Jesus ~ my Victor!

June 3, 2010
Matthew 4:1-1:17
Temptation of Jesus

I have always loved this passage. It encourages me so much knowing what Jesus had gone through as a human, being tempted by the devil and coming out an overcomer. So I asked God for His inspired thots on this familiar passage. Here’s what He showed…

Inspired thots:
1) First temptation: Jesus did not say we do not need bread to survive. The physical body was created to have nourishment. So we give thanks for the food we take in, to nourish our bodies. But more important than the physical is the SPIRITUAL or the SOUL; we need the WORD of GOD to nourish our spirit and soul ~ how we feel and react, how we relate or draw near to God. It is only by the WORD of GOD that we truly live. How important to read God’s word daily… and anytime I can.

a. Look how easily the devil was shut up when Jesus used God’s word back at him. The devil may think he can hoodwink Jesus by using God’s word, but when the child of God believes God’s word ~ truly believe ~ he has the most powerful and effective weapon to shake off the devil. The tempter slides off ever so quickly. Only when the child of God is unfamiliar or disbelieve God’s word will he be thrust into confusion and insecurity; and that is the devil’s snare.
b. Praise God that I can be so secure in God when I am enveloped by His word. It feels like David having his 5 smooth stones and sling on him at all times to ward off the predators. Wow!

2) Temptation 2: Reminds me of some drastic actions that run through my silly head sometimes… the “just to see” or “lets check it out” attitude; like “What would happen if I were to jump out from a moving car?” “How would it feel?” too much James Bond movies obviously! No wonder the tempter place this in front of Jesus. It’s like a taunt “Prove yourself” ; “Let God prove Himself to you”
a. I must remember that God is God. I have nothing to prove to Him. He has nothing to prove to me because He is already EVERYTHING! When a truth is a truth, you don’t need to prove it anymore. You just have to accept it. Just like… gravity! It is already proven by Newton. We don’t need to prove its existence again and again. We see and experience it daily. Hallelujah!
b. I must rest secure in my Heavenly Father’s love. He is always there for me. I do not need to prove His love for me. Actually, to think of it, His love for me is constantly proven in my life. I don’t need the ‘drastic’ measures. How cunning of the devil to present his lie seeds and thoughts before us, and most of the time, we fall for it ~ hook, line and sinker!

3) Temptation 3: The devil is so pitiful and desperate. He really wants people to worship him. Having fallen from God’s grace, he still makes no effort to repent but rather, goes around enticing people (you and I) to change our focus: to worship him instead of God. And it is so simple to get rid of his incessant temptings… like Jesus, just say the WORD ~ “Away from me, Satan… “ followed by God’s word. Wow!
a. No wonder the tempter is described as a ‘roaring lion’ seeking to devour (1 Pet 5:8). Praise God that we are taught to ‘be alert and self controlled’ Lord, let me know be enticed by the temporal pleasures of this world. Let me exercise and build up my self-control and help me stay alert to stay close to You all the time. Amen.