Tempted in Every Way by Randy Rowley 10/16/24 ©
ByOn a cold and clear Saturday morning in January, four FCS hunters met Allen Ethridge at his father’s house between Franklin and Marquez. Allen’s father, Ricky Ethridge, normally guided us, but Ricky was already booked that morning. After signing the Ethridge’s releases, we followed Allen around 35 miles to a farm north of Donie.
After driving a couple of miles on a dirt road, we passed over a culvert and came to a stop. We then piled into Allen’s UTV and headed to the hunting spot – around a two-acre stock tank (pond).
The blind, as all the Ethridge’s blinds, was well built and roomy. I went in first and sat on the far right side of the bench. As we got situated, Allen put out the decoys and created a wide decoy spread. Then we waited.
As it started to get light our anticipation soared. This was because we’d hunted the tank a couple of times before, including bagging 39 ducks on a hunt with Ricky the month before, we’d had several great hunts with the Ethridge’s, who were great guides, Allen’s decoy spread looked great, and we didn’t have any nearby competition. All we needed was ducks.
Soon it was legal shooting time. In past hunts, 30 minutes before sunrise was the golden time. The ducks would start landing when it was still dark, so when it became legal shooting time, we’d have plenty to shoot at. Plus, as it’s twilight, it’s harder for the ducks to see our blind and us. On a hunt near Cameron with Allen’s brother Roy, we had seven ducks to shoot at when he said, “Take ‘em” and nailed all of them. But not this day.
It wasn’t until 30 minutes after sunrise, a full hour after we started hunting, that we killed our first duck – a gadwall. Over the next couple of hours, we bagged another gadwall, a hooded merganser, and a mallard. We weren’t sure what was hurting us. The culprits could have been a strong wind a week before (as strong winds often blow birds further south), a full moon the night before, a bluebird sky that morning, and no wind, which is always bad as the decoys look like statutes.
Just as I was considering telling Allen that we were ready to call it quits, around a dozen mallards arrived and started circling the tank. The mallards were high and in no hurry to land. They circled several times, getting a little closer each time, but they were still far out of range.
On around their seventh circle, they peeled off and headed to the west. We collectively sighed, but to our surprise, they came back a couple of minutes later and started circling again. On around their fifth circle, a drake peeled off, came down, and landed around 20 yards to the right of me. I could have taken him easily, but Allen didn’t give the command to fire. He hoped that a live bird would convince the rest of the ducks that it was OK to land.
But they weren’t impressed and, after their twelfth circle headed to the south. The drake on the tank, who had swum to the far side, saw that he was being left behind and took off to join his brethren. The mallards were tempted to join the fake mimics, but they didn’t succumb to that temptation.
That proved to be the last hurrah of the day. Allen showed his good character and only charged us half price for the poor hunt.
Some people think that temptations are no big deal – after all, everyone’s tempted. But temptations can lead to dire consequences. James 1:12-15 (NLT) says, “The man who does not give up when tests come is happy. After the test is over, he will receive the crown of life. God has promised this to those who love Him. When you are tempted to do wrong, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God cannot be tempted. He will never tempt anyone. A man is tempted to do wrong when he lets himself be led by what his bad thoughts tell him to do. When he does what his bad thoughts tell him to do, he sins. When sin completes its work, it brings death.”
In our strength, we have little success in overcoming temptation. We might pass up buying a new deer rifle four trips to Academy out of five, but on the fifth trip, we succumb, even though it’s not within our budgets.
In Matthew Chapter 4, Satan tempted Jesus three times. Those temptations included:
- tell stones to become bread (verse 3; a very appealing temptation, as Jesus had been fasting for 40 days);
- throw yourself off the highest point of the temple (verse 6); and
- receive all the kingdoms of the world (verse 8).
As a man, Jesus was subjected to every temptation that we are subjected to today, and two temptations that we’ll never experience (Satan tempted Jesus with transfiguring stones into food and receiving the entire world), and Jesus overcame them all. Jesus responded with scripture. He said in verse 4, “‘It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” He said in verse 7, “‘The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” He said in verse 10, “‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
Jesus walked the walk. He doesn’t guess what it’s like to be tempted. He knows that in our strength, we are powerless to resist all temptations. Sure, we might resist some temptations, such as the temptation to rob a bank, but then we rob our banks by going on a guided duck hunt when we know that it’s not within our budgets.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (NLT) says, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” Being tempted is a part of life – no one gets a pass. Being tempted isn’t a sin – Jesus was tempted by Satan three times yet he remained sinless. The sin is succumbing to temptation. That’s why Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6:13 by saying, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
God wants to forgive us of all our sins, including succumbing to temptation. 1 John 1:9 (NLT) says, “But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
Ultimately, we fail to resist temptation. But God gives us the escape plan to escape temptation. God’s plan is for us to run to Jesus, rely on the Holy Spirit’s counsel and power, know and apply the Bible, and go to mature Christians for help.
Our primary means to escape temptation is to cry out to the one who was tempted in every way. Hebrews 4:15-16 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” 1 John 2:1b (NLT) says, “But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.” Jesus said in Mark 14:38a, “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”
We need the Holy Spirit’s counsel and power to stand firm and overcome temptation. That means not to put ourselves into situations where we know that we’ll be sorely tempted. For example, if we have a problem with buying excessive fishing equipment, hanging out at Bass Pro Shops every other day is a sure way to succumb to temptation.
Jesus quoted the Word of God in response to Satan’s temptations. Knowing the Bible and applying the correct verse/passage are keys to overcoming the father of lies’ temptations. We must always follow God’s commands, especially when tempted to choose the temptation of the wide path (see Matthew 7:13-14).
Seek the counsel of mature Christians on other ways to overcome temptations with which you are struggling. Proverbs 11:14 (NASB) says, “Where there is no guidance the people fall, But in an abundance of counselors there is victory.”
Just as most of those mallards resisted the temptation to join the fake ones, we can resist the temptations that we face through prayer, relying on the Holy Spirit, knowing and applying God’s Word, and seeking the counsel of mature Christians.