TEMPTATIONS AND DISTRACTIONS seem more alluring during times when we’re “on empty…”

In the press of life, if there aren’t sufficient and appropriate escapes, we become susceptible to unsuitable ones.

In Luke 4, Jesus gives us a lesson in life essentials.  Concerning His marathon forty-day fast, the biblical account says:  “He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry.  And the devil said to Him…” (Luke 4:2-3).

It’s no accident that the Evil One came calling in our Savior’s moment of human vulnerability.  That’s his usual plan of attack.  That’s Temptation 101.  The adversary lurks in the shadows of vulnerable moments in our lives.  Like an uncomplaining sniper squatting in a darkened second-story room, he squints patiently into his high-powered scope, waiting for an opportune time to squeeze off a shot at his unsuspecting target.

We all need emotional steam valves to let off pressure.  When the stresses of life press in, if we can’t equalize the pressure, the external weight overwhelms us.  Without appropriate ways to fill our tanks, we become prone to unhealthy substitutes.  Affairs, casual pornography, excessive alcohol, prescription medication, or illicit drugs–all are counterfeit stand-ins that lure us into unhealthy, tragic choices.  Wayne Cordeiro, “Finding the Still Waters,” Leading On Empty, 94

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

Mike Benson