It is all around you, distorting your thoughts and perceptions until you give in and find that it was a trap all along. The word is temptation. And temptation is the voice you hear that twists what you want into what you need. Throughout scripture, God’s people are warned of the trap of temptation that keeps us from living out the abundant life God has promised us. And as Jesus walked this earth, Scripture says that He encountered trials and temptations of many kinds. What makes this so significant, is that Jesus showed us how to live an abundant life through the Word of Life. We see this clearly played out when He is in the wilderness and confronted with temptation everywhere he turned. His response over and over again was to go to the truth He knows. To lean into what the Word of God says so that He would not be deceived by feelings or perceptions. And this is what Scripture does. The truth of God’s Word helps us to be aware of the traps that are all around us, and gives us handlebars for how to play out the consequences of sin. Temptation can teach us to trust God rather than to lean into our own understanding. To trust His truth, His Spirit, and the community of believers He has given us to find a way out of whatever we are going through.
