Matthew 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil…

Of all the games I love to play, there is no game like tic-tac-toe. It’s quick, it’s easy to learn, and there’s always a strategy I use to win the game. Now if you’ve never played tic-tac-toe, you might need some brief instructions. First, you draw two vertical parallel lines. Then, you intersect those lines with two horizontal lines. One player uses the X and another player uses the O. The object of the game is to have all 3 X’s or O’s in a row. The X’s can be up, down, or across. But you must get all 3 in a row (without interception) to win the game.

My sister and I played this game religiously when we were younger. And I usually beat her—not because I was older, but because I had a strategy. I knew how to go for the corners first. I went for the corners no matter what her moves were. I could always block her win, close her in, and make it impossible for her to beat me. Then, to ensure that I won, I would create a trick so that I ended up with two possibilities for winning. If she tried to block me between the top corner and the bottom, I would win with the bottom corner and the right. It was simple. It was quick. It was a lot like temptation.

Did you know that there is a strategy for temptation? Did you ever stop from the game of sin long enough to realize that the opponent of your tic-tac-toe game has a plan to annihilate you? If you haven’t realized it yet, let me give you three ways that temptation comes to destroy.

First, it convinces you that: “it’s only a game.” And if you think that what you’re doing is only a game, you also forget that the people you incorporate into this “game” have real lives, real issues, and real families. So temptation first invites you into thinking that temptation is only a game. And every one of us likes games. Games are an easy way for you to escape temporarily from the pressures of life. Games give you probabilities when there are no possibilities. Games will spice up your life and give you something to do. And the funny thing is, we believe this trick for a long time; until we look up and realize that homes have been destroyed, our money has been completely used up, our friends can’t trust us, and our job is in jeopardy—all because we played the “game” one time too many.

Secondly, the opponent gets us into the game by saying: “Don’t worry! It’s quick and easy.” You see, we would have never indulged if we realized how strong temptation would hold us. Let’s be honest. Some of our worst habits began with a quick open door mixed with our sense of curiosity. We never thought we would become addicts. In fact, we laughed at people who were. But it was quick. It was easy. And it overtook us before we even knew it. So now, we look up and we’re entangled in this quick game of tic-tac-toe but we can’t get help because we keep pretending that everyone else is in a bigger mess than we are. We’re in denial. We are ashamed. We won’t admit the truth. And yes, we’ll step away from it, from him, or from her for a limited time, but when the pangs of withdrawal start tapping us on the shoulder again, we’re back in the game full swing, wondering “Will I ever get out of this alive?” and afraid to tell people “I thought I was delivered but I’m really not…” What once felt quick and easy has now become the greatest addiction you’ve ever known.

The third thing the enemy tries to do when we are caught in the tic-tac-toe of temptation is what I tried to do with my sister: corner us in. It’s a strategy that works all of the time because we never see it coming. He corners us by figuring out ways to get us alone. He corners us by causing us to become paranoid of our friends. He corners us by frustrating our purpose. He convinces us to leave from a place that we should be staying in, and stay in a place that we should be leaving from. He whispers in our ear that somebody doesn’t like us at the church we attend—so that we stop going to the community God ordained to strengthen our faith. Then, the enemy starts putting books and talk shows and crazy ideas into our head. Now, we’re thinking so much differently, and before long, we have no options left. We have no one to talk to, nowhere to go, and the enemy has won the game. And trust me: there is no worse feeling than to feel like you have nowhere to go. There’s no worse pain than to feel as if no one understands your situation. If your adversary gets you there, he doesn’t even have to play tic-tac-toe anymore. He’s won your heart. He’s taken control of your mind. He’s altered your perspective so much that you’ve completely lost faith in everything True.

Jesus’ temptation in Matthew 4 was something similar to tic-tac-toe. The difference between Jesus and us, however, is that Jesus didn’t give the opponent any room to delude or distract Him. The enemy entered in while Jesus was at his weakest state (physically speaking). He had been fasting for forty days, and the enemy tried to get Jesus to see: it was only a game. He said, “Let’s play a game Mr. Christ. If you’re really GOD, then turn these stones into bread. It’ll be fun” (Matthew 3:4). But Jesus knew the tic-tac-toe strategy and came behind the enemy with his own shield: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

How do we avoid temptation? Quick answer: we’ve got to consume the Word of God. Even when the Word seems incomprehensible, thick, or boring, we’ve got to read the Scriptures in order to store up spiritual memory space. Reading the Word is like investing stock in the kingdom: you’ll never go bankrupt because what you read in the Spirit will always increase your market. In other words, you can't remember your lines if you haven't read the script. Second, Jesus didn’t buy into the “quick and easy” schemes, even though the enemy tried to get him to cast himself down from the temple so that the angels would come and sweep Jesus away (Matthew 4:6). Jesus realized that the enemy was trying to enter in quickly and destroy him forever. The enemy was trying to get Jesus to commit spiritual suicide (on top of the temple!). He wanted Jesus to waste his powers on trying to prove himself, and that was not the purpose for which Jesus came.

The same is true for us. We don’t have the Holy Spirit to show off our tongues, show off our miracles, or show off our sanctification. None of that is ours in the first place to show off. We have God in us so that He can be glorified in the earth. We have been forgiven from our sins so that our lives may be full of purpose, and not full of pollution. 2 Corinthians 4:7 reminds us that we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the excellency of power may be of God, and not of us.

Jesus knew this. That’s why the enemy could not corner him in. Jesus dodged every dart and avoided every abyss. The way we avoid temptation is by asking God to open our eyes. The way we avoid temptation is by asking God to give us a desire for His Word. Then, we’ve got to distinguish the fantasy from the reality. Fantasies are quick and imaginary. They were never meant to last for a lifetime. The reality of life comes with difficulty, wrinkles, bumps in the road, and moments of truth. But it is the truth that will make us free. Temptation will only keep us bound.

One final thing: If you read Matthew 4:1 again, you will notice that it was Spirit that led Jesus up to be tempted of the devil. Jesus wasn’t led up to fast and pray, but Jesus took it upon himself to fast in preparation for his greatest bodily test. What are you doing to prepare yourself for the test of temptation? Would you pass if the Spirit tested you today? What could you do to avoid the greatest trap of your life?

No more tic-tac-toe. God’s purpose in you is too great to play games.