Lent Day 23

Luke 4:1-4

I don't live anywhere near a desert. I did for a bit over a year, but really I lived in a city which was in the desert and the desert itself did not affect my day to day life. Since Jesus' homeland was in the desert and several momentous occasions took place there, I thought it would be good to examine this week what the desert life is like and lessons we can learn from it.

As I look around the room I see distractions from family, housework, hobbies, seasonal decorations, media, daily life. I see tasks that I need to do, items that I need to put away, and reminders of people I love who need to be affirmed in that love by me today. It's easy to be distracted from my task of right now: sitting in the Lord's Presence, honoring Him, listening to Him, spending time with Him. I face battles every day against Satan's distractions and temptations, yet I have so many things going on both good and bad that the temptations get muddled and I don't even always recognize them for what they are. Getting away to a solitary place didn't protect Jesus from the devil's temptations but the battle was probably more clear-cut. When there are fewer distractions to hide behind, he doesn't stop tempting us but he is forced to make some of those temptations more obvious. Have you been deceived into choosing Satan's path because you were distracted by good things and didn't recognize the temptation for what it was? Have you ever experienced the blessing of a retreat with God from daily distractions and seen the difference it makes in being able to recognize the battle lines? My daily prayer time and Bible study is to honor God, but it benefits me by acting as a mini retreat. The distractions are still around me but I choose to ignore them for a little while and that helps me listen to the Lord and recognize the temptations I'm facing for what they are. Take advantage of retreats when you can, but at the very least, take a little time each day to set aside distractions and pray. You'll still be tempted, both during your mini retreat and throughout the day, but you'll be able to identify the temptations as coming from the evil one and so better equipped to reject them.