HOST: Michael Whitworth
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “ ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
These temptations of Jesus were surely not the first, last, or only times that Satan attempted to lure Jesus into sin. So why are these temptations recorded as they are? The simple answer to this question is that they are given to us for our learning. Through this event from Jesus’ life, we learn about Satan—his cunning, his deception, his knowledge of us and our weaknesses, fears, and desires. We also learn how to deal with temptation—being strong and determined, using the truth of God’s Word to ward off Satan’s attacks, and caring more about faithfulness than about physical needs and desires. Most of all, it teaches us that we can win over Satan and temptation! Yes, Satan is powerful, and temptation is strong, but we do not face them alone! As our helper, we have the almighty God of the universe. With His word to guide us and His Son as our strength, we can overcome!
How will you deal with the temptations that you face today?
Don’t forget to pray and have a great day!
