Lead Us Not into Temptation

Recognizing the Enemy's Strategies

Aesop's Fables were a childhood favourite in our home. It is a collection of stories, each with a lesson attached. I recently came across my old copy and was reminded of one story in particular:

The Flies and the Honey-Pot.

The story goes like this:

A number of flies were attracted to a jar of honey that had been overturned in a housekeeper's room. Landing in it, they ate greedily. Their feet, however, became so smeared with the honey that they could no longer use their wings or free themselves, and they were suffocated. As they were dying, they exclaimed, "O foolish creatures that we are! For the sake of a little pleasure we have destroyed ourselves."

Lesson: Pleasure bought with pain hurts.

This story reminded me of what temptation is and the many forms it takes. Like the honey to the flies, temptation is often attractive. It appears sweet and desirable, making it easy to overlook what it can ultimately cost us. Drawn by its attractiveness, we may ignore every warning—even the loudest ones—for just a taste of what our hearts or eyes desire.

The story of Adam and Eve is a similar honey-and-fly story. Eve met the serpent, who came with a different story, telling her that the fruit God had forbidden them to eat would make her wise (Genesis 3:6) and that she would be like God.

But hold on.

She already knew the fruit was good. God Himself had said that every tree in the garden was good for food, except this one. He had also made the consequence clear: if they ate from it, they would surely die.

Despite God's instruction, Eve, like the flies, reached for the "sweet honey" of the forbidden fruit. She ate and then gave some to Adam. Scripture records no words of warning, no hesitation, and no attempt to dissuade her. He simply took the fruit and ate as well.

We all know how that story ended. Like the flies, for the sake of a little pleasure, Adam and Eve lost paradise.

As I reflected on this, one question came to mind. Adam and Eve were new to the earth. They had no history of failure, no painful experiences to warn them. Why, then, was it so easy for them to fall into temptation?

James gives us some insight into how temptation works:

"But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed."— James 1:14 (KJV)

Temptation often begins with a desire. It may start as a passing thought, something that appeals to us or promises something we want. If we entertain it, that desire can grow until it becomes an enticement.

For Eve, it began when she saw that the fruit was "good for food," "pleasant to the eyes," and "desired to make one wise." What began as a thought eventually became temptation, and temptation became disobedience.

Judas found his own sticky honey-pot in thirty pieces of silver. Knowing that the religious leaders wanted Jesus arrested, he went to them and asked, "What are ye willing to give me, and I will deliver him unto you?" The excitement of newly acquired money ended in pain, regret, and despair.

Then there was Peter. His temptation looked different from Eve's or Judas's. Faced with the fear of being identified with Jesus, he replied, "Woman, I know him not."

Not once, but three times within a few hours. The rooster crowed, bearing witness to his failure. The Scriptures say that at that very moment, the Lord turned and looked upon Peter. Peter needed no words. He remembered exactly what Jesus had warned him only hours earlier.

Like the flies, Peter too struggled to remove the "stickiness" from his fall. He went out and wept bitterly, overwhelmed with shame and sorrow.

Eve, Judas, and Peter all discovered that temptation leaves consequences behind. For each of them, the cost was far greater than whatever had first appeared attractive.

Thankfully, the Bible does not only tell us about those who fell. It also tells us about those who stood their ground when the "honey-pot" was placed before them.

Joseph faced enormous pressure to give in to sexual temptation. Scripture describes him as "well favoured, and well looking," and Potiphar's wife urged him "day by day" to "come to bed" with her. From a human perspective, there appeared to be everything to gain and nothing to lose.

Yet Joseph refused. His master had entrusted everything in the house to him except his wife. "How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" Joseph chose obedience over opportunity.

Daniel also faced a different kind of temptation. Taken captive into Babylon, he was offered food and wine from the king's own table. But before the food was ever placed before him, Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself (Daniel 1:8).

Like Joseph, he had already decided that obedience to God mattered more than the temporary pleasures or privileges before him.

