Among other things, temptation serves as a mission disruptor. It is no surprise, therefore, that Satan came with a barrage of temptations immediately after Jesus made His mission public. Yielding to temptation will negatively impact your mission and make it less productive, if not totally destroyed. There were three components in the first round of temptation which Satan hurled at Jesus. Each of them is instructive for those who would do well in their mission. The first had to do with food. A better way to view that is pleasure or comfort. After 40 days and nights of fasting, Satan asked Jesus to turn stones to bread. In other words, he asked the Master to place His pleasure above the will of God. Whenever pleasure takes precedence over mission, the mission takes a bashing.

Secondly, he took Jesus to the pinnacle of the temple and told Him to cast Himself down, assuring Him of angelic protection. This temptation has to do with the display of power and the pride it brings. God never gives a mission as a means for showmanship and pride. Where pride is mingled with mission, there is bound to be ultimate fall. Proverbs 16:18 clearly states, “Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs‬ 16:18‬ NKJV‬. In the third temptation, the devil showed Jesus all the glories of the world and asked Him to bow in worship in order to have them. That is compromise, or better still, idolatry. Mission will bring within reach honor and glory. There might be other perks that come along too. When these things begin to gain more attention and adulation from us, we are already taken by idolatry. That will violate the first law that forbids the worship of any other god.‬‬‬‬‬‬