ourselves.  The strategy then becomes either avoiding the situation or walking it through prepared.  Avoiding an external situation is by far the most effective, but not necessarily the easiest. 

As an example, Paul directed the Corinthian believers to exclude from their fellowship certain people:

“But now I write to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of [Christian] brother if he is known to be guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater [whose soul is devoted to any object that usurps the place of God], or is a person with a foul tongue [railing, abusing, reviling, slandering], or is a drunkard or a swindler or a robber.  [No] you must not so much as eat with such a person.” (1Cor 5:11) 

These weren’t just sinners (as we all are), but people who were openly known to be in one or more of these specific sins, had been confronted about them Biblically, but yet were unrepentant and unwilling to change.  Elsewhere in Scripture, three of these sins we are told to “flee” from (i.e., literally and figuratively, to run away from): sexual immorality (1Cor 6:18), greed (1Tim 6:10-11) and idolatry (1Cor 10:14).  Why these sins and why do we have to flee from three of them?

The reason for the strong admonition is that these particular sins, if tolerated within the Body of Christ, are particularly infectious and have the highest probability of drawing others into the same type of sin.  As Paul said, a little leaven works its way through the whole batch (Gal 5:9).  If the person we are in fellowship with is not going to change (at least anytime soon) and we continue in fellowship with them, then we are the ones at risk of potentially changing.  This is why Scripture says not to be unequally yoked with another.  They will drag us down to their level.  Equally problematic is that people in these open, unrepentant sins can cause division and strife within a fellowship and cause others to sin in ways that we might not expect. 

The whole point of Paul’s directive to the Corinthians was to avoid temptation or situations that might lead to temptation.  He was telling them not to put themselves into a situation where they might be tempted to compromise and fall into sin.  Thus, fleeing from some situations is definitely the best strategy. 

Other times we have no choice but to walk through an external situation.  If we are not able to flee from a situation, then the best way to walk through a test or temptation is to prepare in advance as if the worst were to happen.  For example, most discerning (male) pastors refuse to counsel or even meet with a woman unless there is at least one other person that they trust present in the meeting.  This has nothing to do with judging the woman or her morals; it is simply a way of minimizing any temptation, misunderstanding, wagging tongues, etc., by avoiding an avoidable external situation.  Many situations present themselves in the work place or even in the home that we have no choice except to walk through.  Identifying and preparing for those situations can go a long way in avoiding temptation.  Resisting temptation is sometimes as simple as not putting yourself in a position to be tempted.

Although strategies for successfully dealing with our thoughts have been detailed in previous sections, one in particular bears repeating: perpetuating a dialogue in our mind.  Eve did this in the Garden when she carried on a conversation with the serpent.  If she had known not even to talk to the serpent, she would not have heard the lie or succumbed to the temptation.  When thoughts come into our minds and we are unsure where that thought came from, we should immediately take that thought to the Lord and ask, “Is this of you Lord?”  Instead, what we often do is mull the thought(s) around in our mind, dwelling on them, and then our mind starts wandering.  We have potentially opened a dialogue with the demonic and often don’t know where it will lead.  Any dialogue we have in our minds should be with the Lord and the Lord alone.

The First and Last Adam

We understand the fullness of the importance and relationship between testing and temptation when we compare the experiences of Adam and Jesus Christ.  In Scripture, Adam is called a type of Christ, one who is to come (Rom 5:14), and Christ is called the last Adam (1Cor 15:15).  In other words, the first Adam was a type or shadow of what was to come, Jesus Christ, the last Adam. 

Both the first and last Adam were tempted and tested.  We can see the contrast between the two in the below table using the examples of Satan tempting Adam through Eve’s worldly mindset and Satan tempting Jesus through Peter’s worldly mindset and the result of their testing.

Just like Abraham, the testing of Jesus was a progression that culminated on the cross.  After Jesus was baptized, signifying the start of His ministry, and filled with the Holy Spirit, He was immediately led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted by the devil for forty days.  For approximately the next three years, Jesus went through many tests and temptations, which brought Jesus in His human form to completion.  Scripture says that He learned obedience through His suffering (Heb 5:8).  It took Jesus this amount of time to absorb the full human experience of trials, tests, and temptations before He was complete and could go to the cross.

In a similar way, Peter started to mature with his tests.  The beginning of his progression began when Satan sifted him and Peter denied Jesus three times in the same night.  Peter wept bitterly when he realized what he had done.  Later, Jesus asked him three times, “Peter, do you love me?” (John 21:15-17)  Peter responded that yes, he did love Jesus and even reminded Jesus that He knew what was in Peter’s heart and knew that he loved Him.  It wasn’t Peter’s heart condition that needed maturing – it was his mindset as well as his faith.  With each testing, Peter grew and matured to the point that he could stand before the Sanhedrin and refuse to stop speaking out about Jesus (Acts 4:19-20).  Peter continued to mature to the point that he would be ultimately martyred, as prophesied by Jesus (see John 21:18-19 where Jesus described the type of death that Peter would experience).  Peter had come a long way.  The account of Peter’s love for the Lord, his lack of faith at one point, his reinstatement and his eventual martyrdom is still being used by the Lord today as an example to strengthen those of us who have been faced with similar situations.

