Temptation Sympathize

For those of you who have, or are fighting against some addiction or struggle, you fully understand the draw and pain it is when you face temptation. It’s a war, and for many they fight temptation and then just give in because they are tired of dealing with the battle. A lot of time when the temptation comes we feel like God checks out on us, and that He doesn’t help us when we are faced with temptation. We cry out to God when we are being tempted, we go to the Word and the temptation gets greater. Why? We are in a spiritual battle and the enemy wants us to be defeated. The Bible doesn’t talk a lot about the temptations’ Jesus’ faced, but after Jesus was baptized by John, Matthew 4:1 says, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” If you read through verse 11 of Matthew 4 we know that Jesus withstood the temptation of the devil. From there on it looks like Jesus never was tempted again. The Gospel’s doesn’t talk about Jesus’s temptation after the wilderness. However in Hebrew’s 4 it does talk again about Jesus and the temptations’ He faced. Hebrews 4: 14-15 says, “Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Jesus has been tempted as we are. Let that sink in. Jesus has been tempted as we are. What ever struggle you battle with, Jesus fully understands the battle and how hard it is. The enemy didn’t give up on Jesus after that fist encounter in the wilderness. The enemy came after Jesus and came after Him hard. Jesus understands the battle, he understands the pull, and He knows how hard it is for us. The battle is in our mind, this is where the enemy attacks. The enemy tells us that God has check out, and doesn’t care, or that we will never have freedom so it’s really not worth fighting. Look at verse 16 of Hebrews 4, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” We have access to God’s throne room, where we can receive God’s help. Don’t listen to the enemy he will tell you otherwise. Draw near to Jesus who knows and understands and can sympathize with us, because He was attacked more than we ever will know.