October 25, 2020
I'm constantly inspired by the deep wisdom of Jesus, and also currently captivated by his extraordinary transformation following a forty-day stint of fasting, reportedly in a rugged mountain wilderness location near the Jordan River. It was after this experience that Jesus returned to Galilee an entirely new man (for just a hint of the power of this type of fasting protocol, I recommend you read the book Atomic Power With God) and commenced performing a host of impressive miracles.
But Jesus' time in the wilderness went far beyond the simple act of solitude and fasting. Matthew 4:3-10 describes the extreme temptations from Satan that Jesus faced during this time:
“And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”
But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
While it may seem as though these temptations may have been unique to the son of God, they are actually an identical reflection of the three distinct temptations every one of us mere humans face on a near-daily basis.
The Lust Of The Flesh
The first temptation that Jesus faced was the “lust of the flesh”—in this case, the desire for food (“If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.”).
From the dawn of time, humankind has had to deal with this lust of the flesh, most notably beginning with the Garden of Eden, in which Adam and Eve were tempted by the fruits from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This lust of the flesh is a temptation to derive physical pleasure from an attachment or an otherworldly object that isn't necessarily “bad” in and of itself (after all, God created all things for good), but if used in a dishonorable way or accompanied by addiction can certainly be problematic.
These lusts can range from food and supplements to medications and drugs to exercise and sex to social media and television. For me personally, examples of lusts of the flesh that I must deal with on a daily basis include food, plant medicines such as marijuana, attractive women, and escapism through physical activity and exercises. You can learn about how those types of temptations nearly derailed my entire journey of spiritual fitness in my “Who Am I?” article.
Notably, with this first temptation, and the two that follow after it, I learn from the story of Jesus above exactly what to do when presented with a fleshly attachment, addiction, or temptation. In this case, I can say to Satan when presented with these temptations exactly what Jesus said: “I shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
And where does one find “every word that comes from the mouth of God”? You guessed it: the Bible. If a Bible is near you (or installed on your phone/computer) at all times, you can simply escape to God's word when faced with a temptation of the lust of the flesh, even by doing something as simple as turning to Psalms or Proverbs and simply beginning to read. I tell you more about how to immerse yourself in God's word here.
The Lust Of The Eyes
The lust of the eyes is a second temptation Jesus faced, in this case the offer for unfettered access to kingdoms, cities, wealth, all the world's riches and beyond (the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”)
Beginning again in the Garden of Eden, in which the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was “pleasant to the eyes” to Adam and Eve, each of us also face a temptation of the lust of the eyes on a daily basis. This can include coveting our neighbor's spouse, children, family, or belongings; consumption of pornography; desiring others’ material possessions or wealth and status; being envious of the body or lifestyle someone is displaying on Instagram or Facebook; or wishing we could have the souped-up car, motorcycle, or bicycle pulled up next to us at the stoplight.
I'll admit that I'm constantly pulled towards a bit of “grass is always greener” syndrome—wishing I had someone else's house, life, belongings, body, wisdom, or unique skills, and often tempted towards discontentedly casting my own eyes upon the visual appeal and anticipation of ownership of these things as I'm washed over with feelings of desire and anticipated pleasure from something somebody else has that I don't.
Yet in the same way that dwelling upon God's word can save us from the lust of the flesh, the simplicity of Scripture offers us an “out” when we are tempted with the lust of the eyes. What did Jesus tell Satan when Satan tempted him with the lust of the eyes?
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”
That's right: All you need is to be able to worship God and a relationship of deep union with God to resist the temptation of the lust of the eyes. You can read here how to develop your union with God, so that you can turn to Him in worship, trust, and dependence when you are confronted with anything from porn on your smartphone to your neighbor's spiffy new lawnmower. It's that simple.
The Pride Of Life
The final temptation we all-too-often face is the pride of life (Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,' and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”)
No surprises here: This was also one of the first temptations humankind faced when Adam and Eve desired to be wise by partaking of the forbidden fruit. The pride of life is a temptation for greatness, power, fame, glory, knowledge, and the superior lifestyle that we all feel the constant urge to attain at all costs—not for God's glory, but for our own glory. This can include a desire to get credit or glory for any great thing we accomplish (rather than being content if nobody notices but God), a desire for others to hold us in high esteem so we can “make a name for ourselves,” a desire to feel more valued or more important than others around us, or to be put into positions of power over others in a way that puffs up our own ego for the sake of bragging rights.
