A long time ago in a land far away Jesus braced himself against a strong gust of wind. Standing high on the temple roof, Jesus heard the noise of a market. He looked down into the holy courtyard and saw sheep pens, money-changing tables, and long lines of customers. Men haggled and argued, but no one prayed or worshipped. Soon, Jesus would step into that greedy world and clean house, but that challenge was for another time. Today had enough trouble of its own.  Jesus turned his head and looked into the eyes of Satan. He knew the battle wasn’t over, and he waited for satan to make the first move.  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” satan began. “This temple with its white stones and golden domes, it reminds me of our home in heaven.” Satan, still disguised as an angel of light, opened his arms and seemed to present the temple to Jesus. “I brought you here because your Father wants to see your faith.” Satan’s face melted into a loving smile at the mention of the Father. “He is so proud of you, but He is concerned that your humanity isn’t strong enough for the struggle. That’s why you are here. It’s time to show your Father how strong your trust in Him really is.” Satan bowed his head reverently and began to quote the scripture, but he didn’t just say the words. He sang. It was the ancient song of Moses, composed by the prophet himself after his experience during the dedication of the tabernacle in the desert. Satan’s strong voice took the song to a magical place as he closed his eyes and remembered the many songs he had sung next to the great throne. His voice was able to sing multiple parts all at once and the blend of the harmony and melody touched Jesus’ heart. It was beautiful. But Satan didn’t sing the whole song, no it was too dangerous to sing about dwelling in the shadow of the Most High and treading upon snakes. Satan carefully chose only part of one elegant verse.  “For He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you in all of your ways. They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”  Satan held the last note and then let it slip away.  “Now,” he whispered, “If you are the Son of god, Jump and the holy angels will save you.” The devil hoped that Jesus would get carried away with the emotional music, but even if the song didn’t inspire him, the verse was a powerful argument. After all, didn’t it promise that the angels would save him? Satan opened his eyes and looked at Jesus who stood firmly on the ledge. He smiled. The temptation was brilliant. This is religion, he thought, People trying to control their gods because they didn’t trust them.  Jesus’ feet didn’t budge. He was praying again. His lips moved but no words came out. Satan waited impatiently, trying to read the lips. Then he saw three words that he hated, “God’s got this.” Then Jesus opened his eyes and quoted another verse that Moses wrote. “It is written, Do not put the Lord your God to the test. I will not test my Father’s love. I choose to trust Him.” Then Jesus began to hum the rest of the song, and satan knew the words to the melody. “He will call upon me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble…”  Satan’s smile melted into a sneer. First Jesus refused to take the power and do it himself. Now He refused to force God’s hand through religion. Fine, satan thought. No more subtlety. I’ll pull out all the stops. The angel snapped his fingers and the two disappeared from the temple roof.  Score? Jesus two. Satan zero. When satan quoted a bible verse on the temple he was tempting Jesus to show his distrust in the Father by trying to control Him. Quote a promise, make a rash decision, and then make God rush to the rescue. This is the pattern of every false religion. Humans can force the gods to bless them through sacrifice. It’s divine manipulation.  History is full of examples of holy men promising eternity in heaven and blessings on earth if the penitent would just give more money to the church, buy an indulgence, join the crusade, say a special set of prayers, go on a pilgrimage, or obey the rules of their religion.  The message is simple. God doesn’t really love you. He doesn’t care about your heart. He wants your behavior. He’s content with outward compliance. So get in line, behave like a good little Christian or Muslim or Pagan, and once you have been good enough long enough or once you have suffered enough long enough or once you have paid enough long enough then the blessings will come.  It’s classic and almost universal, and every single one of these false religions puts God to the test.    Will God respond the way I want, if I...   If I pay tithe, will my bank account grow? If I eat vegan, will I be cancer free? If I make my kids come to church, will they always be Christians? If I quit porn, will my wife have more sex with me? If I do the right thing at work, will I get the promotion? If I go to church every weekend, volunteer as decon or lead a bible study or do enough good, then will God bless me like I want Him to? If I stop drinking, gambling, cursing, stealing, gossipping, lusting, stop being bad, then will God stop punishing me? False religion teaches us that we can control God. They make God the puppet and promise us that their rituals, their rules, their beliefs are the strings that control the Almighty. They arrogantly teach us that we can make God do what we want Him to do.  