The 3 Temptations We All Face

No one is invulnerable to these 3 basic temptations: to fill our wants inappropriately, to seek inordinate attention, and to pursue power at the cost of integrity. They lure our public figures. How do you respond when they entice you?

Image by Randy Laybourne, provided by Unsplash via Wix..

We all face 3 common types of temptations.  Business leaders, managers, and office aides; politicians, teachers, and social workers; parents, children, and friends – none of us can fully escape them.

The temptations are (1) to try to fill our wants inappropriately, (2) to seek inordinate attention, and (3) to pursue power to the point of sacrificing our integrity.  (Theologians have traditionally called them sins of the flesh, sins of the world, and sins of the devil.)

These temptations pop up everywhere: at work, at home, and in our social relationships.  We see them in political maneuverings, in corporate board rooms and nonprofit conference rooms, and in the home offices of our smallest entrepreneurs.  They pop up at home and among friends.  All the great evils humans have perpetrated on each other throughout history go back to these 3 fundamental enticements, but we can also fall prey to them in small and mundane ways.

And because they are so fundamental, you might not be surprised to learn that we also see them in the Bible, when Jesus is tempted by the devil (Matt. 4:1-11).  [Explore my full study of Matthew 4:1-11, with more than 30 questions to guide and challenge your thinking.]

It is easy to point the finger at people in the public eye, because we see how these allurements affect people with political or economic power or social influence.  But if pay attention, we will see the same kinds of temptations in our private lives.  The differences are mostly in magnitude and opportunity.  The fundamental issues are the same.

Temptation #1: I want it!

The first temptation is to use inappropriate means to fulfill our wants.

In recent years and throughout history, political leaders and wealthy people of all nationalities have made a public show of their desires and acquisitions, acting on their cravings without properly regard to the greater good.  As the apostle James puts it, “You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder.  And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts” (James 4:2, NRSV).

It is easier to notice this tendency in people with power and wealth than in ourselves, but if we study the pattern, we will see how it operates in our own lives too.  Any time we fixate on something we want, the same temptation can sneak in.

This temptation asks us to put our desire for some physical thing, which may even be a good thing, ahead of the greater good.  For Jesus, the question was how to deal with a deep hunger after a 40-day fast.  “Command these stones to become loaves of bread,” the devil suggested (Matt. 4:3).

For us, the desire may be for physical things or other comforts.  We may be tempted to:

• misuse alcohol or drugs or food,

• misuse our sexual powers,

• spend money excessively or accumulate too many things,

• hoard what we have in order to accumulate more than we need,

• avoid work, take the easy way, or fail to do our share.

In each case, the temptation is to give in to disordered priorities: to fulfill our desire for things or comforts in ways that mistreat other persons or ourselves, or that place our wants ahead of other, higher priorities.

Jesus’s response to the temptation was to recall a higher source of purpose: “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4).

If you are a religious person, you too can respond to this kind of temptation by recalling the higher purpose for which God has called you to live.  If you are not a religious person, the challenge is to identify what is that higher purpose to which you have given your allegiance and to align your actions with it so that your wants do not rise beyond their proper place.

Temptation #2: Pay attention to me!

The second temptation is to seek attention beyond what is appropriate to our situation.

The politicians who insist on adulation and special treatment, the bosses who act like they are in love with the sound of their own voices, the “friends” who start pouting if you don’t give them inordinate levels of attention – all of these are examples of this temptation.

Jesus was invited to make a spectacle of himself.  Throw yourself off the top of the tallest building and let the angels catch you, the devil suggested (Matt. 4:5-6).  This will show everyone how important and amazing you are.

We fall prey to this temptation when we try to force people to pay attention to us, or expect others to treat us in special ways.

In response, Jesus again quoted Scripture: “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” (Matt. 4:7).

In our day, we might say: Stay humble and don’t try to force people to give you the attention or treatment you desire.

Temptation #3: I would give anything to have that!

The third temptation is to sacrifice your integrity in the pursuit of power.

We see this in politicians who ignore what they know is true in order to gain greater power or align themselves with a more powerful person.  We see it in analysts who feed their bosses what they know is not true because that is what the boss wants, or social influencers who feed their followers what they want to hear instead of the facts.  We see it in businesses that cut corners on safety or sell inferior products because they will make a greater profit.

Most of these people started out with an honest vision of standing up for what they believe is true, working to make the world a better place, and providing a tangible benefit to other people.

But sometimes along the way, a choice is made to sacrifice a core principle in order to gain greater power or influence or wealth.

Again, regular people are no less vulnerable to this temptation than people at the top.  All of us, at one time or another, may face a temptation to participate in something we know is wrong, in order to keep our job or stay in the game or make someone happy.

Jesus’s temptation was stark.  They devil said: I will give you the whole world if you bow down before me (Matt. 4:8-9).

For most of us, these moments of truth are more subtle.  Which compromises are necessary so that our world can run reasonably smoothly, and which compromises ask us to give up a part of our integrity, to ignore or override our core values, to let go of who we are called to be?

Jesus again quoted Scripture: “You shall worship the Lord your God and serve only him” (Matt. 4:10).

For Christians, this is piercing guidance.  If what we are asked to do violates God’s clear directions, we must recognize whom we serve first and refuse to do what is wrong.

The question for a person who is not religious is this: Where do you find your ultimate source of guidance for what is right and wrong, so that you do not risk being fooled when the chance to have power is waved in your eyes but comes at a price?  How will you recognize when you are being asked to give away the core of who you are as the price of gaining what you seek?

Take temptation seriously

Don’t think that these temptations apply only to the politicians and bureaucrats, the billionaires and venture capitalists, the content creators and social media trendsetters.

They apply to all of us.

Fortunately, God wants to help us stand firm when we are buffeted by temptation.  The Bible says of Jesus that “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” (Hebrews 4:15, ESV).  And “because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18).

We can draw strength from him when we are tempted, to keep our focus on our high calling and the values that must permeate all we do.

You can count on temptation coming.  What is your plan for being ready when those times come?