I like to think of this temptation as “politician syndrome,” as I see it displayed amongst many power-hungry politicians, but also amongst executives and hard-charging, high-achievers who aren't pursuing glory for the sake of magnifying God, but rather for the sake of magnifying themselves.
And how did Jesus deal with this temptation? He simply said to Satan: “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” In other words, when you are tempted towards greatness for greatness' sake, turn to God and acknowledge that He is Almighty and you are merely a creation that He designed to bring glory to Him. Who are you to test God as to whether He is God or you are god? So remind yourself the next time you are tempted towards the pride of life that there is only one God, it's not you, and your greatest calling is to glorify God, and not yourself.
Summary
Like Jesus, we all face the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. But in a very simple and easy-to-understand way, Matthew 4:3-10 tells us exactly how to resist these temptations: Read the Bible, worship God, and acknowledge His greatness.
Furthermore, 1 Corinthians 10:13 tell us that:
“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”
That's right: God promises us that no matter how hard a temptation is, He will always provide an escape route. With God’s word constantly saturating our minds and hearts, we can resist, for we know that the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any double-edged sword. My prayer for you on this day is that God would deliver you from temptation, and that this short read will give you the three mighty tools you need to do just that.
How about you? What temptations do you face? What have you found to be helpful for keeping you on the straight and narrow path? Leave your questions, comments, and feedback below. I read them all.
Just one point on when the devil took Jesus to a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, before declaring to him,
“All these I will give you, if you do an act of worship to me”.
This is a blatant admission from Satan himself, that he owns all the kingdoms of the world, and was in a position to offer them all to Jesus, in an attempt to break his integrity by getting him to abandon God in exchange for this deal with the devil.
Had they not been Satan’s to offer, Jesus would have at once refuted this, but he didn’t. In fact, Jesus knew that he would be given global rulership at God’s due appointed time (at Armageddon) and on God’s own terms (for Jesus to act as facilitator in reconciling man to God, transforming earth from satanic ruin to divine paradise), before handing it all back to God at the end of Christ’s millenial rule under God’s Kingdom.
Therefore, this (plus Christ’s command in John 17 for his followers to “not be part of the world”, as well as Jesus’ refusal for the people to make him King at John 6:15) should be an alarm bell warning for people purporting to be followers of Christ – particularly at ‘election time’, when the people are asked to endorse one particular candicate over another, but which still serve as puppets in Satan’s global system of things.
The challenge is this – if they vote, they make themselves part of the world, thus receiving the ‘mark’ of satan’s policital wild beast. And if they refuse to be part of this endorsement process, they preserve their vote for God’s Kingdom, thus foregoing this system in favour of the post-Armageddon global rulership of Christ.
I know it’s a small point, and sometimes it can be missed by many the world over, but it is a tremendously important one to make, as a reminder to all those conscious of their spiritual need towards Christ’s way of doing things, less the system’s peer-pressure overwhelms them into missing it altogether.
But why was the devil, and his followers, not jettisoned? Why were their programs not erased from existence? Satan had the “right” to his way. Why? Because he must realize he is wrong. Satan will be forgiven after he is released from the bottomless pit. That is Christs way. How much time will all that take? Longer than a human life. The Lord can be at work in the lives of the wicked. Even if it does not seem like it to us. Slow generational progress could be significant and rapid in God time. That is why we are told to “Forgive them for they know not what they do.”
We should be affirming where God is at work. Keeping the abominable in check.
Total isolation from the wicked world does not work. “Even on Earth as it is in heaven.” You will find a great deal of interaction between God and Satan. The angles and Satan. In the scriptures, it is a normal occurrence. Just as, during these interactions, God and the angles are not part of hell. So can we live in satanic ruin and not be part of it.
you say some interesting stuff, and some makes sense. Yes there are alot of evil people that may repent one day and be forgiven. But the bible does not teach that Satan will be released from the bottomless pit. Not everyone will repent and be saved. Only those whose names are written in the Book of Life.
true Scott. the book of Revelation says that the dragon or Satan, the beast or Anti-christ will be cast into the lake of fire, whose smoke rises continually. God does not judge fallen angels the way he judges mankind. We are different ontologically.
This is some really good shit brother Benjamin.
And perfect timing…
Keep them Sabbath ramblings coming…🙏
See u in TN.
Is there anything wrong with a sexy stoner? ;)
– “For me personally, examples of lusts of the flesh that I must deal with on a daily basis include food, plant medicines such as marijuana, attractive women, and escapism through physical activity and exercises”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_4oMTjHH4Q&ab_channel=YuriChiucconi (Mellow Mood – Bob Markey)
not stoned in Nelson, BC
Ben, I have to say that I NEVER personally struggle with any of these three temptations. LOL
Seriously, I LOVED this week’s message – what awesome, practical and helpful insight into this narrative that besets us all – on a daily basis.
