Matthew 4:1: “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”  Give in to what?  Giving in to temptation which results in sin.  If the greatest leader of all time, Jesus Christ, was presented all types of temptations by the enemy why do we think that we will not also be tempted?  We will be and that is a part of life, living and leading.  It is also a principle of spiritual maturity.  We need to understand that the devil’s temptations to Jesus were even greater than those we face.  Satan knew Scripture and tried to use it against Jesus.  But Jesus knew Scripture, used it and more importantly obeyed it.  The devil tempted Jesus in three areas: 1) Physical needs and desires, 2) Power and possessions and 3) Pride.  Satan will tempt us in all three of these areas as he has done since his encounter with Adam and Eve in the garden.  No one of us is safe from sin until we get to heaven.

It is clear from history, Biblical accounts and daily media stories that the enemy often uses two areas of temptation to take a Christian man and leader down.  These are sexual and business/money attacks.  He knows a man’s areas of weakness and how to use deception and lies to place the temptations before us.  He also knows when to attack like he did with Jesus who was hungry, lonely and tired from his forty days in the wilderness.  We need to understand the acronym of HALT:  Hungry, Angry, Lonely and Tired.  Our enemy uses these times in our lives to throw temptations in our path.  These are the times when we are most vulnerable to give in.  If your work requires you to travel a lot, you are a prime candidate for his attacks.  Our example in how to not give in is clearly Jesus.  We must hide God’s Word in our hearts and obey it and the Holy Spirit who lives in us.  I promise you that we know what is right and wrong, so it becomes a simple matter of courage, integrity and obedience.  Jesus knows what you are facing, so trust him because He always promises a way out.  So, take it in obedience and don’t give in.