Recognizing Temptation

[Gen. 3:1-6; Matt. 4:1-5]

Temptations have become part and parcels of every Christian’s life. Almost everyone who has desired or purposed to walk with God in this perverse world will and has face temptations of diverse forms. Our first parents faced temptations; the Jews faced temptations on the wilderness [Heb. 3:8], Jesus faced temptations, the great apostles faced temptations [Gal. 4:14] and you, will also face temptations. Jesus, our master, declared that, “The servant is not greater than the master. What the master went through, the servant will face likewise.” [Luke 6:40] If Jesus was tempted, then we will be tempted too.

The Bible, in different occasions, warns us of the eminent dangers of temptations. The Word of God categorically admonishes us and prepares our mind of the fact that, temptations awaits us. In [1Cor. 10:13], the Bible asserted that, “Any kind of temptation we face is not beyond what a man can bear. For God provides us with a way of escape.” Anyone who claims his temptation was beyond bearable minimum for any man has simply not understood what God did for him. (Use my life experience the escape God provides for us in every temptation).

Temptations are such a terrible thing that Jesus taught us to pray – and lead us not into temptation [Matt. 6:13] – to avoid temptations, because it can destroy within a second what has taken years to build. [Matt. 26:41; Mark 14:38; Luke 22:40], the master warned the body of Christ to “Watch and Pray,” lest, we fall in temptations. Watch meaning to be alert and pray ceaselessly because temptation is always lurking around the corner. The Christian who does not watch often; he is unawares of the dangers surrounding him; doesn’t communicate with the Father often, is the one who is likely to fall in several temptations. If you do not pray often, you become vulnerable to temptations.

What then is temptation? Temptation is not in itself a sin, but it is the scheme of the devil to cause you to sin. The Bible calls the devil, “the tempter” Temptations originate from the devil. He is the mastermind behind every temptation any Christian faces on the face of this earth. Temptation does not make you a sinner; sin, is yielding to temptation. “Every temptation starts with a promise to meet a legitimate need/desire in your life” – Dr. Otabil. When we analyze the temptations of Jesus, the temptations provided a means to satisfy a desire and hunger in Jesus. He had fasted for forty days and night without food or water; definitely, what he would desire or need most is food. So the devil comes and says, “Turn these stones to bread.” As a matter of fact, Jesus could have turned the stones to bread. But, in doing so, He had yielded to the commands of the devil. When the devil tempted Eve, he preyed on Eve’s desire to acquire wisdom. When the devil comes to tempt you, he will come with a promise to fulfill a legitimate desire/need in you. We have a legitimate desire for sex, for belonging, for acceptance, for growth, and these are what he plays around.

Read [Gen. 3:1-7]. In this scripture, we can easily characterize what I call stages of temptation. Temptations only come based on the things you play with or what you are mostly found with. If Jesus was not sitting at a place where there were stones, the devil wouldn’t have tempted Him to transform the stones into bread. If Peter was not found around the place where Jesus was tried, he wouldn’t have been tempted into denying Jesus. I can imagine the devil watching Eve cunningly for a long time; how she stands to admire the apple of knowledge of good and evil. The devil might have noticed how Eve insisted on passing by the tree in the midst of the garden everyday. The devil is like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He is seeking; he is watching, and he is preying. One day, he caught Eve standing closer to the tree than Adam was. Have you ever asked yourself, “What Eve was doing around the tree in the midst of the garden when the devil came around?” What the devil sees you playing with everyday is exactly what he will tempts you with. Young man, the devil has notice how impatient you are; how aggressive you are in hugging girls and how you are always found watching movies with strong scenes. He has noticed the kinds of friends you roll with and how easily you merge with them talking about boys they have slept with. The devil will tempts you into sleeping with boys. You are a young accountant found around huge sums of money everyday. The devil will tempts you with money. Anything which has become a routine in your life that can pose a serious threat to your Spirit and relationship with God, be quick to break away.

From the scriptures, one will realize that the first thing the serpent (devil) did was to misconstrue/misrepresent the Word of God. The devil said. “Yea (truly), hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” This statement is wrong! This is not what God said. Instead, He (God) said in [Gen. 2:16-17] that, “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But . . .” Satan, in other words was saying, “Did God say don’t eat of any tree?” It is a misrepresentation. When the devil tempted Jesus, he said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, cast thyself to the ground: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.” This temptation looked good; it looked really good because it looked like something God Himself has promised. Again, it was a misrepresentation, God did not say that. God, instead said in [Psa, 91:11,12], “For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways,” before the promise in verse 12. “To keep you in all thy ways” is so important. It means that, if Jesus or anyone for that matter was not walking according to the statues of God, His angels are not given charge over you. This, the devil cunningly omitted it. The devil always misrepresents the word of God.

