Tag: temptation

DAILY PRAYERS FOR GUYS

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To Fight Temptation

Gracious Lord,
When we take stock of all the battles against temptation that we’ve lost, and how quick we are to surrender, victory always seems so far out of reach. Truly, if left on our own, it would be. But you fought and won the decisive victory against Satan for us. Your victory is our victory.

Instill in us the confidence and resilience to put up a fierce fight when facing temptation. Yes, the devil is relentless, but we are not helpless. Give us your strength to guard our hearts from whatever would poison them and to keep our eyes from being enticed. With our ears, let us hear only what is good and noble, whatever is uplifting and encouraging, and with our lips, let our speech follow suit. Equip us daily with the weapon of your Word to become more and more determined to stand strong when we are tempted. 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. 

The Devil Is Real. So Is Deliverance.

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(1 Peter 5:6-11)

While I enjoy the outdoors and being in nature when it comes to things like hiking and camping, I’ve never had much of an interest in hunting. I have no experience hunting and have little desire plan a hunting trip anytime soon. I certainly wouldn’t be much of a threat to any game being hunted. In fact, I’m sure that any animal being hunted would actually be better off if I accompanied the hunting party. One way or another, it’s highly likely that I would end up alerting and scaring off any animal.

That being said, I think I get the basic gist of hunting, which is to do your absolute best to go undetected by the game you’re hunting. Then, when the animal unsuspectingly comes into your crosshairs, you have as good a chance as possible of bringing home a trophy. So long as the animal doesn’t smell, see, or hear you, then it doesn’t even know you’re there and is less likely to be scared off. That gives you the best chance of success.

When it comes to something like hunting, we are used to being the predator pursuing the prey. But in our verses from 1 Peter, he turns that around and warns us that we are actually being hunted, and by a predator who can do much more damage than just end our physical life; he can cause us to stumble and lose our eternal life. Peter warns us, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (v.8). The devil is real, he is dangerous, he is on the hunt, and you are what he’s hunting!

But just like any unsuspecting animal being hunted, if the predator is not detected, then neither is the perception of any real danger. It doesn’t surprise us that this is the case for the secular world that brushes off any talk of Satan being real. Satan’s got it easy picking on those prey, because they are oblivious to his existence and are therefore unaware that they live each and every day right in the center of his crosshair. Unless they become aware of their prowling enemy and nothing changes, when they breathe their last physical breath, Satan’s kill shot will then usher in their eternal death. 

While it doesn’t surprise us that the world would brush off any satanic threat, can Satan make inroads in the Church picking apart drifting believers who refuse to acknowledge him as a threat or even question his existence? You tell me. If we don’t feel he’s really all that dangerous, we aren’t going to be on high alert and have the focused mind that Peter encourages. And that’s exactly how a predator would want it. If he isn’t perceived as a threat, then the prey will carry on without a second thought, head in the clouds and aloof to the danger.

While I’m pretty good about it most of the time, I admit that once in a while I do get sucked into nature video clips of predators gobbling up their prey. The ones that really catch my attention are the predators swallowing their prey whole, while it’s still alive. A snake slowly engulfs a frog. A komodo dragon gobbles up a baby goat in seconds. The prey is completely devoured!

While Peter likens the devil to a lion rather than a snake or komodo dragon, the threat is nonetheless clear. The devil is on a hunting party 24/7/365. He will not think twice about devouring unsuspecting prey.

What are we to do? In addition to being vigilantly alert, Peter calls on Christians to put up a fight. He writes, “Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings” (v.9). Resist! Put up a fight! Stand firmly in the faith, and be encouraged that there are many more Christians who are a part of that same resistance, refusing to be helplessly devoured by the evil one. When he does attack, resist him; fight back! 

Too often we don’t even put up a fight! That may be because in weakness we honestly find sin to be more pleasing than living in grace. We don’t even want to put up a fight because we don’t wish to say no to sin. But be extremely careful when this is the case. The more we give into sin, the more we crave it, and it can consume us until we are willing to permanently trade in grace for gratification. Sin is never content to be the occasional guest in our heart – it wants to take over the throne of our heart entirely!

