Patterns of Temptation

Two Korean soldiers were joking and laughing as they walked along a path to join their unit. The war had been over for months, so there seemed to be no danger to worry about. One of the men suddenly spotted something shiny in the ditch beside the path. Stepping aside, he reached down to retrieve the object. There was a deafening explosion as a land mine went off and when the dust settled, the soldier lay dead and his companion had both legs blown off. A sign they had just walked by read, "Danger, Stay on Path."

God's Word puts up some danger signs to warn you about temptation as you walk on your daily spiritual journey.

Receive
James 1:12-15 (ESV)
"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."

How does this happen? Let's look at some people who were tempted to do wrong and ended up in a tangle of sin and shame.

Read Genesis 3:1-10 and re-read verses 6 and 7.

• What did Eve see?
• What did she desire?
• What did she do?
• Why did Adam and Eve hide? (3:10)
• What happened as a result of their sin? (see Genesis 3:22-24)

When Joshua led the people of Israel into the Promised Land, the first city they conquered was Jericho. God told the people that they were to keep none of the captured goods for themselves, but a man named Achan disobeyed and was later caught with the stolen things. Look up Achan's confession in Joshua 7:20-22.

• What did Achan see?
• What was his temptation about what he saw?
• What did he do to satisfy his desires?
• What happened because of his sin? (see Joshua 7:24-26)

Reflect
Do you see the pattern of temptation? They saw something...they desired it...they took it for themselves...they hid the results as well as they could from God and man, but they were caught and had to face the consequences.

The same thing happened to David in his adultery with Bathsheba. He saw her; he desired her; he took her. Then David tried every way he could think of to hide the sin, but he suffered tragic consequences for the rest of his life (see 2 Samuel 11 and 12).

Do you wonder what resources God has given us to ward off the temptations Satan brings our way? Here is some help. Look up the Bible answers to these questions:

• What does Jesus say about how we should regularly pray against Satan's temptations? (Matthew 6:13 and Matthew 26:41).
• If you are tempted, is there any way out before you fall into sin? (1Corinthians 10:13).

Respond
First Corinthians 10:13 says that temptation is a common experience for all people.

Someone once said of temptation, "You can't keep the birds from flying over your head, but you can keep them from nesting in your hair!"

Take some time right now to consider whether there are some weak spots in your life--an old habit, a wrong pattern of activity or a desire for something that requires disobedience to God in order to get. If you identify a weakness, ask the Lord now to give you strength and to deliver you from the temptations of the evil one.