Your “Sabbath Ramblings” have become from the get-go an important and valued part of my weekly body/mind/spirit edification regime, for which I am so very grateful.
And your choice of timely and timeless topics – are pertinent to us all!
Thank you so much for using your unique and privileged platform to share this much-needed spiritual enrichment that we ALL thirst for…
You’ve tapped into the true “water of life” and are freely and compellingly sharing it with us all!
This is not just “life enhancement” stuff, but truly, what is ultimately necessary to “life in all its fullness”.
Keep up the good fight my friend!
You keep up the good fight at world vision as well my friend.
Watching your spiritual maturity over this period of “quarantine” has been nothing short of amazing. Praise God to see you using your platform to help bring others to the Kingdom. I read the entire”New Testament” over quarantine and I will never be the same again. Reading Gods word everyday will change you from the inside out. It will not only change who you are ; it will change who you want to be. I can truly see that in your life now. Amen!
I have thought the same thing about Ben. God is always at work!
Thank you Ben for being bold and courageous in your Christian faith. It’s inspiring to hear about other Christian men’s struggles. Nonetheless knowing that we aren’t earning our way by our own works, but by thru grace alone, through faith alone, through Christ alone we are redeemed against our many struggles of sin. When you mediate on that truth, it’s awe inspiring his love for us.
Thank you again.
Hey Ben,
Not a Christian, but believe the universe gives us what we need at the time when we need it most. Thank you for your post. Recently found myself alone after 25 years with my husband — also a “grass is greener” guy. Your perspective makes me realize that its more than just cliche, it is a human flaw. Too bad no everyone takes the escape rout that is always an option to keep their integrity. Sometimes, doing the right thing is the hard thing — thats often how we know it is the right thing.
But mostly, I wanted to commend you for speaking about the challenges of being a good human – not as sexy or as exciting as being a fit human. Say it louder for those in the back of the room.
C
C – sounds like a God is beginning to knock on the door of your heart. For many people it is a process coming to Jesus. I challenge you to go on YouTube and listen to a recent message by Levi Lusko callEd “the things legends are made of”. It was one of the best messages that I have heard in a long time and also one of the best defenses for the validity of the Gospel story.
Hi Ben, I usually don’t read your articles, but the Holy Spirit lead me to yours today. I’m writing you because I know the HS wants me to share the following. You have a tremendous platform to increase God’s Kindom! We either live whole heartedly for God or Satin’s Kingdom.
You can be greatly used to glorify God … but it’s your choice… God always gives us a choice.
As followers of Jesus and children of God, we are anointed and called to fight against the Kingdom of this world. Matthew 16
Watch the video on utube by Isaiah Saldivar on “How Jesus cast out demons”. Goes over what you mentioned in your article today and more.
Also read the following books:
“Armed and Dangerous” the Ultimate Battle Plan” by John Ramirez (who was a very high ranked Satanist…. gave his life to the Lord, and gives specific prayers and I insight of the devils schemes.
“The Vision” by Rick Joyner…. gives remarkable insight of the spirit realm.
“Issuing Devine Restraining Orders from the Courts of Heaven” by Dr. Francis Myles about our authority as sons and daughters of God to go before the courts of Heaven with Jesus as our advocate.
And finally listen to Graham Cooke’s videos on our identity in Christ …. he is an excellent teacher on our true Identity … very funny and amazing testimony.
I wouldn’t be writing you if the Holy Spirit wasn’t telling me to .. but He is!!!!
I want to hear from our Father “faithful servant”… and I know you do too. It is the only thing that isn’t burned … what we do for His Kingdom.
God gave me my spiritual name Lorelei after an extremely difficult choice… I chose to live fully for God… forsaking the pleasures of this world. It is beyond words the Love He has for us!!!
My name means “song of Elijah”.. song if God that I would sing my Song to increase the Kingdom instead of bringing destruction to those if I chose the other…
God bless you with His abundance goodness
Lorelei
I can see the lusts of the flesh has the greatest pull for me, although the others stronger a lot earlier in my life. I’m learning that as we become aligned with who we are as a human, a person with purpose, that which we were created with [note, the purpose we were created with*, not a purpose we were created “for”, (as an acceptor of Christ, we are all created “for” the same purpose, to go and make disciples)]. As we become aligned with the purpose we were created with, we become more content within ourself and our life, regardless of the circumstances, and regardless of all the things we don’t have (according to things we envy for). This post of yours has me thinking…. Of which, I am connecting the dots as I write this comment… It’s now, more strongly, habitual behaviour (of lists of the flesh) that my sin can be seen.
