Fish don’t bite the hook because they want the hook; they bite because they want what hides the hook. That is temptation. Like the fisherman, Satan doesn’t drop his line without bait, advertising the hook; otherwise, temptation wouldn’t work. Instead, our adversary advertises the bait: pleasure, not consequence; desire, not death.
We have a level of discernment which is not matched by the fish. We can, if we choose, identify the hook hidden within the bait. James writes to us, encouraging this very thing; he urges us to understand what is happening. He reminds us: there is a reward (Jas. 1:12), the crown of life; there is an enemy (Jas. 1:13), it is not God enticing us to fail; there is a pattern (Jas. 1:14-15), desire leads to enticement; leads to sin leads to death.
James reminds us what temptation does—Jesus shows us what we should do about it.
Know The Word. Jesus was tempted in three points (Matt. 4:3, 6, 9). Each temptation was to make it about Him, rather than His Father. Satisfy your hunger; prove who you are; receive your glory apart from the Father’s plan. In each case, Jesus responded to temptation with the quotation, “It is written…” We would do ourselves a disservice by minimizing the power that comes simply from knowing Scripture. Long ago, the question was asked and answered, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word” (Ps. 119:9).
Trust The Word. Knowing the Word alone is not a sufficient defense. Even the enemy says, “It is written…” (Matt. 4:6). The difference between Jesus and Satan is trust—Jesus maintained complete confidence in what God has spoken. That is what lies at the heart of temptation, because temptation challenges us to go against what God has said. When we know what God says, we know what is right; when we trust what God says, we are convinced that His way is best. The same psalmist who knew that the Word needed to guard the way knew that it needed to be hidden, stored within the heart (Ps. 119:11).
Choose The Word. Jesus knew Scripture, trusted Scripture, and then obeyed Scripture. Temptation requires a decision; will we follow what God has settled? Will we hold fast to what He has spoken? Will His commandments serve as the foundation of our life? The worst time to try to make that decision is in the throes of battle. Decide ahead of time! Before anger, decide how you speak; before lust, decide what you allow your eyes to see; before compromise, decide who you serve. Our plea should always be, “With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! (Ps. 119:10).
The fish sees the bait; the fisherman knows there is a hook. God sees what is hidden as well, and He brings it into our view. All that is in the world (1 John 2:16-17) … resist. Not because God wishes to withhold pleasure, but because God is committed to our ultimate good. We ought to be committed to the same. Commit to our God. Commit to His Word. In doing so, we receive the highest blessing: eternal life and eternal residence in God’s presence. Hold fast. Hold to truth.
-Cody Kilgore