We can also fail to put up a fight because we give too much credit to the enemy and not nearly enough to the Victor who has already defeated him! We let the gloom of Good Friday get the better of us. We reason that if the devil could successfully scheme to sentence the Son of God to death by crucifixion, then how could we ever stand a chance against him? How quickly we forget, though, that that day of mourning, that tear-filled Friday was not how the story ended! 

No, it was not defeat that took place at Calvary; it was merely the battleground where our perfect Substitute soldier made the most noble sacrifice of all, not to be dealt defeat, but to deal defeat to his enemy and ours! That defeat came when Jesus offered up himself to ensure victory. And three days later it was confirmed!

Freed from the restraints of death, the risen Jesus appeared to his disciples to share the glorious victory together. Jesus won. Victory was ours. Jesus won. Victory still is ours. So fight back with all the courage and confidence of one facing a defeated enemy. When Christ is in you as a believer, then victory is in you as well – fight back!

But how? How do you fight back? How do you resist? It’s one thing to speak of battle and talk about predators hunting prey. But how do we fight back when no physical weapons are involved? How do we resist when there’s no one on whom we can land a physical punch?

There’s a sure-fire way not to do it. Don’t resist by relying on your own willpower. When we look back on the battles we’ve lost to the devil in the heat of temptation and determine that we were just weak in that moment, but next time we’ll be stronger, we give ourselves far too much credit. We are deceived into thinking we’re on a level playing field with the one who is the experienced, expert tempter! How downright foolish of us!

The question is, how many times are you willing to cycle through that lie as it repeats itself in your life? Will months go by? Will it be years, decades even, that you regularly enough lose the battle but keep pretending that “next time” you’ll just try harder and won’t give in to the temptation? If that is your only course of action, to determine that “next time” you won’t give in, be ready for a very long and very frustrating soul-sapping, unwinnable battle.

No, the key to successfully resisting the devil is to make sure our footing is solid. We fight best, we give ourselves a chance, only when we stand firmly in the faith and in the object of our faith, Jesus.

Now if that is true, then it makes sense that the stronger our faith is, the more effectively we’ll be able to put up a fight, right? Well then, how do we fortify our faith? How do we firm up our footing? If we look earlier in the verses, Peter provides two examples of how to better prepare for battle with the evil one by bolstering up our faith. 

First, he wrote, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (v.6). Remember who already defeated the devil! If in Christ we have the One who already handed the devil defeat, why would we foolishly insist on securing victory against him on our own? In humility, acknowledge our weaknesses and limitations, own up to and confess that our sins give Satan the upper hand. In humility, let us lower ourselves beneath God’s mighty hand, both acknowledging our inability while also relying on his powerful ability to deal the devil as many blows as it takes to knock him off his tempter’s track.

Think of the person getting caught in a sudden downpour. So long as he stays out in the open, it will not take long until he is completely drenched, soaked from head to toe. But if he seeks shelter, a covering over his head or a large umbrella, just as quickly is he protected from the relentless raindrops. So when we humble ourselves beneath God’s hand, our pride no longer in the picture, we see how powerful and protecting God’s hand really is. And as we do so more and more, our faith is at its best because it is relies on God’s mighty hand instead of our own frail fists.

The second way to firm up our footing is to “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (v.7). Worry, anxiety, concern over the day-to-day or the long-term unknowns – when we insist on carrying these things around with us everywhere, it’s like we’re walking around in lead boots, dragging our feet one sloooooow step at a time. Could you imagine fighting an enemy if you had heavy feet? How could you ever expect to have a chance while insisting on being weighed down by worries? Your enemy would cut you down immediately. That’s what Satan would do. 

So get rid of them. Gather up all of that anxiety and drape it over Jesus. He can carry it. And, when you see him do just that, you are reminded about how much he cares for you. And when you are reminded about how much he cares for you, you are rejuvenated. You are refreshed. You are strengthened. You are standing firmly on the right footing – the footing of faith. Depend on his deliverance in the time of temptation, and you will not be disappointed. For he has already delivered you, and will do it again as many times as it takes until he can deliver you home.

A Champion for the Defeated

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(Matthew 4:1-11)

Hector vs. Achilles. David vs. Goliath. Superman vs. Lex Luther. History, both fiction and non-fiction, has seen its heroes and villains. One nation or civilization puts forth its best warrior against that of another nation. At times, rather than entire armies going into battle, the terms of agreement were determined by the winner of that duel. So the champion didn’t just earn bragging rights, but also the right to set any terms or demands of the defeated. 

