What is the deal with temptation? Are we just playthings that God is watching as we struggle with an enemy that is invisible and amazingly deceptive? Does he enjoy seeing us get trapped and fail? Are we being tested with some vast rewards going to those with the best score, but most of us feel like the perpetual “D” student?
  The Bible tells of three battlegrounds with three different human representatives. We gain invaluable insight as we examine these. We begin with the presupposition that is clear in scripture: God has chosen to do his earthly work through human instrumentality. Humans have been privileged to share the cosmic battle that has been waged by the devil for longer than we have clear history. When scripture alludes to the rebellion in heaven, it implies that the angel, Lucifer, rebelled against God. Though he was cast out of heaven, he did not give up on his quest to dethrone God. After creation, he
attacked the first humans with accusations against God, in order to gain the authority to rule in the human’s stead. But the story is not about the devil. It is about the God who created humans to share the very life of their creator, displaying the nature and character of the Father, Son, and Spirit. We are privileged to demonstrate the truth that defeats the liar; the compassion that defies the murderer; and the peace that makes the riches of this world only tools rather than treasures.