Tempting God

"Then the devil taketh him into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down...Jesus saith unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." (Matt.4: 5-7)

When we consciously put ourselves in circumstances that demand a miracle, we’re tempting God.

 For instance, we can over-extend ourselves financially then expect God to supply our needs supernaturally. A job loss or unforeseen emergencies are one thing, but financial irresponsibility is another. Although God in His mercy may very well come through in some cases, it still represents a leap off the pinnacle of responsible stewardship.

To abuse our bodies through neglect or over-indulgence then pray for good health would seem to fall into this category, as well. This is one reason why some activities that may not be actual sins can still be in direct contradiction to God's directives in the care of our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:12,19,20).

In the same way, putting ourselves in compromising situations then asking God for protection and deliverance from evil, is yet another exercise in God-tempting. We’re warned in 1 Corinthians 15:33 that "evil communications corrupt good manners," and ignoring this warning is one way to prove the old saying, "If you lay down with dogs, you'll get up with fleas."

You will read in verse six of this chapter that Satan went so far as to quote Scripture in order to bolster his subtle temptation. Jesus was not fooled by this ploy, however, nor should you and I be. It’s wrong to allow a Bible text to become a pretext for questionable things. God's promises are not Aladdin lamps to be rubbed and wished upon indiscriminately. And they are certainly not escape routes for those who continually paint themselves in a corner.

Make sure it was God who led you to your “Red Sea” before you ask Him to part the waters!