And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness ² for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. ³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” ⁴ And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” ⁵ And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, ⁶ and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. ⁷ If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” ⁸ And Jesus answered him, “It is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God,
    and him only shall you serve.’”

⁹ And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, ¹⁰ for it is written,

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
    to guard you,’

¹¹ and

“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

¹² And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” ¹³ And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Luke 4: 1-13

If Jesus was tempted, what makes us think we wont be tempted too? We dont talk alot about temptation in our day and age. It’s almost “as if” we just do what we do and we deal with it or we crumble. Keeping in mind what we have read this past week, if we are actively denying ourselves and taking up our cross, then we ought also to be aware that temptation will come. Are we ready?

Here we can see that Jesus was tempted 3 different ways:

1. To physically take care of His own needs without the blessing of Father
2. To take power into his own hands and rule without the grace of the Father
3. To try to make God move (through manipulation) without the will of the Father

Here’s the thing, we often think -we have to – do something, fix it, make it change – whatever it is. Yet, if we are moving without the blessing, grace, and will of the Father. We are moving, acting, and walking alone.

So what do we do when temptation comes to us like that? Well, Jesus showed us a better way to deal with the Devil and it is simple. He spoke the Word of God. Scripture is the most powerful tool we have to overcome the temptation of the enemy. We are all smart. We have google and the information highway at our fingertips. We gone to great school and worked hard. Even so, the truth is only the Word of God makes Satan flee.

In what ways are you tempted to go it alone without the blessing, grace, and will of the Father? How can you start today to have the Word of God be more readily on your lips, so that when you are tempted, you are ready?

Father, forgive me for all the ways that I try to run this life without You. You are God. I am an not. Help me Lord, to make your Word a priority. To read it, love it, chew on it, memorize it, and make it a part of my vocabulary. Help me Lord when I am tempted to turn to You and speak your Word. In Jesus name. Amen

All is Grace,

Starla