Tempted like Jesus

“I keep losing my desire to read the scriptures. I’ve just gotta get over this so then I can get the blessings of regular scripture study.”⁣

“I really don’t want to go to church today.”⁣

“I should be kinder to my family members. I need to get my temper under control so there can be more peace at home.”⁣

All of these are little temptations we face each day. ⁣

And guess who faces temptation?⁣

ALL OF US. ⁣

I’ve noticed a pattern in other people that I also totally fall into:

We are pretty comfortable admitting mistakes we’ve already made.

Temptations we’ve faced in the past and how we’ve overcome.

But we have a hard time talking about our current temptations!

Our actual desires to do things wrong. ⁣

But we all are tempted.

In fact, often our “mistakes” or “weaknesses” come as a result of temptations we face.

Totally normal.

Satan doesn’t just stop tempting us because we’ve gotten “good enough”.

He’ll always put things in our path to try to make us lose focus, and sometimes, they work very well. ⁣

And I LOVE that Paul reminds us that we don’t have to defeat these temptations on our own. ⁣

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

We don’t have to get the desire to read scriptures back BEFORE we call on Christ to get blessings. ⁣

Christ was tempted, too!⁣

He knows EXACTLY how it feels to have such strong desires to do things contrary to what we may know better. ⁣

And He can help us in those moments of temptation. ⁣

“Help! I’ve stopped even wanting to read my scriptures! Can you help me get that desire back?”⁣

That can be a little scary to admit sometimes.

Don’t we feel like we want to hide any unrighteous desires from God?⁣

But He knows them all.

He wants to help us. ⁣

And our Savior can do EXACTLY that.

He can help us in the moments that our desires are not what they should be.

He can help succor us in our temptations, if we let him and humble ourselves to ask for that help.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black