If I say the right prayer, then He has to let me into heaven. If I claim the right promise, then He has to answer it the way I want. If I am part of the right church and obey their rules, then my eternal salvation is assured.  While this false religion promises eternal life and peace and joy, it only delivers stress. What if I have the wrong set of rules, say the wrong words, don’t offer the right sacrifice, what if my goodness isn’t good enough? Then will God refuse to answer me, bless me, save me? That’s why so many good Christians live lives of quiet desperation and stress. They can’t trust in God bc they believe their actions control His actions. This is also why so many turn away from the church. They can’t respect a God that can be so easily manipulated and controlled. This deception has tumbled the world into chaos and confusion.  But in all this unholy control and divine manipulation, Jesus’ clear voice rings out.  “You shall not test the Lord your God.” Don’t make God jump through hoops. Don’t try to force His hand with religious rituals and sacred words. Don’t show your faith by jumping off the roof so that God will have to catch you.  Let go, Jesus says. Let go of your control, of your desires, of your preconceived ideas of how your life should be and let God be God. Say in your heart, in your actions, in your attitudes, “God’s got this.”    Jesus demolished the puppet analogy of controlling God and instead used the metaphor of food to explain our true relationship with God. As men, we love food, so Jesus knew how to take a complex spiritual truth and break it down for us. Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish his work.” He was saying, “I get my energy from putting God into me and letting Him direct my steps.” In John 5:30, Jesus said, “For I seek not to please myself but Him who sent me.” Jesus experienced so much peace because He chose to follow the Father, rather than try to control Him. He chose to trust.    Jesus got his orders from His father, and it was his highest pleasure to obey. It was His fuel, his food, his passion.    When we try to control God, it shows that we don’t fully trust in Him. We think we know better than Him. We don’t fully believe that what God wants is best for us. It’s because we don’t fully know the Father. False religions are all about the rule and rewards, but they skip the best part, the relationship.    That’s why Jesus came to earth, to save us, to free us from the idea that we have to be in control, and to show us that we can trust in the Father. For when we truly see the Father we will let go of the reins and trust.  Our religion will become relaxing.    Right now I am almost done with my first round of the Morning Summit. It’s a 13 week small group book that helps men build solid morning habits. We drink water, exercise, read our Bible, and think about how we can bless others. It’s a great tool and it has helped me focus my mornings on God.    But lately, it has become a burden. I find myself rushing through the tasks, trying to get all my checkmarks. I ride my indoor cycle bike and read my Bible at the same time to be efficient. All the things I’m doing to improve my life are stealing the joy out of my life.    I was talking to a mentor about this, and they pointed out that the Morning Summit is supposed to be a blessing. That is supposed to point me to Jesus. They challenged me to rethink my morning routine and see it as a tool, not a check-list.    In a way, I was doing all these good things for God, hoping that He would see my faithfulness and bless me, but I was missing the point.    If I do the right habits with the right mindset, then I am already blessed. But if I’m doing the right things with a heart that is more concerned with check marks and control, then I miss out on all the blessings.    This doesn’t mean I’m going to stop all the morning summit habits, but it does mean that I need a mental reset. I need to follow the routine because I love God, not because I’m hoping God will love me back. It’s such an easy trap to fall into.     Men, we must understand that true religion is about the heart. That’s why Jesus said I desire mercy not sacrifice. I desire love not performed rituals.   God’s desire for you is that you would choose to trust Him and from that trust obedience would naturally flow. Then as we grow to trust God more and more, we realize that God’s way is better than our way, so we stop trying to convince God to act and start believing that He will. Instead of begging for blessings, we will thank God before they arrive. Instead of sacrificing to earn God’s favor, we will sacrifice to give God glory. Instead of worshipping a god we can control, we will let go and Let God be God.    And when the bills come, when the car won’t start, when the kids are sick, when our wives are mad, when bank account is low, or our strength is ebbing away, we will be able to look up, smile in faith, and say, “God’s got this.”