Just like he did to Eve, he will do the same to anyone. He comes making the Word of God appear too stringent and lacks flexibility. He makes Christianity looks boring and obsolete. The devil comes sometimes through people; they come asking us to show them where in the Bible God said we shouldn’t be in relationships. They ask where in the Bible where we told not to drink, or smoke. There is nothing in the scriptures that points to the slightest hint that dressing anyhow/skimpily, exposing your breast and buttocks as sin. It is something that deals with the conscience, and that makes it a sin if your conscience is not at rest [Rom. 2:15]. You are a young man; you are a young woman; you must have fun. Christianity is boring. This holy, holy thing is very depressing and too demanding.

When the questions do come and you do not stand your ground, you begin to look for ways around the Word of God to sin. I have met people who are sinning and they have a backing from the Word of God. I have met people who are extremely lazy and wouldn’t want anything to do with work; yet, somehow they have the scriptures to back their actions. This too is a very dangerous act. Eve said to the serpent, “God said, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it.’” This is not what God said. Refer to [Gen. 2:15-17]. Eve began speaking like the devil did; she began misrepresenting the Word of God too. God never mentioned anything about eating from the tree in the centre of the garden. God was specific about what they were and were not allowed to temper with. The world/devil says, “It is just a drink, or boyfriend.” Did God say do not have a boyfriend. No! God did not say that, He warned me about sexual perversion and fornication. This norm boyfriend and girlfriend thing can easily push me into it, but the moment we begin to analyze it, it begins to look ok. Be careful of how you represent the Word of God.

The Woman said, “God said, ‘When we eat of it, we shall die.’” The response of the serpent was, “You shall not surely die.” In effect, the devil said to the woman, “God is lying; you shall not die, nothing will happen, there are no consequences for just eating an apple.” Anytime the devil tempts us, he presents this option: “There are no consequences.” When you are engaged in something without a harming effect, you are usually empowered to do it readily. When the devil puts “there are no consequences” on the table, we feel empowered. It is just a simple lie, nobody will be harmed. It is just a gossip; no one will even notice I did it. It is just me and this boy in the bedroom, what can happen? Even if anything happens, I will protect myself with condom. The devil says, “Ye shall not surely die.” I can imagine him saying to Eve after she took the apple and she didn’t fall dead outright, “Didn’t I say you shall not surely die.” The truth is there are serious consequences for sin, although they may not be executed immediately. Adam and Eve died spiritually, but it appeared they were alright for sometime until God came into the scene. Every sin has terrible effects – Remember that!

The next stage of temptation is: the devil begins to push harder the things which you shall gain. He begins to put more benefits on the table. Temptation just focuses on instant gratification; long-term effects are not considered. The devil said to the woman, “Your eyes will be opened.” Sin, since the time of Adam has hidden itself under the guise of eye-opening. We see this everyday; in the movies, and stories. The Christian virgin girl is the shabbily and drabble-dressed girl. She is the one who does not know “wassup.” The one who will not steal from company’s money is the “muugu.” The boy who is respectful and listens to the parents is the one the other boys will not roll with, because he does not know anything. In the SHS, the boy who sleeps with all kinds of girls is the ladies’ man. He is the one girls will fight over because his eyes are opened. The world laughs at the one who is a virgin because she doesn’t know anything. Your eyes will be opened had led many into sin and will lead yet many others into hell. Do drugs, it will open your eyes and mind. Watch Pornography, your eyes will be opened into different styles.

I remember an incident in my life where my boys unintentionally proved to me that I indeed didn’t know anything. Though I had finished SHS, I was pretty much not into anything. In one conversation, one person asked if I knew Jude Bucher. Sincerely, I had not the slightest idea who she was then. I remember one funny story; I was such a Jet Li-movie fun that I will go heaven and earth to get any new movie by him. One guy in SHS asked me if I had heard about “Westlife?” “No, I answered, Is it a new movie by Jet Li?” You could imagine the look on his face. I think about these and I understand why none of the girls would go out with me. After all, who would want to go out with someone who has no idea of any romantic songs of our time – My eyes were not opened, so to say. The devil still tables “your eyes will be opened” on his proposal of temptation. Were their eyes opened is the question. Yes, but it wasn’t into the deeper things of God, or the glory of God or even into seeing God clearly. Instead, their eyes were opened to their own nakedness. They became defiled!

He further pushes his bid because he knows he has cornered you already. You have been thinking about it for too long. You have stood talking to him for far too long and now he knows he has got you. He says to the woman, “Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” The devil says, “Do you know you can make the rules now?” The world has become one crazy place today. Man has come to the point of playing God now. You tell people what they are doing is wrong and you will be amazed the number of seemingly justifiable reasons they will give for their acts. Man is preaching more of self-actualization and will-power than the sustenance of God. Planning is good; thinking is excellent. As a matter of fact, God desires that we plan and think. However, He expects us to retain Him in our Knowledge. God expects us to remember that it is He who gives us power to make wealth [Duet. 8:18]. It is Him who chooses kings, makes and unmakes the rich and the poor [Pro.]. He is the master builder of the universe and our lives [Psa. 127:1]. Man speaks as though we determine the days and the night and the seasons. As a result of this, God has judged this world. Today the world is full of immorality and evil [Rom. 1:21-32]. Ye shall be gods has become the downfall of man.

