Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, ² where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. 
                                                                                                -Luke 4:1-2a
 
The arm-chair definition of temptation that I like to use that helps me to see through temptations is this: the lie that life outside of God’s will or authority would be better than life within God’s will and authority.  
 
For example, every time we’re tempted to lie to someone or exaggerate our role in something, it’s believing that life outside of God's command to speak truthfully will be better for us, make us more loved and more admired by the people around us…or get us out of trouble!
 
Temptation is the lie that life outside of God’s will or authority would be better than life within God’s will and authority.  And in spite of the fact that most of us have plenty of evidence that this just isn’t true, we fall for it over and over again.
 
One of the things that makes Jesus so extraordinary is that he never falls for this lie. He won’t fall for it here in the desert and he’ll continue to see right through the lies of temptation as they come his way throughout the course of his life. 
 
Jesus never once believes that actions taken that would separate him from the Source of all life could bring him life. That’s rather obvious when we stop to think about it. But in the moment it’s incredibly hard to do.
 
Even if you’re not much of a resolution person, what if your core resolution for 2019 was that you wouldn’t fall for this lie this year?  What if you put a stake in the ground today that life apart from God could never bring you joy and abided by that truth each day for the rest of this year?
 
Start today by taking a minute to ask for spiritual wisdom to see through the lies of today’s temptations, however and wherever they might come your way.