FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT

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THE DANGER OF TEMPTATION

On the first Sunday of Lent, Jesus takes us to a tour of the temptations he endured in the desert.  It feels good to know he too, was tempted. Because then the temptations of our lives makes some sense.  If Jesus was tempted, so it  must be normal for me to be tempted, not just three times but many times, so many times in my every day.

Temptations can make us but can also break us. A temptation can make us champions or make us defeated.  A temptation can be a source of strength but it can also make us very weak. A temptation can lead us to God but it can also draw us away from him.

The worst temptation is to start believing that God is no longer around. Because bad things happened to us, God does not care.  because we are sick, God is not powerful. Because people hurt and betray us, God is indifferent.

Jesus felt this temptation in his heart. the devil was trying to convince him that God the Father was a distant, uncaring God.  and because of this, Jesus could take things into his own hands. Jesus knew the secret to rebut temptations.  He knew that temptation has a weakness – it cannot harm you unless you believe it. 

Jesus drew from his own experiences of the Father’s love and loyalty and fidelity. He may not see or feel him but Jesus knew the Father was right there in his heart, giving him the assurance of victory over every temptation and every struggle in life.  if he believed the temptation, Jesus would be weak from that time on.  Since he resisted the temptation, God’s power flowed into his life like a flood.

Are you struggling with temptation that tells you God does not love you anymore?  That he doesn’t care?  that he has already abandoned you?

Hold on to the Father.  Listen to his voice.  follow him.  Be sensitive to his presence in your heart.  believe God more than the temptation.  You will emerge a champion!

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