“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

In someways it almost seems counter productive to spend so much time talking about temptations but at the same time, if we do not talk about temptation we are doomed to be ill prepared to face them.

When we think about the temptations that Jesus faced, we can find similar example in our own lives. The first temptation reminds be of the sin of not enough. Have you ever looked around and thought I don’t have enough time, enough money, enough friends, enough talent, enough house, enough car, enough opportunities, the list can go on and on and depending on the day we might switch which one we focus on. Yet may be what we have, we have for a reason.

We have the right amount to bless others and to allow others to bless us.

Strange thought isn’t it. But it is the reality that God has placed us in community. Community is not about self reliance, it is about mutual giving. Community is not about building up of walls and protecting what we have, it is about giving and sharing the blessing that we have been given. You might have realized the big problem in this by now. Community relies on self giving but many people today are tempted to horde, to not engage, to take advantage of, to lie, to cheat, to disrespect, to destroy, to isolate, to cast out.

When we fall to the temptation to not trust Jesus, it because about self, self indulgence and even a form of hedonism. We lose faith because we suddenly think that we are better than someone else in the community and we don’t think that Jesus will be able to provide. Why do we think that Jesus will not be able to provide what we need? Possibly because we have mixed up what we need with what we want.

Living by faith is harder than just saying little prayer and hoping for the best. Living by faith is more than just remembering a few scripture just in case. Living by faith is believing and trusting the Lord with everything that we value, giving to Him everything we hold dear and believing that God’s word has power in our lives, that His promises are real and will be fulfilled, it also helps to know what those promises are. It is trusting that Jesus will deliver us, provide for us, protect us, not always the way we want or expect but knowing that Jesus is present with us no matter what, even when we are blind to His presence.