Although, we can strive to be Christ like, we will never be Christ, otherwise there’d have been no need for Christ in the first place, and as humans, our sinful nature, that being the the nature of flesh is sinful, we can never resist all temptation as Jesus Christ did, although we do have God’s Holy Spirit living in us, giving us eternal life. This is just a matter of keeping daily checks and measures because we will never be as Holy as Christ, but only draw near to God through Jesus Christ by His Holy Spirit. This is truly a profound revelation (or reminder) that loving and forgiving oneself is equally as important as loving and forgiving others.
Keeping it simple always helps me..! Proverbs says not to even reason about doing a evil thing or not, says not to even think about it all, and walk away from it. When I read that not to long ago it was a really big Ah-ha moment. Where as in the past I’d always feel like I had to wrestle with my thoughts and feelings and think myself into a place of agreeing with righteousness. But it is so much easier to just drop the thought completely and walk away from the situation before the desire to fight sin leads to stirring up the desire to sin, at least that’s how it goes for me. Thank you for digging into all these awesome topics Ben..! Much blessings to you brother!
Ben your transparency and love for the word of God is both refreshing and inspiring. I’m 45 in December and was saved and became a Christian at 24. It’s been a hard road of temptation and the one thing that finally delivered me of many stumblings and frustrations was reading the WORD OF GOD. It really is that simple! And falling in love with my Savior and King Jesus! To know Him is to love and grow into spiritual maturity! It took years to find a home church that promotes reading the Word daily and not just listen to weekly sermons! Like eating food we need the Word of God daily! Like all day! Anyway, I’m clearly preaching to the choir but I hope you know how important your message and sharing truly is. It’s a blessing straight from Heaven and reminds me that I need to share how absolutely exciting the Word of God is with all those around me. God bless you Ben.
You know Ben, I don’t read your blog posts that often — it surprises me how informative and captivating they are every time I do though
Anyways, Al Hamdu Le Allah that you started sharing how you freely interpret the words of the Bible to the context of your life
For about the past 2 years or so, I’ve been reading the Quran and noting down how I’ve interpreted certain Ayat to apply to my life and to certain scenarios when I’m in desperate need of guidance
I’ve only shared my thoughts with friends and family so far
But I currently think that it’s valuable for everyone to openly share what they suddenly understood about a religious text in terms of their life
How it positively shifted our perspective after/during an uncomfortable scenario or How we gained inspiration from it — what was that inspiration?
So Al Hamdu Le Allah for letting me find you, a good example on someone being open about sharing their new lens on how you perceive life
I’m going to be more open too with everyone about what Allah had blessed me in discovery as i applied the lens of Quran to my life
Thank you
Peace be upon you
I do not follow musicians, pop stars, actors celebrities nor any famous people, but through well considered articles like this and fantastic information like what’s inside Boundless I can proudly say that I follow Ben Greenfield
Thanks Ben for this insightful post.
I Really don’t think God cares if you call Sabath Sunday or Saturday or even Wednesday. It’s my understanding God wants us to have a day off from work to come together w family, friends or alone , a time to rest , reflect and pray . Similarly , if Thrive Market supports BLM – then Horray ! God tells us to treat others as we wish to be treated and this is the spirit of the movement . It never ceases to amaze me how some folks miss the point and complicate the simple simple Messages of God. Thanks Ben for sticking by your beliefs – and sharing all you know and continue to learn !
Thanks Ben, I appreciate your honesty in your struggles with different temptations. That honesty helps as we are all on the journey of sanctification as we deal with daily struggles but hopefully mature in time. With some temptations we have to name it, confront it, confess it and move on. Other times, with lust of the flesh, we just need to run! 2Timothy 2:22. Thanks for these weekly messages!
How many pictures have you posted on Social Media with your shirt off emphasizing the flesh or aesthetics of the flesh? Perhaps this is the equivalent of females that constantly post themselves in bikinis in provocative positions. Many men and women do this in the name of promoting fitness, selling fitness products or ads, or to pump up their ego through “likes” and comments.
No one expects to be your perfect. We all have our own degrees of vanity and conflicting behaviors including myself. I am just pointing out that your behavior may contradict your message.