In the wilderness, following his baptism, we witness the best heaven could put forward in Jesus, going head-to-head against the best hell could put forth in the devil. There was much more at stake in the outcome of their duel, however, than just one nation or civilization; they were fighting for mankind as a whole. The winner would have much more than just bragging rights; he would have the final say in the eternal status of every single soul. 

Prior to this account, Matthew had covered Jesus’ baptism. It was there that the heavens opened and the Father validated heaven’s champion with his voice of approval. Now hell opens up and puts forth its best challenger against heaven’s champion. The Father had claimed Jesus as his Son, and here Satan wants to challenge that status. He wants to put it to the test, so he sharpens his go-to weapons and attacks Jesus with the three temptations recorded for us. 

When Matthew writes, “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (v.1), he was pointing out that there was a very specific purpose behind Jesus’ temptation. This battle with Satan was one of the numerous events throughout Jesus’ life used to prove Jesus’ qualifications for serving as the Savior. Otherwise, how could he be the holiness and perfection we needed in our Savior if he never had the opportunity to demonstrate his obedience and ability to overcome temptation?

Our Savior in this showdown with Satan is not merely showing us how to overcome temptation, thereby giving us a standard operating procedure to follow; he’s doing much more – achieving for us the very perfection and obedience we could never attain on our own. He’s showing himself to be what we cannot and exactly the champion we needed: a holy one. The writer to the Hebrews provided his stamp of approval when he wrote that Jesus “has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet he did not sin” (4:15). 

Realize why else this obedience matters. Without it, where we end up during the season of Lent, at the cross on Good Friday, April 7, would not matter. Jesus’ death was not all that was necessary for our salvation. His death paid for our sin, but his life was required for our perfection. His obedience in the face of temptation is credited to us by faith, but without that obedience, his death would have left our salvation incomplete.

Consider the new hire at a company. When his training is complete and he begins to tackle what he was hired for, people aren’t only paying attention to see that he doesn’t royally mess everything up, but also that he does the right things the right way. In other words, the basis for success after one month would not only be that he didn’t break the rules or do anything wrong, but also that he actually accomplished the work that he was hired to do!

So Jesus didn’t just die for our sins, paying for all of our wrongs; he also had to accomplish the requirements of heaven – doing the right thing all the time (holiness) in our place. And to prove that he was up to the task, he had to face temptation head-on. So see in these verses how our champion trounces the tempter and find the strength and confidence in your Champion, Christ, to imitate his success when Satan comes knocking at your door next!

Rest assured, it won’t be long. As a matter of fact, you’re more than likely well aware of how he’s bringing it right now. This applies to all of us – even those reading this who may not consider themselves followers of Jesus or ready to believe in things like hell, Satan, and temptation. Even if you’re not there on a spiritual level yet, surely you know firsthand the internal struggles that we all wrestle with between having a pretty firm handle on what the right thing to do is and our desire to do something else.

We know the right thing for our spouse, our family, and for the good of society, is to remain faithfully committed to our marriage promises. But then there is the coworker or acquaintance who has seemed to take an interest in us, and suddenly we discover this awakened curiosity that justifies spending more time together.

We know that being kind and loving to others is the right thing to do, but then I get into the comment section and come across some idiot making a boneheaded comment and I can’t just let it go unaddressed – it’s my responsibility to let everyone else reading the comments know what a childish moron this person is!

I know it’s not good for my kids to see me fly off the handle and cuss other drivers out when we’re in the car, but it’s not easy when the world is filled with so many inept drivers!

I’ve seen enough other lives fall apart from not being able to control their drinking, but that’s not me – I can still have just one more without it being a problem like it is for others.

When we find ourselves in those situations, we’re experiencing temptation, and though you may not believe in Satan, I can assure you those temptations aren’t coming from a loving and gracious God. 

Here’s what else you can expect. Satan will tailor his temptations specifically to you. He is not all-knowing or present everywhere – he is not God, after all! Yet he nonetheless has hordes of evil angels – demons – keeping tabs on when and where we are weak. He knows what you like to watch. He knows what you try to get away with. He knows what your go-tos are to cope when stress or anxiety hits. And he will turn all of that against you to get your world to crumble and come crashing down.

