by Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio

The purple color of Lent symbolizes penance, but also royalty. As we remember how the first Adam was tempted and failed his test, we rejoice that Christ the King, the New Adam, triumphed over the tempter. We celebrate that we, sons and daughters of the same heavenly King, can also win the battle against temptation.

As I crossed the great divide of puberty, I formed a vivid image of God. He was a grumpy old man with a frown on his face. Every time anyone tried to have a little fun, he'd shout "Thou shalt not!"

But to really live and not just exist, you had to do the daring, "sinful" things. What the Bible calls "sin" is where the action is.

TEMPTATION AS PROPAGANDA

This is what I was taught in the movies I watched and the books I read. It's what I heard in the locker room and in the checkout line, from men and women, young and old. Everybody appeared to accept this as an unquestioned matter of fact.

Behind this widespread perception lay a very successful propaganda campaign unparalleled in the history of humanity. In fact it goes back to the very beginnings of humanity. To the Garden.

Think of it for a minute. The triune God, completely sufficient in Himself and needing nothing, decides to create paradise out of chaos in an act of sheer generosity. He creates creatures of all shapes and sizes, and sets, as caretakers of them all, a couple created in God's own image and likeness, with intellect and will, freedom and responsibility.

PARADISE LOST

Their assigned activity is to love one another intimately, to walk daily with God in the cool of the evening, and simply enjoy Paradise. Any duties? Sort of. They had to tend the garden, which was virtually maintenance-free since neither thorn nor thistle, drought nor Japanese beetle had as yet arrived on the scene. And there was one more thing–to avoid eating the fruit of a particular tree, since it would kill them. But how hard was that, given all the other luscious fruit available in the garden?

Then appears a slithering reptile who had given them absolutely nothing. But now he has the nerve to give them advice. "Did God say you'd die if you ate this fruit? Nonsense! He only said that because eating this fruit would make you his equal, and he can't bear that. You see, he created you to enslave you. He wants to keep you under his foot. He's keeping the best for himself. You listen to him and you'll be missing out on real life. You'll be losers forever."

GLAMORIZATION OF DEATH

Thus began the deceptive advertising campaign that lasts till this day, the glamorization of death. For that truly is what sin is about, and that's why God says "thou shall not." He is not a crabby prude, but a loving Father. He knows us better than we know ourselves and loves us better than we love ourselves. So he does what every parent does. "Don't touch the stove, you'll get burnt." "Don't play at the top of the stairs–you'll fall and break your neck."

Our first parents believed the liar instead of the Father. They fell and broke their relationship with God and shattered the innocent intimacy they had with one another. Their family fragmented as soon as it started with Cain killing Abel. Thorns and thistles appeared, Paradise was lost, and death came into the world.

LENT & THE COLOR PURPLE

 Today, we remember, how Jesus Christ, the new Adam, went another round with the deceiver and vanquished him through the power of the Word of God.

Our task during these is to examine our lives in light of God's Word and see where we've allowed darkness to creep in, where we've taken the bait of the diabolical fisher of men. It's time to use the sword of the spirit to cut through his web of deception, to free ourselves from the net that holds us as prey.

That is why Lent is called a joyful season of freedom. The purple color of repentance is also the color of royalty – it's the time to recognize our true identity in Christ, time to claim our true birthright as free sons and daughters of a loving Father who happens to be the Almighty King of the Universe.

This post on the temptation of Jesus Christ in the Desert by Satan sees the color purple as more than a sign of penance – it symbolizes our royal dignity in Jesus Christ, which we are to rediscover in the season of Lent.

About The Author - Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio

From a colorful and varied background as a professor of theology, a father of five, business owner, and professional performer Marcellino D'Ambrosio (aka "Dr. Italy") crafts talks, blog posts, books, and videos that are always fascinating, practical, and easy to understand. He is a popular speaker, TV and radio personality, New York Times best-selling author, and pilgrimage host who has been leading people on a journey of discovery for over thirty years. For a fuller bio and video, visit the Dr. Italy page.

by Mark Altrogge

We all face temptations of many kinds. God wants us to beat them. We don't have to sin, as powerful as temptations feel. Here are 8 ways to gain the victory.

