I Want to Feel That

“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights He fasted and became very hungry. During this time the devil came and said to Him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.’” - Matthew 4:1-3 
 
When it comes to temptation, we have the ultimate example set before us. Jesus, both fully God and fully human, came to earth and was tempted in the same ways we are. Over 2,000 years have passed since then, and Satan’s strategies have not changed. He uses the same three things to appeal to us now as He did back then.

Satan tempted Jesus three times, all appealing to different things. They are the same things he tempts us with now. The first is physical temptation. It is a desire to feel something. Satan makes us think, “I want to feel that.”  

Matthew 4:1-3 tells us how Satan tempted Jesus; “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights He fasted and became very hungry. During this time the devil came and said to Him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.’”
 
But Jesus responded beautifully when He said in verse 4, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”  

What Jesus was saying counters what so many of us do as sinners. What Jesus tells him is, look, it’s not all about physical pleasures. Satisfaction comes through honoring and obeying God.
 
The problem for many of us is that “satisfaction” isn’t always immediate. We reap what we sow. But you sow after you reap. Physical pleasure is often immediate. That is what Satan was offering Jesus, immediate pleasure. Jesus could “feel it” now.

But Jesus chose delayed gratification by choosing to honor God. This tactic is no different than what Satan offers now. He will tempt you with a desire to say, “I want to feel that.” But be careful and you aren’t choosing instant gratification over the long-term reward of honoring God through obedience.