To Be Continued

Ato Ghansah: The Lots of Many Little Things - Ctd

Ato Ghansah: The Lots of Many Little Things - Ctd: "“The bird never threw away any strand it brought”. Life is full of many unexpected ‘strands’. Sometime..."

The Lots of Many Little Things - Ctd

“The bird never threw away any strand it brought”. Life is full of many unexpected ‘strands’. Sometimes we pick a strand with all excitement only to realize later that it was nothing close to what we expected. The job we were so crazy about suddenly has become the one we dread to dress up in the morning to go to. The relationship has become sour; the children have become disobedient, the sweet angel for a wife has become sassy. And usually all we want to do is to throw the unwanted bits away and go looking for new ones. When the halcyon days come, we want to live and re-live them for the rest of our lives. Yet, when the disappointment, shame, pain and failure come, we quickly want to push it down into the earth like they never happened. But every lesson in life is important for our growth especially if God is on your side [Rom. 8:28]. When we learn to treat success and failure the same not necessarily over indulging in any of them, we will transform our lives greatly. The truth about a thing may be far from what and how you envisioned it to be. But do not quit; do not dispose of it; learn from it and make good of it as much as you can. Did you know that the intensity of strain on the string of the bow though can break it yet it is the same strain that determines how far its arrows go? Your strain can propel you.   

The bird sang while it worked. Make a conscious effort to keep a happy face in life. Life is not all that sad like you want the whole world to know. You may not be enthusiastic about your job, family, wife, friends or even your country or tribe, but try not to make it worse than it looks. Minimize the complaint and the murmurs if you can’t stop entirely. Someone’s case is always worse than yours. Your wife may cook as a chef and commits love with you like a log. Well, appreciate it because someone’s bargain is worse. There is a little good even in the worse kind of person in this life. Keep a smile, it gives your hope. Keep the little hope; it will give you faith. Keep the faith; it will be your purchasing power to the things you hope to see. Sometimes it is hard to smile in the midst of cacophony, but remember, in life we win some and we lose some. That only makes us humans.

“Little by Little it built it nest”. Frankly speaking, it was hard to figure out what the bird was trying to do initially if you didn’t know it was building a nest. The start was ugly, scanty, disorganized and hopelessly appalling. But the finish was something beyond my comprehension. I believe life usually start like that. We mostly start something which looks almost impossible to accomplish and has no beauty around it. Yet, when we stick with it, the end thereof is more glorious than the beginning. Most companies with outstanding reputations and brands today failed so many times. When the spark came, they just couldn’t stop but to shine. We must learn to start small and never despise the humble beginnings. Most people I see today are too greedy and covetous. They want to be established so quickly they never realize the opportunities staring at them in the faces. Have you thought and realized that the only job which you start from the top is digging the grave? You have to work your way to the top but steadily and gradually. “Who has despised the days of small things?” [Zac. 4:10].

“It just tore it off and flew away”. After several years of hard work, we finally begin to see a glimpse of the vision that was so far-fetched. We begin to celebrate to the impending victory. We sigh and pat our backs a little to a good job done. Then without warning, we lose everything we had worked for. Sometimes a reputation which took us years to build becomes soiled and lost by one malicious and untrue rumor. After struggling hard to establish a company, they decided to lay you off. The person you gave your all to and sacrifice so much to see a better relationship suddenly turns their back on you. What do we do? Give up and fold our hands to watch time pass by? Many people are lost to the background not because they didn’t do anything in this life. No! As a matter of fact, they tried harder than most of their contemporaries. Their failure was in their inability to rise up from the ashes. They couldn’t shake the dust off. They turned themselves into inconsolable lot and just fizzled out of existence. They couldn’t enter into a new relationship because they were still in the shadows of the old.

The biggest threat in our lives is stagnation. If we stop dead in our tracks; we become outdated, we fizzle out and we die. Most people are not failures; they are simply not good at bouncing back. They stick like a glue-ball. One billionaire lost 43% of his investment and he threw himself under a train. I looked at Japan and I say, “Since world war II, this has been their worst disaster ever. If they are not able to bounce back from this fall, a country which loans to America will suddenly be begging from Ghana”.

Amongst the numerous writings of Rudyard Kipling was one which won him the greatest fame. He wrote a poem entitled 'If'. In the poem he said,

“ . . . If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

If we could only learn to start all over again just as this bird did without loosing our values and integrity, indeed, the world will be ours.

All through out the building, the bird had no support from any of the birds. Neither did I think it looked unto another for help. It was independent. We live in a terrible culture where dependency is seen everywhere. We wait on people to help us with everything. When they refuse to do, we go about with gloom, cursing and saying "If I had been helped . . ."? At one time, it is our parent; the next, our cousins, next our bosses and so on. This must stop somewhere. You cannot waste your life by waiting on people's help, because mostly they will not. I learnt my lesson long ago.

There were many little things I have loved to tell you. I however pray that this will bless you enough.  

Ato Ghansah: The Lots of Many Little Things

Ato Ghansah: The Lots of Many Little Things: "Do you remember the story of the bird which worked from scratch till a huge nest was in place. Here goes the lot of the many little things I..."