1. Pray before you are tempted

Jesus instructed his disciples to ask God, "Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil." And as he told us to pray, "Give us THIS DAY" our daily bread," it's good to ask God to deliver us from temptation and evil THIS DAY.

2. Flee. A good run is better than a bad fall.

Stay as far away sin as you can. Don't think you won't fall. If you hired someone to transport your most valuable possessions, you wouldn't tell them to see how close to the edge of a cliff they could drive. In Proverbs 7 a "young man lacking sense" wanders near the house of an woman at twilight, and just "happens" to run into her. She's dressed sensually. She says her husband's gone and describes her perfumed bed. Eventually he follows her like an ox going to slaughter. Eve got into trouble by engaging with Satan and looking at how delicious the fruit looked. Flee temptation. Stay out of the car in the park in the dark.

3. Quote Scripture

That's how Jesus overcame the tempter. When you feel like grumbling remind yourself to "rejoice always." When tempted to give a harsh reply think, "A gentle answer turns away wrath." When rankling against correction remind yourself, "God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble." Of course, to quote Scripture when tempted means we must know it first, which means we must regularly take it in.

4. Pray in the midst of temptation.

Draw near to the throne of grace for help in time of need. Your sympathetic high priest, who was tempted as you are yet without sin, will help you (Heb 4).

5. Get a brother or sister to pray with you.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 says "though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken."

6. Ask someone to hold you accountable.

A friend once said to me, "Mark, when I get back from my business trip this week, can you ask me if I watched TV in the hotel room? When I'm alone on trips I can be tempted to watch bad stuff. Knowing you are going to ask me will help me fight temptation."

7. Remember God's faithfulness.

"God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it" (1 CO 10:13). God will never let us be tempted beyond the strength he gives, and if we ask he'll "provide the way of escape" to get us through it.

8. Remind yourself that sin has consequences.

Remember Galatians 6:7: "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap."

When David committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged for her husband's death, God forgave him, but told him the sword would never depart from his house, that his own family members would do him great harm and the child he conceived with Bathsheba would die. (2 Sa 12:10–14).

So here's a quick summary:

Pray before you are tempted
Flee
Quote Scripture
Pray in the midst of temptation
Get a brother or sister to pray with you
Ask someone to hold you accountable
Remember God's faithfulness
Remind yourself that sin has consequences

Keep fighting the good fight!

About The Author:

By Rick Warren

"For we fix our attention, not on things that are seen, but on things that are unseen. What can be seen lasts only for a time, but what cannot be seen lasts forever" (2 Corinthians 4:18 GNT).

We rarely evaluate our values or question our perceptions until we have a crisis. Once we're in deep pain, we begin to examine what we're basing our lives upon. Whether it's materialism, feeling good, or looking good, we instinctively realize there has to be more.

That's why it's so critical that we ask ourselves - before we're mired in pain - what's going to last?

Our culture encourages us to do just the opposite. Our society values the here and now. Tomorrow doesn't matter. Next year doesn't matter. A thousand years from today doesn't matter. Eternity and Heaven don't matter. Live for today.

But the Bible says something different in 1 John 2:17: "The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever" (NIV).

Consider what happens when we're tempted. Temptation isn't just a battle between good and bad or what's best and what's not best.

Temptation is always a battle between now or later. Will I do what God says and enjoy the benefits later, or will I do what I want and enjoy the benefits now?

The Bible teaches us to "fix our attention, not on things that are seen, but on things that are unseen. What can be seen lasts only for a time, but what cannot be seen lasts forever" (2 Corinthians 4:18 GNT).

Talk It Over:

What makes it difficult to keep a long-term, eternal perspective when we deal with temptations?

What decisions do you find the most difficult to make while keeping eternity in mind?

How can you help others think about long-term consequences as they make decisions?