Jesus Himself also faced temptation, yet in every area in which He was tempted, He did not fail. After forty days of fasting, when He was hungry and physically weak, Satan came with his own honey-pot. He offered Him bread, recognition, and all the kingdoms of the world.

But Jesus refused every shortcut. Why? Satan was offering Him what already belonged to Him. Why accept a shortcut that required obedience to Satan instead of obedience to His Father? Jesus chose the Father's will over temporary satisfaction.

So what does this mean for you?

As we look back at the lives of Eve, Judas, Peter, Joseph, Daniel, and Jesus, a few lessons begin to emerge.

The honey-pot looked different for each of them. For Eve it was wisdom. For Judas it was money. For Peter it was self-preservation. For Joseph it was sexual temptation. For Daniel it was compromise.

For Jesus it was a shortcut. Different honey-pots. The same enemy.

Temptation often begins long before the act itself. It starts with a thought that is entertained, a desire that is allowed to grow, or an opportunity that seems too attractive to refuse.

Peter reminds us that even being warned is not enough if we are not spiritually alert. Jesus had told him what was coming and urged him to "watch and pray." Then He explained why: "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Peter's desire to remain faithful was genuine, but in the moment he relied on his own strength and fell.

Joseph reminds us that there are moments when the wisest response is simply to refuse and walk away.

Daniel reminds us that we should settle our convictions before temptation comes.

Jesus reminds us that no promise, no pleasure, and no shortcut is worth stepping outside the will of God.

Perhaps our temptations will not come in the form of forbidden fruit, thirty pieces of silver, or stones turned into bread. But the strategies of the enemy have not changed. He is still subtle. He still appeals to the desires we have already entertained.

It could be through material desires or personal dispositions such as pride, bitterness, greed, lust, fear, discouragement, or doubt. It may even come through subtle

compromises in our walk with God—neglecting prayer, neglecting time in God's Word, or drifting away from fellowship with His people.

He often presents these with reasons that seem perfectly reasonable, but the underlying goal is always the same: to draw us away from the will of God.

So what next?

First, educate yourself about yourself. Identify your own "honey-pot." What is it that pulls you most easily? What desires, situations, or weaknesses make you most vulnerable?

Remember, Satan is also studying you. He knows which door to knock on and which bait is most likely to attract you. The better you understand your own likes, desires, and weaknesses, the more quickly you will recognize temptation before it takes hold.

Like Eve, do not allow tempting thoughts to grow. Recognize them early for what they are—a pathway to disobedience.

Like Peter, never assume you are too strong to fall. Stay spiritually alert and remember Jesus' words: "the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

Like Daniel, purpose in your heart beforehand how you will respond. Decisions made before temptation often become victories during temptation.

Like Joseph, there are times when the wisest response is simply to refuse and walk away.

And like Jesus, remember that obedience to God is always better than any shortcut temptation offers.

The encouraging news is that none of this is new. The temptations we face today are not unique to our generation.

The apostle Paul reminds us:

"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."— 1 Corinthians 10:13 (KJV)

Perhaps your honey-pot is different from those we have looked at today. But it is not new. Others have stood where you stand today, and the same faithful God who strengthened Joseph, Daniel, restored Peter, and enabled Jesus to stand faithful is able to strengthen you too.

Jesus' words to His disciples remain His words to us today:

"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."— Matthew 26:41 (KJV)

Reflection

As you walk through your day, pause and reflect on these questions:

• What is my own "honey-pot"? What temptation seems to draw me most easily?

  
  

• Am I entertaining a thought today that, if left unchecked, could become tomorrow's temptation?

  
  

• Have I already purposed in my heart, like Daniel, how I will respond when temptation comes?

  
  

• Like Peter, have I become overconfident in my own strength instead of remaining spiritually alert?

  
  

• Are there areas of my walk with God—my prayer life, time in His Word, or fellowship with other believers—that I have quietly begun to neglect?

  
  

• Is there a situation, like Joseph's, from which the wisest response is simply to walk away?

  
  

• When temptation comes today, will I choose the temporary pleasure it offers, or the lasting joy of obedience to God?