BEWARE OF TEMPTATION’S TRAPS

Early in the year I had a Nutria that was doing significant damage to my shoreline by digging it away. I bought a trap and baited it to try to catch this rodent so I could transport it to a more favorable home. I never caught the Nutria, but I did catch my little sweet puppy, Millie.

One morning I was on our pier, close to the trap and was reading. I noticed that Millie noticed the trap and began sniffing around the front of the trap where the bait, left over grilled chicken, had been placed to attract rodents. Millie is no rodent, but she began acting like a wild, undomesticated animal would act, sniffing and contemplating whether to enter the strange opening with wire sides on three sides. I watched as she walked around all four sides, sniffing and looking. Then she went to the back of the trap and looked in at the stale, left over piece of grilled chicken. It looked good, it smelled good, but what about this small opening? What about these wired sides, floor, ceiling and both sides? She walked around the outside again looking, smelling, then came back to the small opening. She took one step inside, looked and smelled, and then carefully backed out. Did she realize it was a trap? Maybe so! She walked away. Good! No…now she has turned back, now she goes back to the opening and steps carefully in one step…two steps…looks, smells…then proceeds a few more steps and bends her neck down and begins eating. She doesn’t move, she gulps down the whole grilled breast and licks her lips.

Now what? Can she back out without setting the trap? She tries to turn, but there isn’t enough room. She takes a step back, right onto the traps trigger. The trap door slams behind her and she begins to jump and flail like a wild animal caught in a trap. I approached her and call her name. She calms down and sits looking at the door, with head down.

Temptation is an ongoing experience for those who follow Jesus, no matter how new or mature they may be in their faith. Satan set his first trap in the garden of Eden, a tree that was delightful to the eyes, displaying fruit beautiful to behold and obviously tasteful to the palate. Did Adam and Eve know it was off limits, that there would be consequences if they reached out and picked it and ate it? Yes, very clearly.

Genesis 2:16–17 (ESV): "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”  

But it looked so attractive to the eyes, appealing to the taste and listening to the serpent’s lies, so satisfying to the ego. Rather than immediately walking away from the tree, they hung around a while. What harm could there be to just gazing at the beauty, imagining the taste, dreaming of unlimited knowledge? They think to themselves, “Yes God did say something about this tree, but did He actually mean what He said?” They listened to the Serpents interpretation of what God said:

Genesis 3:1–5 (ESV):  “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 

She listened to the immediate, compelling voice and words of the serpent, yielding to the desires of the flesh and pride of life and took a piece and ate just one bite.  There was no immediate consequence so she offered it to Adam. Adam took it, looked at it and ate it also. They were both more in tune to present, deceptive voice, to the attraction of the beautiful fruit, the savory flavor, and the short cut to knowledge than the sure warning and word of God.  The trap door shut, they were snared in the first sin.

The spiritual and physical devastation of this one choice was not only experienced by Adam and Eve, but has impacted all of humanity till the present day.  Temptations often seem insignificant but result in catastrophic impact on all of life, including spiritual closeness, physical health, relational intimacy, and emotional well-being.

Think you are beyond or above the traps of temptation, think again.  Jesus, the most spiritually whole, perfect man to ever walk on this earth, faced intense temptation at the beginning of his ministry, that serves as a warning for the common, unrelentless temptations that all of us face.  

Luke 4:1–15 (ESV):  And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’ ” 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written,  “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God,  and him only shall you serve.’ ”  9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,  “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,  to guard you,’  11 and  “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up,  lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”  12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.   14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.  

We can learn much about temptations traps through observing these three temptations:

• Turn Stones into Bread, was a temptation of…
  • the lust of the flesh (1 John 2:16a)
  • appetite: need and satisfaction
  • Fear-“Ill never have enough.”
  • Consumerism,-biggest challenge to discipleship.
• Worship the devil, was a temptation of…
  • the lust of the eyes (1 John 2:16c).
  • ambition: weakness and strength
  • guilt-“I’ll never accomplish enough”
  • Competition-biggest threat to mission
• Jump off the temple was a temptation of…
  • the pride of life (1 John 2:16b).
  • approval: rejection and acceptance
  • Shame-“I’ll never be enough.
  • Celebrity Status-biggest challenge to leadership*

*The bullet points under each of the three temptations are taught in the Younique Gospel Centered Life planning process in Journey 1, pages 35-37.

Jesus overcame each of these temptations through knowing and naming God’s truth in opposition to each lie. Through his death on the cross and resurrection He has given us the power to defeat any temptation we face.

In regard to Appetite, Jesus becomes needy…

so we can become Satisfied.

In regard to Ambition, Jesus becomes week…

so we can be Strong.

In regard to Approval, Jesus becomes rejected…

so we can become Accepted.

Younique, Journey 1, p. 37

You will face the trap of temptation many times as you progress on your earthly journey. Consider the following warnings:

John 10:10 (ESV): The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.  

1 Peter 5:8 (ESV): Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 

Proverbs 1:10–19 (ESV): 10 My son, if sinners entice you,  do not consent.  11 If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood;  let us ambush the innocent without reason;  12 like Sheol let us swallow them alive,  and whole, like those who go down to the pit;  13 we shall find all precious goods,  we shall fill our houses with plunder;  14 throw in your lot among us;  we will all have one purse”—  15 my son, do not walk in the way with them;  hold back your foot from their paths,  16 for their feet run to evil,  and they make haste to shed blood.  17 For in vain is a net spread  in the sight of any bird,  18 but these men lie in wait for their own blood;  they set an ambush for their own lives.  19 Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain;  it takes away the life of its possessors.  

Thankfully, just as Jesus was able to face each temptation and escape, God has given us the means to face temptation and not be trapped. Consider these encouraging promises:

1 Corinthians 10:13 (ESV): No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.  

Hebrews 4:14–16 (ESV):  14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  

2 Peter 2:9–10 (ESV): 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority.  Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, 

The best way to avoid those subtle and not so subtle traps of temptation to sin is to avoid them, not see how close you can get and not get trapped. Paul instructed his disciple, Timothy,

2 Timothy 2:22–26 (ESV): 22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23 Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25 correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.  

Temptation’s Trap:

Sin will take you further than you ever intended to go.

Sin will keep you longer than you ever intended to stay.

Sin will make you pay for more than you ever intended to pay.

Common, author unknown