I suppose this would be accurate if it were causing people to lust, in the same way that me having a cocktail at a steakhouse may cause any alcoholic sitting near me to “stumble”. But that is not the intention, and if you talk to my mom she will tell you that from the time I was a little boy I just didn’t wear a shirt. I’ve always been a minimalist with clothing, not for show…just comfort and ease. :) If someone finds themselves lusting when visiting my website, then probably best to “cut off that hand that sins” and not visit.
I was looking at it from more of a vanity perspective
The muscle flexing and / or pics taken after a workout might be more of a “pride” issue within. I was guessing that pride of the flesh may be antithetical to biblical teachings, but I can’t say that I have studied the bible, so maybe my guessing is off base.
Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with people promoting themselves in skimpy or no clothing, whether the basis for such lack of clothing is minimalism, pride / ego, to induce lust, or to sell products or services, or all of the foregoing. To each their own, as long they do not physically harm or verbally assault others.
To Brad and Ben. I see both sides of this argument. But to make a point. Fitness is Ben’s profession. So a shirt off now and again makes him alittle credible. And God knows our intentions and our heart.
At 73 years of age, I have ascertained the best “armor” against those wilderness temptations Jesus faced is a good dose several times per year of reading through Ecclesiastes, which so poignantly depicts an elder Solomon at the end of his life lamenting his having denied himself none of what Jesus resisted above and you articulate well. Ecclesiastes, now a much wiser Solomon through life-experience, posits life in perspective, avoiding a nihilistic worldview through his coda: “Glorify God by enjoying Him forever.”
I have been a lifelong “christian” Ben I am now in my 6th decade. I have in those years never gotten a response from ANYONE to show me where in scripture that Sunday is the sabbath? It’s not there Ben.
While I am here I want to call you out on your support of Thrive Market and their support of BLM. At first I thought I misheard you. I had to listen 3 times before I believed you actually said that. You may be brilliant in the realm of health Ben, but in understating what is going on the the world you get a resounding fail. You have no clue about how dumbed down you have been made, and are “useful idiot” when it comes to how the world works.
http://missourifreepress.com/2020/08/16/is-treaso…
Hi Joe:
When you call an individual a “useful idiot” or “dumb,” your language does not sound very christian. Is not “kindness” a tenet of Christianity. Do you think Jesus would use that language?
BLM is viewed as an anti-racist organization. To the extent there are some bad actors in BLM, one should not condemn all of BLM. Likewise, to the extent that there are very some bad actors in the Church leadership ( and everyone knows which ones I am talking about), one should not condemn all of Christianity.
To the extent that Thrive may support BLM, I am sure it’s because they believe it to be an anti-racism organization.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabbath
‘You have no clue about how dumbed down you have been made, and are “useful idiot” when it comes to how the world works”.
This was not necessary Joe!!!!
Thanks, Ben, for your inspiration and authentic sharing. These three temptations really define most of the struggles and challenges we face on a daily basis. Your concise and yet simple explanation and application bring it home to each of us in a way that is real and practical. Keep up the great service to all those who valued your counsel and approach to life. Appreciate you very much, brother.
Fantastic read. I wish other platforms were so emboldened to write of The Word of God. Thank you, again. And, God Bless.
Thank you Ben for this article. One of my favorite scriptures for fighting temptation is James 4:7–“Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Have a beautiful, blessed Sunday!
“…Draw neigh to God and He will draw neigh to thee.”
I have this one on my wall❤️
Keep it up Ben! I’m so encouraged by your courage to share the Gospel from this platform. I loved your content and podcasts before but I do now more than ever!
Thanks for these insights! I believe we all struggle with the exact things you outline. Sometimes it ebbs and flows between categories, depending on what life throws at you! I made a goal 4.5 years ago to read scripture every morning, first thing, to put on the metaphorical Armor of God. It has strengthened my mental, spiritual, emotional and physical resolve on many levels. I’ve missed two days since then- once as a chaperone at a wrestling tournament in SLC when I was exhausted and out of sync with my normal routine and the other when we were in the mountains of Idaho with a dead cell phone and no paper scriptures. Interesting that I’d remember both of those instances so clearly. It’s a strategy that for me, really works.
I love it!
Thank you Ben for the lesson, and thank you Andrea for the inspiration, this morning. I’ve noted Ben’s Sabbath Ramblings in my email each week, assuming I would come back to read them but somehow forgetting to do it as I succumb to one temptation or another. Today I was moved to read the message after taking a walk through my neighborhood, ostensibly for my well-being but finding myself admiring and envying this neighbor’s car, that neighbor’s home, another home’s location or entryway and returning to my humble abode feeling dissatisfied and disappointed. I am thankful for the divine intervention which led me to click and read this morning; that small step is righting my path today.