Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 4, 1-13 

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan
and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,
to be tempted by the devil.
He ate nothing during those days,
and when they were over he was hungry.
The devil said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
command this stone to become bread.”
Jesus answered him,
“It is written, One does not live on bread alone.”
Then he took him up and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.
The devil said to him,
“I shall give to you all this power and glory;
for it has been handed over to me,
and I may give it to whomever I wish.
All this will be yours, if you worship me.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It is written
            You shall worship the Lord, your God,
                        and him alone shall you serve.”
Then he led him to Jerusalem,
made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down from here, for it is written:
            He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,
 and:
            With their hands they will support you,
            lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“It also says,
            You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
When the devil had finished every temptation,
he departed from him for a time.

Temptations are part of our life. There is no Christian growth without temptation

Let’s see how we can be tempted:

1) Things we lack, things we need. These temptations are related to the moments when we look for “things we need” and sometimes we even make those needs up. It is the temptation of bread – something that leads to despair and lack of confidence. The person lacking affection or basic material things tends to make up needs, and imagination can play tricks on them. “Since nobody loves me, I’m going to look for someone to love me” – and that can bring about many problems. Don’t look for needs when you truly don’t have them. Instead, accept what you’re going through and be grateful for what you have.

2) Controlling God. It is when you look for God to back up what you do. You try to do everything to look good to God and everyone else, but often not considering what God wants of you. You know what God wants in your life, but you try to play tricks to get your own way, as if you could win a tug of war against him. You want him to support your plan but you’re not seeking his plan for you.

3) Bitterness. In times of grief and pain, you want to let go of life and you see that life is only bitterness. You don’t value life; everything is a heavy load, and you end up complaining about everyone and everything. 

Remember that in moments of temptation we should not make decisions, we should pray instead; we must ask God for the light to illuminate our path to be able to see clearly. Learn to be patient. Despair is our worst enemy in moments of temptation. Be patient, pray and abandon yourself in God. He will give you his Grace.

God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Always remember, Heaven is our goal.