In today’s first reading, Satan came to tempt Eve. At one time, Satan had been a glorious angel. But in pride, he rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven. As a created being, Satan has definite limitations. Although he is trying to tempt people away from God, he will not be the final victor. God promised that Satan will be crushed by one of the woman’s offspring: the Messiah. Why does Satan tempt us? Temptation is Satan’s invitation to give in to his kind of life and give up on God’s kind of life. Satan tempted Eve and succeeded in getting her to sin. Ever since then, he has been busy getting people to sin. He even tempted Jesus, but Jesus did not sin! How can we resist temptations? First, we must realize that being tempted is not a sin. We have not sinned until we give in to temptation. Then, we must pray for strength to resist and say no when confronted with what we know is wrong. James 1:12 tells of the blessings and rewards for those who do not give in when tempted.

Prayer: Abba Father, may the value of your kingdom be more natural than what the world has to offer us. Amen.