Temptation can be our downfall if we succumb to it. But if we reject it, we will emerge from it even stronger than before.

On Father Simon Says, Fr. Richard Simon points out that we even use the word in everyday life: “tempered steel” and “tempered glass” are materials that have been tested and proven strong. In the spiritual life, God permits testing “not because he needs to know what’s in us, but because we need to know what’s in us, that we might repent of it.”

That’s why Jesus, led by the Spirit, entered the desert and faced the devil’s challenges head-on. When the enemy presses Him—“If you’re the Son of God, command this stone to become bread”—Jesus doesn’t negotiate. He answers with Scripture: “One does not live on bread alone.” The pattern repeats: the devil dangles “all this power and glory” and the lure of worldly kingdoms, but Jesus responds plainly: “You shall worship the Lord your God, him alone shall you serve.”

Fr. Simon pauses on a detail you might miss: the devil calls Jesus “Son of God,” but never “Son of Man.” Jesus uses “Son of Man” to describe Himself, echoing the Book of Daniel. God enters human history, walks among us. The enemy is content when religion stays safely contained. As Fr. Simon puts it, the devil is “fine if we keep our religion in church.” It’s when we live it publicly in our choices, our witness, and our daily obedience that the enemy starts pushing back.

And how does he push? Often with a question. Fr. Simon connects this to Eden: “Did God really say, ‘You shall not eat from any of the trees in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1)

The goal is to destabilize trust and make obedience seem optional, outdated, or naïve. The remedy is what Jesus models: knowing what God has said and standing on it. As Fr. Simon likes to joke (crediting his favorite theologian, the Reverend Billy Bob), “At the beginning of something, get your leading straight." In other words, you gotta know why God called you into this, because the devil’s going to try to shake your faith. That’s why we discern with prayer, wise counsel, and humility. We need guidance on this journey.

God has spoken through Scripture, His commandments, and Christ’s own teaching on life and love. When the questions come, don’t let them shake you. Study Scripture. Hold fast to the moral law given in love. And remember: the Word of God endures forever.

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