Sunday, March 1
Psalm 103
Deuteronomy 8:1-10
Luke 4 NIV
Jesus answered, "It is written: Man does not live on bread alone". 5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 So if you worship me, it will all be yours."
8 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'
9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:" 'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; 11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."
12 Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test."
13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
Jesus was driven into the desert by the Holy Spirit into a process of testing and temptation.
He had entered into the arena of cosmic warfare when he marked the beginning of his public ministry through being baptised by John. The devil tempted Jesus in areas that were central to compromising the purpose to which he had been called.
Some would say that the temptations confronting him were those that every human being must face when choosing to follow Christ as Lord. The temptation of Jesus was also an echo of the 40 year desert wandering of the Jews prior to their entering the promised land.
There are several things we can learn from this scripture passage. If we want to enter the dimension of life in Christ that He desires for us, we must also be conscious of the ways in which the evil one will attempt to thwart us as well. The first thing is, is that the devil has only one set of tricks that he uses consistently. He is the deceiver. He tries his best to cast doubt on the truth of the word of God. As a result he calls into question the love and faithfulness of God, our faith in Jesus, and in His Lordship and provision. He is also a thief and a murderer.
We can only counter his deception in the same way that Jesus did! - with the truth of scripture. If we do so we will experience that he will leave us alone as well! "Resist the devil and he will flee from you"! James 4:7 Satan is also most likely to attact us when we are particularly vulnerable! Jesus was physically exhausted afted his 40 day fast. We can experience tha same thing when we are tired, ill, or under great pressure.
The main purpose of the devil is to hinder us from fulfilling the purposes of God in our lives. He wants to throw us off track so that we turn from God, deny Him, and fall in exactly the same way that Adam and Eva did at the beginning of time. "However, God is faithful! "He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted he will also provide a way out so you can stand up under it." 1 Cor. 10:13 NIV
Another thing that we can gather from this scripture passage is that God allows times of temptation and trials to strengthen our faith and to humble us. The character of Christ is formed in us when we stand firm in Him in the face of diversity and temptation. In Ephesians 6:10-18 we are commanded to be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Our strength comes through the putting on of the full armour of God that we might stand firm aginst the devil's schemes. We are not to conduct our battles in the flesh, bu to rely on the power of God in our struggles. Remember, "greater is He that is in you, tha he that is in the world"!
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