Final Thoughts Concerning Testing and Temptation

Any test will also be an opportunity for Satan to tempt us.  God wants to use testing as the means to strengthen, teach, mature us and bring us to completion, while Satan wants to use that same test as an opportunity to weaken us through sin and try to keep us from achieving maturity.  If Adam had obeyed God and not eaten the forbidden fruit, he would have had the opportunity to eat of the tree of life.  Instead, death came into the world.

In his epistles, Paul often used the analogy of an athlete or a soldier.  Athletes are continually tested in training and in competition to get better, stronger or faster; in short, more proficient in their sport.  The testing a soldier undergoes in training and actual battle goes beyond that of an athlete – it is a matter of survival.  Likewise, we are we continually tested by the Lord to increase our spiritual knowledge, strength, endurance and especially our maturity.   

Testing stretches, strengthens and refines our faith, for we have to rely on and be obedient to what the Lord gives us and not by what we see or reason out in the natural – our own understanding.  The spiritual understanding may come much later, even years later.  We end up trusting more and more in God and His approval and less and less on man and his approval.  However, if we can be found faithful with a little, then we can be trusted with more, thus maturing our faith and bringing us to a higher level. 

The Downside of Testing

The Bible holds some hard truths concerning testing.  As we know, the Lord never promised us a “rose garden” in this life – just an eternity of living with Him hereafter, beyond anything we could ever imagine.

1. Testing can come to the point of death, even at the hands of Satan.  To the church at Smyrna, John recorded:

“Fear nothing that you are about to suffer.  [Dismiss your dread and your fears!]  Behold, the devil is indeed about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested and proved and critically appraised, and for ten days you will have affliction.  Be loyally faithful unto death [even if you must die for it], and I will give you the crown of life.” (Rev 2:10, emphasis added) 

Some of the believers at Smyrna were going to be imprisoned by Satan (i.e., God was going to allow this to test them) and the Lord was advising them in advance of this and not to fear the suffering that they would be going through.  In fact, He was telling them that some might even die in the process!  This is a most difficult type of testing, even for the most mature of Christians who are extremely firm in their faith.  However, millions of Christian martyrs have gone through this very ordeal over the centuries at the hands of the state and especially the Roman Catholic Church.  Thousands continue to be martyred it in some parts of the world today, such as in predominantly Muslim countries.

2. Testing can expose a lack of commitment to the Lord.  In the parable of the four soils, Jesus explained about the seed that fell on the rocky soil:

 “And those upon the rock [are the people] who, when they hear [the Word], receive and welcome it with joy; but these have no root.  They believe for a while, and in time of trial and temptation fall away (withdraw and stand aloof). (Luke 8:13)

Matthew and Mark contain similar accounts of the explanation of this parable and describe the natural causes of trouble, affliction or persecution, while Luke speaks of the spiritual causes and uses trial and temptation in his description.  The result of this is the same – a falling away from the Lord. 

This parable describes a person who has received the gospel in his or her mind, but not in their heart.  They initially receive it joyfully, but when tested in the form of persecution, trouble or affliction of some sort, they immediately reject the Word (Jesus).  Some have contended that this refers to a person who has not been discipled; however, the condition being exposed is not a lack of knowledge, but a heart attitude.  What they have heard, they have welcomed joyfully, but it is only a superficial and temporary mindset.  The love of the Lord has never penetrated into their heart.

3. We are not to test or tempt God!  “You shall not tempt and try the Lord your God as you tempted and tried Him in Massah.” (Deut 6:16)  The Israelites tested and tried God’s patience ten times while wandering in the desert by murmuring, rebellion, idolatry and so on.  Because their hearts were not right towards the Lord, they kept sinning and continually tested Him even though they had seen His miraculous works (see also Psalm 78).  Paul reminded the Corinthians of this as well.  He first enumerated the various instances that the Israelites tested God (1Cor 10:5-10), and then warned them: “Now these things befell them by way of a figure [as an example and warning to us]; they were written to admonish and fit us for right action by good instruction, we in whose days the ages have reached their climax (their consummation and concluding period). (1Cor 10:11)  In other words, there are serious consequences to testing God – don’t do it.

 However, there is one exception to testing God found in Scripture and it concerns tithes.  God said through His prophet, Malachi, “Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, If I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” (Mal 3:10)  The Hebrew word (H974 in Strong’s Concordance) translated as “prove” means “to investigate” and can also be translated as test.  God was saying that faithful tithing will result in an unbelievable blessing for us – just test (investigate) this by obedience!

 

Warnings on Specific Temptations

 The Bible lists some specific traps that we are to be knowledgeable about so that we don’t fall into temptation:

1. Improper use of the marriage bed can result in temptation.  “Do not refuse and deprive and defraud each other [of your due marital rights], except perhaps by mutual consent for a time, so that you may devote yourselves unhindered to prayer.  But afterwards resume marital relations, lest Satan tempt you [to sin] through your lack of restraint or sexual desire.” (1Cor 7:5)  This area of the marriage relationship needs to be treated with the utmost respect and if not, the demonic can gain a foothold through it.  Note: the purpose of this abstinence is for prayer, it is mutually agreed upon in advance, and it is temporary.

