One thing that Jesus was NOT - was flashy. When He cured someone, it was with a touch. When He spoke, the crowds came to Him. And when He resisted the Devil - it was through the simple mechanisms of fasting, prayer, and Scripture. These are things each of us can do daily or weekly, which fits completely with Jesus's advice to not put on a public display. Your life - your resistance to temptation - will be all the display you need.
In the Gospels, the best known examples of Jesus facing and resisting temptation are the 3 tests in the desert at the very beginning of His ministry. Just after His baptism by John, Jesus was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit, where He fasted for 40 days. At the end of that time, the Devil came and tempted Him 3 times. The first was the request to turn stones into bread. For the second test, the Devil took Jesus to the top of the Temple and bade Him leap off, and be protected by the angels. The third test was the presentation to Jesus of all the world's empires, in exchange for Jesus worshipping the Devil. What is notable about all three examples - and the most applicable to your life - is that Jesus had the strength to resist these powerful and almost overwhelming temptations by His fasting and praying for 40 days, and by quoting Scripture.
Another example is Jesus's prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus never asked to be let out of His mission. He simply asked if there were an alternative. Jesus always recognized that God's will must be done. Jesus berated the apostles who accompanied Him for falling asleep, explaining that the time could be better spent in prayer, the better to strengthen themselves against temptation.
Jesus faced several temptations during His trial before Pilate and Herod, including the mocking by the soldiers and the physical and emotional torture He faced by the whipping, crowning with thorns, and humiliating slaps from the guards. Jesus resisted the temptation to either quit His ministry or retaliate (remember, He had told Peter in the Garden at his arrest that He could summon legions of angels to His side). Jesus resisted the temptation by remaining true to His mission.
The final temptation of Jesus was when He was hanging on the cross, dying from blood loss and suffocation. The crowd and the thief to his side mocked Him, calling for Him to come down from the cross. Again, Jesus resisted the temptation by focusing on His mission, even granting eternal life to the thief who praised Him.
Jesus throughout the Gospels emphasized connecting with God, but nowhere was that more obvious than these incidents where He was tempted. He repeatedly explained that prayer and fasting were paramount in strengthening yourself to resist temptation, and quoted Scripture to answer the Devil.
A copy of "The Six Temptations Of Jesus Christ" can be purchased at: http://www.knowledge-download.com/Six_Temptations
Erik Carter is an experienced computer programmer and attorney. He has written SIX TEMPTATIONS OF JESUS CHRIST (http://www.knowledge-download.com/six_temptations) and AGGRESSIVE PLEADINGS FOR THE NON-CUSTODIAL FATHER (http://www.knowledge-download.com/six_temptations).
bathroom cleaning service Northbrook ..My favorite scripture is Roman's 8:28. "And we know that... Read More
Your mind-body team is made up of your mind and... Read More
How many of us rush blindly through our days, fall... Read More
It is tough being here on this plane. You have... Read More
Remember me! It's me! Joseph here in touch with you... Read More
Our church is infested with lobby lizards. They crawl around... Read More
Symbols and symbolism are popular in almost every civilisation, culture... Read More
Now, I will recount in full what happened to me... Read More
Jacob had sent his family on across the river Jabbok.... Read More
Prayer. It's the foundation of a Christian mom's life. Why?... Read More
Carl Jung, 20th century psycho analyst and dream researcher, said:... Read More
Years ago, my minister spoke to us about how you... Read More
Tarot card reading delves into an individual's psyche and thus... Read More
For we do not have a high priest who is... Read More
Anything can be used for divination; coins, tea leaves, cards,... Read More
Every soul that is currently experiencing life on any level... Read More
What is the opportunity here? What is the benefit of... Read More
When do you pray?Prayer is the cornerstone of the Christian... Read More
Not a Failure!Those of you who are unemployed, or desire... Read More
Matthew 2:13-15 The Flight to Egypt13 Now when they had... Read More
1. The name Michael means, "Who is like God". In... Read More
If you would like to learn to read tarot cards,... Read More
Back in the days of the old law of Moses,... Read More
The word "gravity" is a word coined by Sir Isaac... Read More
Recently, I received a postcard from Ireland. Without reading the... Read More
insured cleaning company Wilmette ..Have you ever noticed how much our lives resemble a... Read More
Stress & Spirituality ? How Spirituality Affects Stress LevelsTake a... Read More
I know eyebrows are probably raising about now, but let... Read More
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. --ROMANS... Read More
Today I was in rather a whimsical mood, and so... Read More
"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and... Read More
Acknowledgement of our need of God and reliance upon Him... Read More
Since my departure from the traditional "Corporate Life" almost 8... Read More
Some of my greatest teachers have taught me that faith... Read More
I believe in a phenomenon I have been known to... Read More
If you're going to listen to anyone you're going to... Read More
I have been counseling people on weight loss, exercise efficiency... Read More
The term spirituality is a confusing term. Usually, when one... Read More
There is no such thing as a coincidence. Albert Einstein... Read More
Spending 'Quiet Time' with the LordFrom the beginning of my... Read More
With those words recorded in Exodus 15:26, God proclaims to... Read More
Do you spend your time working towards that "one day... Read More
There's a lot of talk about angels these days. They're... Read More
The Mystical Experience"The mysteries of life become lucid ? and... Read More
Spiritual stuff is a hard sell Roy and one of... Read More
Matthew 3:1-3 The Preaching of John the Baptist1 In those... Read More
Who among us really understands the chakras? For all that... Read More
Actually, loving does not take any great effort on our... Read More
There's a Native American belief that before we are born,... Read More
Woodstock, the watershed event for a generation, had a far... Read More
Spirituality |