Should we expect anything less when that is exactly the approach he took against Jesus? Why tempt Jesus to turn stone to bread? Because he had just been fasting and was famished! Why tempt Jesus to jump off the temple and tease God to send his angels to the rescue? Because Jesus had just heard his Father express his love and approval at his baptism, and this would have been a great opportunity for Jesus to say, “Prove it, Father. Rescue me.” Why tempt Jesus with worldly power and prestige? Because Jesus knew that as the One who came to suffer and die, the path ahead for him did not at all include any worldly ideas of power and prestige, but poverty and punishment instead. Right here and right now, though, he could sample a little taste of worldly glory. Satan tailored temptation specifically to Jesus like a finely fitted suit. Expect he’ll do the same to you. 

And to be ready when he does, see how Jesus handled the temptation and take note of how different it is from how people tend to respond today. When we respond today, two of the most common phrases out of our mouths are “I think” or “I feel.” Then we proceed to explain what prompts us to think or feel that way. If that is our go-to response to fend ourselves against temptation – our own logic or emotions – is it any wonder why we either fail in the face of temptation or end up eagerly welcoming it? With no tried and true compass to guide us, we often end up using our own subjective logic or emotion to actually justify or give ourselves permission to give in! Satan salivates when our response in the heat of temptation is “I think” or “I feel,” because he knows how easy his job is from that point on!

But Jesus doesn’t use either of those words. He uses something else: just one word in greek that is simply translated, “It is written.” If Jesus was speaking the way we do today, he would have simply said, “the Bible says…” With the Word of God, we are no longer on the shaky ground of fleeting emotions or easily swayed logic. The Bible doesn’t change. God’s Word has always been God’s Word and always will be. And it will never misguide or misdirect anyone.

And understand why this whole account “was written” for us today. It was not merely as a “how to” on fighting temptation, but as assurance that we have a champion who thoroughly defeated the enemy and his temptation in our place. This account was written not to provide an example, but to show an explanation as to how heaven could be ours: we see our Savior earn it for us. That, at the end of the day, is why all of this is written. So it will not and cannot fail us.

You, though, are going to fail. But I want to assure you that not all is lost when you do. Because our relationship with God is not based on our record of successes vs. failures when faced with temptation. That is not the standard God uses. The only standard he sees is one: his Son’s. And he has an undefeated record in the face of temptation. He’s never lost. He’s never failed. He’s never given in. And through faith in this Savior, our Conqueror, that is the only record God sees in your life, too. Perfect. Undefeated.

Now let me ask if you think knowing that means you’re more or less likely to stand up and fight in the face of temptation. I think people often write off Christianity as being too good to be true because it’s so easy – all we have to believe is that Jesus did everything for us and we are free to live however we please. It’s true! We are free to live however we please!

But… does giving into temptation look nearly as appealing in light of a God who is filled with grace and forgiveness and unconditional love for me no matter how many times I fail? No. What starts to look more appealing – and bring far greater fulfillment than any temporary temptation ever will – is striving to live the God-pleasing life that Jesus has set me free to live. At the same time, that is going to serve others in the best way possible. It will contribute in the most meaningful, difference-making ways to improving society. 

I want to wrap this up by pointing out what happened after the temptation. Notice that angels come to attend our Champion. How awesome would that be!?! To have God’s special messengers provide direct care and support following a time of testing?

Guess what? God has promised to provide care and support for you following times of testing, too. Will it be directly through angels, as Jesus experienced? While it’s certainly possible, it’s less likely than another option: your church family. Remember, God doesn’t just gather his people together to show up on an occasional Sunday morning, but to minister to each other and the people God has placed into our lives. That includes providing care and support for each other when we’re struggling. No, we’re not angels, but just as God used angels to provide aid, care, and support to Jesus, so God can use us to provide the same to each other.

And this desire is not fake or disingenuous. Nor is it natural. It comes from the same Savior who stared down Satan to secure our salvation. The Jesus who loves us that much has freed us to love others. Our Champion won for us the freedom from selfishness that finds joy and delight in putting others first. On our own, we were and are easily defeated; Our Champion changed that. In Christ we are undefeated. 

