Jesus was Tempted

𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗖𝗧

This activity will be like an experiment.   Prepare any ONE of the following: 

A plate of candies, treats or some food with a sign beside i that says “DO NOT EAT”

A box with a sign that says “DO NOT OPEN”.  Feel free to put what you think is appropriate inside. 

Any new item in the house with a sign that says “DO NOT TOUCH”

Feel free to do anything similar 

The idea is to put out something that may spark curiosity among your house members and it may invite them to do the exact opposite of what the sign says.  

Leave the item at a location everyone can see for a specified time ( example, before you go to work).  You can set a time when everyone can be present to process what happened. 

Some questions you can ask: 

What were your initial thoughts when you saw the item with the sign?

Did you obey the sign? Why or why not? ( Honesty system required!  Let your house members divulge whether they obeyed it or not) 

Temptation is wanting to do something you know you are not supposed to do.  In this case, some of you may have been tempted to eat/open the box/touch the item when it clearly says you are not supposed to.  Sometimes it is not really wrong to do the thing itself but it is wrong when we disobey what we are told to do.  

Do you know that Jesus was also tempted? 

𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗗

Let’s read from Luke 4:1-13, when Jesus was in the wilderness and Satan came to tempt him.

4 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” 5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8 And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”  9 And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written,  ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ 11 and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ 12 And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13 And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

At this time. Jesus was weak physically because He had not eaten for 40 days.  Satan came to tempt him with things he was not supposed to do.  And each time, Jesus did not give in. He used God’s word to fight off Satan’s lures. He did not rely on His own physical strength but on the word of God!

Temptations can be a big struggle.  You know you are not supposed to do something yet, you feel it is calling out to you! Whenever we are tempted, know that we can go to Jesus and ask Him to help us overcome! The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:13

13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. .

What an assurance from God, that there is always a way out.  It is not easy but we can always choose to do what is right. Pray to God and read His word everyday.  It will give you the strength to fight your own desires. 

𝗛𝗨𝗗𝗗𝗟𝗘

Parent to Kid

2-6 years old

If you want to eat a cookie (or any of your favorite foods) but you know you should not, what will you do? 

7-12 years old

Share a situation when you were tempted but you resisted. How did you resist? 

Kid to Parent

As a family how can we help each other resist temptations? 

We need to constantly be on guard so we can resist temptations.  How?  By reading the Word of God daily and by consistently applying it in our lives. Another way to resist temptation is to seek God’s help through prayer. We can ask God for the Holy Spirit to guide us to do what is right. And lastly, we can help each other overcome temptations. If you are struggling with something, consider letting your parents or people you trust know so they can help you overcome it. 

𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬

Dear God, please remind us always that You have the power to help us run away from temptation. We pray that no matter how hard it is, we will always remember to come to You to guide us and strengthen us.  Help us to read the Bible daily and to see the way out when we are tempted.  In Jesus' name, amen.

𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗥

Have you ever felt so hungry that you could eat a horse? Some of you may laugh at this phrase because who can eat a horse, right? But this phrase just means that a person is extremely hungry! 

Now, imagine the time when Jesus was in the wilderness.  He was fasting, meaning He had not eaten any food for days.  His body had become weak.  You know what it is like to feel hungry when you eat your meals later than the usual time, right?  Make that 10x or 100x more because Jesus had already not eaten for days.  Maybe if you give him a horse then, he would be able to eat it!  That is how hungry Jesus was!  And Satan chose this time to come and tempt him.   

It must have been easy to just obey Satan so He could eat.  But instead of saying “yes”, Jesus turned to God’s Word and used it to fight the enemy!   

This is the scenario Jesus faced when the enemy came to tempt Him. Sometimes, when we read the Bible, it seems so easy for Jesus to fight the enemy.  But the tricky thing in this situation is that  the enemy used the Word also but for the wrong reasons. The enemy twisted them to tempt Jesus! Jesus’ struggle was so real because He was hungry. But by being grounded with the Word, Jesus knew how to respond in a way that will honor God.

So the next time you face a temptation, think back to this picture of how Jesus fought.  May it remind us to turn to Him to help us through it because He knows what we are going through.