2. Gently and humbly correct others in sin – if not, you could be tempted to sin.  “Brethren, if any person is overtaken in misconduct or sin of any sort, you who are spiritual [who are responsive to and controlled by the Spirit] should set him right and restore and reinstate him, without any sense of superiority and with all gentleness, keeping an attentive eye on yourself, lest you should be tempted also.” (Gal 6:1)  We can set ourselves up for some of the same problems (sin) as those we are restoring if we do not handle the situation correctly and with gentleness.  Note: we can be surprised by temptation (keeping an attentive eye on yourself) and thus become its victim.  Satan is always on the lookout for a prideful spirit.

3. Those who aspire to wealth are especially susceptible to temptation.  “But those who crave to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish (useless, godless) and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction and miserable perishing.” (1Tim 6:9)  There are many warnings and teachings in Scripture concerning the pitfalls of wealth, and especially, greed.  Note: being (materially) wealthy is more often a curse than a blessing because of all of the excess baggage that can accompany this wealth.

 Now The Good News

Finally, the good news.  The Bible holds many words of hope concerning both testing and temptations that we go through.  They are words not only to prepare us, but also to encourage us when, not if, we go through tests and temptations. 

First and foremost, we are able to overcome all temptation.  As Paul wrote the Corinthians:

“For no temptation (no trial regarded as enticing to sin), [no matter how it comes or where it leads] has overtaken you and laid hold on you that is not common to man [that is, no temptation or trial has come to you that is beyond human resistance and that is not adjusted and adapted and belonging to human experience, and such as man can bear].  But God is faithful [to His Word and to His compassionate nature], and He [can be trusted] not to let you be tempted and tried and assayed beyond your ability and strength of resistance and power to endure, but with the temptation He will [always] also provide the way out (the means of escape to a landing place), that you may be capable and strong and powerful to bear up under it patiently.”   (1Cor 10:13) 

Paul was saying three things.  First, we will not experience any temptation that is impossible to overcome.  Second, God will not let us be tempted beyond our capacity to resist the temptation (although it may seem like it at the time).  Finally, God will always show us a way out – we just have to wait patiently to hear from Him.  This is indeed good news as we are assured in advance that we can (i.e., are able to) be overcomers.  We just need to stay close to the Lord and walk out any and all testings and temptations, equipped with what we have already learned (see Philippians 3:13-16 – living up to what we have already attained). 

Even better news is that we are to consider it a joy whenever we are tested or tempted. 

“Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations…Blessed (happy, to be envied) is the man who is patient under trial and stands up under temptation, for when he has stood the test and been approved, he will receive [the Victor’s] crown of life which God has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:2, 12) 

On the surface, this seems contrary to what we should feel.  Why should we be happy or consider ourselves blessed?  It seems that we should feel just the opposite: why me Lord – why are you picking on me?

The answer lies at the end of the test, trial or temptation.  Part of our testing and temptation often result in “suffering” in the form of physical or mental anguish (just as it did Jesus in the wilderness).  We know from Scripture that through suffering we learn obedience (Heb 5:8) and that suffering also produces patience, endurance, maturity of character and ultimately, hope (Rom 5:3-5).  We are strengthened in our faith and walk by successfully passing a test or overcoming a temptation.  As Peter said,

“[You should] be exceedingly glad on this account, though now for a little while you may be distressed by trials and suffer temptations, so that [the genuineness] of your faith may be tested, [your faith] which is infinitely more precious than the perishable gold which is tested and purified by fire.  [This proving of your faith is intended] to redound to [your] praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) is revealed.” (1Peter 1:6-7) 

Just like discipline, testing and temptation may not seem pleasant as we go through them, but the end result is well worth any interim pain.  It is absolutely vital to our spiritual growth, strengthening, obedience, faith, hope and perfection (maturity). 

Completion

The last question to be asked is why do we need all this growth, strengthening, maturity, increased faith, and so forth produced through our testing and temptation?  What’s the point?  Is this an end in itself or is there something more?

The answer lies in the experiences of Jesus as He went to the cross for us:

“Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.” (Heb 5:8-9, KJV) 

According to Strong’s Concordance, the word “perfect” in this Scripture means, “to complete, that is, (literally) accomplish, or (figuratively) consummate (in character).”  Once Jesus was made complete by all his testing and temptations, he could now fulfill God’s ultimate purpose for His life on this earth – to die for us on the cross and bring salvation to all believers.  Similarly, God has a purpose for every believer’s life here on earth and like Jesus, we need to be brought to our point of completion before we can fulfill our ultimate life’s work for Him, whatever that may be.  Before he was seriously tested, Peter could not have stood up to the Sanhedrin or have been martyred.  The long-term goal of all the testing and temptations we go through is to bring us to the point where, like Peter, we can become martyrs (witnesses) according to God’s holy will for our lives.