Crushing Temptation

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(Hebrews 4:14-16)

We’ve all done our share of daydreaming about what our lives would be like if we had certain things in life. Yes, it can be a very fine line between simply letting our imaginations entertain such possibilities for a time and having an unhealthy preoccupation with something that amounts to what is essentially coveting or envy, but a little bit of “If I won the lottery…” or “If I had a vacation home…” or “If I could travel to…” on occasion can be done in a healthy, harmless way. While most of us probably don’t need to be reminded to daydream or wonder about such imaginary scenarios, what we may need to be reminded of on occasion is to remember and appreciate the people and the things that we do have. But when the bulk of our time is given to thinking about what it would be like “if” we had this or what we don’t have and we give precious little time to acknowledging what we do have that can find us in a not so great place. 

Under the current circumstances, as we read reports of evacuations and shelters and lives turned upside down for people living in Ukraine, it can make us a little more appreciative than normal of what we have. It’s really hard to complain about rising gas prices when you pit that against the concern about whether or not your home or apartment building will still be standing when you come out of shelter. It seems pretty silly to be irritated by the indecision of where to go out to eat when thinking about those who are just praying for anything to eat. So it’s a good time for us to take inventory of all that we do have and be appreciative of it.

The writer of Hebrews gives us one such example of what we do have. “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God…” (v.14). There is no daydreaming necessary, no need to imagine “what would it be like if…” – we have a great high priest. We’re not talking in hypotheticals here; this is the reality. This is what we have: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is our high priest.    

And how do we know? He ascended. In addition to the disciples who were present at Jesus’ ascension, the writer to the Hebrews also shares his confidence in the Ascension. This added evidence provides even more credence to the belief that Jesus actually is the Son of God he claimed to be. And if he ascended, that would put him in position to continue carrying out the work of a high priest for us. We’ll come back to that role and responsibility of the high priest shortly, but for now simply appreciate how the reality of his Ascension validates that in Jesus Christ, we do in fact have a high priest. 

The rest of verse 14 shows us one of the reasons that matters. “Since we have a great high priest… Jesus… let us hold firmly to the faith we profess” (v.14). It encourages us to hold on to our faith. At times that is what we need most: assurance that our faith is not in vain, that we aren’t wasting our time or being played for fools with all of this Christianity stuff. That’s necessary because we have all had seasons of going through some pretty heavy stuff in life, whether self-inflicted wounds or those caused by others. It’s in the heat of those moments when our old adam seems to find fresh confidence to raise doubts and question if God is really there or if our faith in him is foolishness. Since Jesus, our high priest, really did ascend into heaven, let your faith cling even tighter to the promises of God and the words of Scripture. God never promised that our road would be without potholes, but he did promise us that staying the course in faith and navigating those potholes would find the greatest reward when we reach the destination. So stay the course and stay buckled in with that seatbelt of faith.  

One of those potholes we face on a daily basis can leave us discouraged and debilitated if we don’t know how to handle it: temptation. It may very well be the same sin over and over that calls to us, entices us, lures us. Different sins on different days may expose our weaknesses on multiple fronts. Temptation hits us differently, but what we all have in common is that it hits us. It isn’t that we don’t know any better. It isn’t that it doesn’t bother us. It’s simply that we are not as strong as we like to think we are when the devil goes to work on us. 

Remember also that his tempter’s toolbox is not limited to just trying to get us to do bad things (we call those sins of commission); he tempts us just as effectively to ignore doing the good things we’re called to do (we call those sins of omission). “I can skip out on meeting the needs of the less fortunate – someone else will take care of that.” “I can press pause on loving my enemy while I am working on loving my neighbor first.” “Seek first his kingdom and righteousness? Maybe after I’m more comfortable in my own kingdom.” Whether stumbling into what is bad or avoiding doing what is good, Satan and those on his side are constantly collaborating to tempt us from all sides.

Why? Do you ever ask why he is so desperate to tempt us and lead us into sin? After all, we know we’re forgiven, right? What does it matter if we stumble here and there in temptation if we are confident of our forgiveness? I would suggest at least two possible outcomes, either of which would delight the devil. One, we stumble into the same sin so repeatedly that it ceases to trouble us, that we become so comfortable with it, that we no longer see it as sin. Then there comes a point where we fail to see the great wall that we have constructed between God and us putting blocking ourselves off from God with that sin. We become so accustomed to that sin that we are deaf to the warnings of others who clearly see that it has blocked us off from God, no matter how much we might convince ourselves otherwise.

