Circumstances

READY:

“The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” – Genèse 3:6

SET:

The first sinless man, Adam, and the second sinless man, Jesus, have one thing in common: they were both tempted. Only one of them didn’t give in and we know this was Jesus. In our verses for today, we see Adam was tempted in the most favorable circumstances imaginable. He lived in the Garden of Eden; his body was perfect, he had access to endless food, he lived in Paradise. And yet, he gave in to temptation and ate the forbidden fruit Satan offered him through Eve.  

Jesus, on the other hand, faced temptation in the worst and most severe of circumstances. In Luke 4:1-4 we get to see what that looked like for him. “Then Jesus left the Jordan, full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over, he was hungry. The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.’ But Jesus answered him, ‘It is written: Man must not live on bread alone.’” Luke wrote this account of Jesus’ temptation. He was a physician so he included a very important detail in verse 2 that shows how severe Jesus’ circumstances were. He hadn’t eaten for forty days and now he was hungry. After such a long fast, feeling hunger shows us that Jesus was beginning to starve. And just at that moment, the enemy came to tempt Him. And yet Jesus persevered and choose to deny His flesh, refusing to sin.

Adam was tempted and sinned in the most perfect circumstances and Jesus was tempted and did not sin in the absolute worst circumstances. Athletes and coaches can often use their circumstances as an excuse to not perform their best or live with integrity. Adam and Jesus both dealt with the same opposer under different circumstances. Jesus challenges us to be faithful regardless of the circumstances. His body was starving, and yet when the enemy tempted Him to turn a stone into a piece of bread, He refused. Who would’ve known? They were in the desert. No one was around. And yet Jesus kept His integrity intact, even when the crowd wasn’t looking. This is the Christ who gives us the strength to do all things (Philippians 4:13). Our circumstances don’t have the power to influence our integrity.

GO:

1. What is your desert place the enemy is trying to tempt you in?

2. How did Jesus defend Himself to the enemy in a time of weakness?

3. What will be your Scripture sword you can use in the desert places as the enemy tempts you? (Ephesians 6:17).

WORKOUT:

OVERTIME: