Talking To Our Kids About Temptation
by Angela Jelf, Writer, Poet and Mum of Four
My first thoughts, when I began to prepare for this blog, were somewhere along the lines of: “This is not a very joyous topic!”
But I was wrong! As I began to dig deeper, re-reading the account of Jesus’ temptation and looking up all the verses I could find on this subject, I came away hugely encouraged. The bible is so practical, isn’t it? It has so much to teach us, and our kids, about how we can learn to stand firm against temptation. (With the remnants of the Christmas chocolate still taking up space in my cupboards at the time of writing, this seems pretty fitting!)
Jesus is Tempted
But first, here’s a recap on the story of Jesus’ temptation, as found in Matthew 4:
After Jesus’ baptism, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted.
Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights.
Afterwards, He was hungry!
And then…guess what? The tempter appears on the scene.
We are told about three specific temptations that Jesus faced:
Lust of the Flesh - “If you are the Son of God, turn these stones to bread. Jesus responds with a scripture verse from Deuteronomy: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Pride of Life - Satan takes Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem, tempting Him to dazzle the crowds by jumping off. This time, Satan cunningly twists scripture as a counterattack: “He will command His angels concerning you, and on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” Jesus once again resists Satan with another verse from Deuteronomy 6 – “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”
Lust of the eye – the devil takes Jesus to a very high mountain and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world. “All these I will give you if you fall down and worship me.” Satan tries to completely derail Jesus by offering Him a quick route to power, bypassing the suffering of the cross. But Jesus prevails by emphatically declaring: “Away from me Satan – for it is written, “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.”
There are a great many truths that could be noted from these passages. But, if you’ll allow me, I’m going to concentrate on two points I feel most pertinent to those of us involved in Kids Ministry.
We Are Not Alone when we are being tempted
Firstly, it struck me as interesting that the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
Make no mistake – it was the devil that did the tempting.
The book of James tells says:
Let no-one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted with evil and He Himself tempts no-one. – James 1:13
But the Holy Spirit seemed to lead Jesus to it. Now, why on earth would God do this?
This wonderful verse came to mind:
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weakness, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin – Hebrews 4:15
God never expects us to face a battle that Jesus hasn’t already won!
Kids need to know that Jesus is on our side! We have a Saviour that sympathises with our weaknesses.
Jesus doesn’t tut or wag His finger when we struggle. He wants us to run to Him when we’re tempted.
Kids need to know that they are not alone when facing tough choices. They need to know that it’s ok to struggle. They need to know that they can talk to God about the temptations they’re experiencing. No subject is taboo.
Do we facilitate this kind of environment around our kids? Or do we expect them to always be naturally good and obedient? Do we act as though grown-ups never struggle? Or are we honest about these things?
Let’s teach our kids that they can be real when they pray. They can ask Jesus to strengthen them and help them in their hour of need. And so can we!
The Word is our Weapon when we are being tempted!
Secondly, studying this topic got me so fired up about the importance of God’s word.
I cannot stress this enough. The word of God is so important, so powerful and so valuable.
How did Jesus withstand the barrage of temptation from Satan? Every single time, Jesus prevailed against the enemy because He knew and believed the word of God.
As parents, grandparents, caregivers and children’s ministry leaders, how can we inspire our kids to better know, love and value God’s word?
It’s not just black and white print on a page; it’s a sword in our hands. When we trust and obey the word, it literally carries the living and active power of God to change our lives, situations and circumstances!
Around forty years ago, at Sunday School, I was taught a simple verse that has stuck with me throughout my whole life:
“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11)
I’ve lost count of how many times that verse has come to mind over the years!
Wherever possible, let’s look for creative ways to hide scripture in the hearts of our kids.
Let’s play memory verse games. Let’s hide ‘word-treasures’ around the room that little ones can hunt for! Older kids will enjoy racing against one another to rearrange a mixed-up bible sentence. What creative ways can you come up with to help ‘hide’ a scripture in a child’s heart?
Let’s choose songs, books, and resources that are jam-packed with the truths of scripture. Even if they are paraphrased for simplicity, let’s be diligent to make sure they are as accurate in translation as possible. Because it matters.
Hidden Blooms
In late September, I ‘hid’ a load of tulip bulbs in my flower-pots beneath great heaps of compost. All through autumn and winter, those bulbs have stayed hidden deep beneath the earth. On the surface they seemed completely dormant. For a while, I forgot all about them.
But now that February is here, those bulbs are starting to poke their little green shoots of promise up through the soil.
And oh, what a joy those blooms will be come springtime!
The scriptures that we sow into the hearts and minds of our kids may seem to go in one ear and out the other. They may appear to be ‘invisible’ - hidden for a time. But one day, when you’re least expecting it, those precious words and promises might spring to mind just when that child needs them the most, like when they are battling with temptation. What a wonderful thing to play a part in!
So, let’s not shy away from seemingly difficult topics. God certainly doesn’t. By tackling the topic of temptation, we’re preparing our kids to win the battle!