The second possible outcome is that we sin the same sin so repeatedly that we get to the point of failing to believe that God could still forgive it any longer. One time, sure. Two or three times, OK. We’ll even grant that God is really patient and forgiving, so he’ll cover even above and beyond two or three times. But when we hit that breaking point, whatever it may be for us individually, the same point that Judas did when he despaired of forgiveness and plunged into unbelief, then we are so racked with guilt and shame that we, too, cannot conceive of even abundant grace allowing God to forgive that sin of ours any longer. So Satan tempts us, and will continue to do so until he hits his goal of driving an eternal wedge between God and us. 

That’s why the devil doesn’t want you to know what you have. Remember what you already have: a high priest. Jesus. So why a high priest? Why not a battle-hardened general or some mighty warrior like the one the Philistines put forth in Goliath? Why not give himself to us as something along those lines?

Because a high priest is better. A hardened general can lead an army to victory with a well-thought-out strategy. A mighty warrior can drop his opponent. But we don’t just need victory. We don’t just need to take down the enemy. We need access to the Father. No battlefield success or knocked down enemy ensures that we’re any closer to being able to approach God. Only a high priest grants that kind of access.

That was the role he played in the OT. The high priest was the one to offer sacrifices on behalf of the people. The priest offered up prayers on behalf of the people. The high priest represented God before the people, illustrating that no one had direct access to a holy, righteous God without someone to go between and intervene. 

We still default to this idea today. People tend to think that a pastor or a priest is somehow further up on a higher rung of some ladder that they imagine reaching up to heaven. So they ask the clergy to say the prayer, as if God is more likely to bend his ear to the pastor or priest. They want a visit from the pastor, as if another brother or sister who cares enough to share comfort from the Word of God is not enough. The confessional booth in the Catholic Church will never be completely vacant because of the belief that the penance prescribed by the priest somehow certifies grace and forgiveness. Still today we perceive others as serving as a sort of go-between to soften up God a bit for us. 

So having Jesus as our high priest is spectacular, because it means that we will always have access to God; we don’t need another human being to serve as our go-between; in Jesus Christ, we have our go-between! We have the one who guarantees that the prayers that leave our lips hit the ears of the Father. His one-time sacrifice – himself the perfect lamb – satisfied what all the blood of bulls and goats and sheep never could. His holy precious blood was the price necessary to cover the complete cost of our sin. There is nothing left to pay. The debt of our sin has been paid in full.

While this is all true – and not at all a small thing! – this isn’t even what the writer to the Hebrews is highlighting about our high priest, Jesus, in these verses. Yes, he paid for our sin, but he did something else that blows our mind: he had no sin himself to pay for. He never sinned. His life was marked by obedience. He perfected righteousness for us. He hit the mark we all miss – an entire life of perfect bullseyes in thought, word, and deed. Someone like that must be far beyond relatable to us, right?

Wrong. He knows exactly what you’ve been through and what you’re going through. In that regard, he’s just like you. He hurt. His heart dropped in seeing the suffering of others. He experienced being physically depleted and having Satan throw his best shot at him in temptation, as we saw in the Gospel (Luke 4) today. So he’s like us. He gets us. 

There’s just one difference, and it’s a HUGE difference – just five words: “yet he did not sin” (v.15). No sin. None. Just like you… except for the sin part! “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (v.15). 

This is why Paul could write what he did in Romans 5:19: “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” He didn’t sin. He was righteous. And because he is our high priest – no “if only’s” – he is our high priest, then you have all that you need to stand up in the face of temptation and crush it. 

What fear of sin remains? Do not make little of it, but there is no need to be mastered by it – your high priest paid for it and crushed sin on the cross. He crushed temptation by sending Satan packing every single time he tried to tempt him. Throw Scripture at Satan, just as your Savior did, and send him packing, just as your Savior did. You can fearlessly crush temptation as well, confident that when you fail, when you fall short, his perfect obedience has already met the standard for you.

Oh, and one more thing: your high priest allows you to level up in crushing temptation. He gives you this invitation: “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (v.16). He holds out help to you. Whenever you need it. It’s yours. Just ask. Do so with the confidence that Jesus’ perfect obedience offers you. It’s been done. Now get after it and get it done yourself in the face of temptation. Crush it, as Jesus already crushed it for you.