Some day our Lord Jesus Christ will receive the riches and honor that rightfully are His.

The things and circumstances with which Satan tempted Christ are desirable to Christ. If Christ did not desire them there would have been no temptation. Satan wastes no time in activities that are pointless.

The bread, the kingdoms of the world, and getting off the pinnacle were all desired by the Lord—very much so! The temptation was to take a quick, easy path rather than to wait on God.

It is true also of us that Satan, after discerning the deepest desires of our spirit, soul, and body, the desires that spring from what God has placed in us and that will enable us to accomplish the roles for which we are destined by the Lord, attempts to persuade us to take a quick, easy path.

In order to take a quick, easy path to our desires we must plunge ahead without waiting for God to move. The question is, will we be faithful to God or will we esteem our desires above pleasing God?

The evil found in the kingdoms of the world follows three broad trends: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. From these three flow adultery, fornication, debauchery, sensuality, idolatry, occult practices, hatred, strife, jealousy, anger, intrigues, selfish ambition, envy, drunkenness, lying, and stealing.

If you will study the activities of the highest levels of government among the nations of the earth you will discover that the above list is an accurate description of the things taking place in those circles.

The desire to rule the kingdoms of the earth is not evil in itself. Christ holds out authority over the nations as one of the rewards to be given to the victorious saints.

The child who wants to grow up and achieve his desires is usually admired for his ambition. The problem lies in the manner in which we go about getting what we want. If our desires are in God and we are willing to leave the achievement in His hand, all is well.

If we are ready to gratify our desires by any means without regard to God's law or His will for us, we are heading toward sin and death.

There is a tendency in human beings to want to be free to take from the world the things that appeal to them, that they covet. There comes to us a false sense of power when we decide to throw off the rule of God in Christ and take what we want when we want it, to go where we want to go in our own time, to be what we want to be according to what pleases us. This kind of liberty (which actually is slavery) is extolled today in prose and poetry.

Satan utilizes this tendency in mankind and promises us pleasure and glory if we will forget about God's way of restraint and launch out freely to satisfy what our heart craves.

To be continued.