Don’t Let Temptation Overcome Your Mission
For Students Preparing to Evangelize Abroad
Read Matthew 4:1-11.
Observations:
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Satan did not begin to tempt Jesus until He had fasted for forty days, was tired, and hungry. He waited to attack at a moment when he thought that Jesus had His guard down.
When on your trip, there will be times that every team member is tired, uncomfortable, and may doubt God’s ability to work through them. Everyone will be out of their routines and in a different environment. These are the times when team members will most likely be presented with temptation and must be prepared for it. We as human beings are weak, but we have the ability to fight temptation by relying on God’s strength.
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Satan went after Jesus’ identity as the Son of God and drew attention to His physical needs.
It is crucial that you constantly remind yourself of your identity in Christ. You are a child of God and are loved by Him no matter what you do or don’t accomplish. Just because you may not be the most popular among the group you are serving or because you helped lead someone to Christ, doesn’t mean that you are any less or more loved by God. The sooner you become rooted in that truth, the sooner you can be available for God to work through you and the easier it will be to resist other types of temptation.
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When Jesus rebuked temptation with scripture, Satan responded by using Jesus’ tactic. He took what Jesus knew to be true and trusted, in Scripture, and used it to further tempt Him.
This demonstrates that the devil is not creative because he is not The Creator nor made in His image; he can only take what is and twist it or advocate for the opposite. So don’t be surprised when Satan tells a lie by distorting the truth.
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Satan tempted Jesus with what He already had dominion over, “all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor”. Similar to Adam and Eve in the garden, Satan tempted Jesus with what He already had, but offered it apart from God.
On your trip, you must not give into the lie that because you have salvation in Christ, you can now give salvation to others. While you may play an obedient role in pointing someone toward Jesus, you are not responsible for changing someone’s heart. You may know that people can’t be saved apart from God, but that doesn’t mean you can’t give into the temptation of pride.
The purpose of your trip is to advance the Kingdom by sharing the gospel and serving God by serving others. That being said, the devil doesn’t want God’s Kingdom to expand, and he may respond by distracting you in subtle ways. But God is for us. Despite being tired, lonely, and hungry, Jesus responded to temptation with scripture. Not just once, but every time temptation was presented, no matter what form it was in. Eventually, when the devil realized that Jesus’ trust was completely in God, he left. Likewise, when you find yourself in such conditions or situations, you need to depend on the truth of scripture because it is “the power of God” (Romans 1:16). So, when you are feeling uncomfortable, tired, or overwhelmed, you can find comfort in knowing that God loves you and will protect you. He gave you His armor and sword, and will pave the way before you.
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:20
