While reading this chapter, something struck me as something important to share. Notice, that when we hear about Jesus' temptation, it wasn't until after He was baptized and at the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. Now we know that Jesus was man, so we know then, that He faced temptation His entire life, just like the rest of us. However, we don't hear about Jesus' life before this time, except for His birth in Matthew and Luke's gospel. Regardless, I think this is something we need to consider in our own lives. We constantly see people around us who do not confess Jesus as Lord, and they seem to go day by day sinning, with no remorse. This is true- because they do not have the Holy Spirit's conviction in them to point out the sin. Of course there is a line of morality that is pretty much the same for the believing and non-believing alike. But as far as sin? An unbeliever is not familiar with what that is, at least- not the complexity and eternal consequence for it. If you are a believer, remember back to when you were first confessing Jesus as your Lord. Do you remember a lot of opposition and temptation? Even now, as you are led by God into obedience, do you find that you face the spirit of darkness luring you into a direction other than what God has asked of you? This is my experience. It seems that when God asks me to do something, obey in a specific area, etc., that Satan will try to counter God and attack me from the other side. Look at the story of Adam and Eve. Remember it? God told Adam and Eve not to eat of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, lest they die- yet Satan said, "Did God really say...?" Instead he twisted God's words and told Eve that if she ate from it she would be like God.
The reason I am writing about this specifically is part to encourage and part to exhort you. If you are a believer, you belong to Jesus. Satan doesn't like that so much. So when you decide to confess Jesus as Lord, do something radical for Him, change your sinful ways to become more godly, obey God in something He has asked you, enter into ministry etc., Satan will attack you then. He does not want you to confess Jesus as Lord, do anything radical or bold for Jesus' sake, become more godly, obey God or go into ministry! So, it seems to be that at those definitive moments, temptation and obstacles will be at their maximum levels. We have a perfect example of our awesome Savior who conquered temptation at it's highest, when He was probably the most vulnerable we see Him in Scripture. We learned in Matthew 4, that Jesus was 40 days without food after He fasted. You guessed it: one of the ways Jesus was tempted, according to Matthew and Luke, was that Satan challenged Him to turn the rocks into bread to eat. We need to learn from this that Satan knows us to a point. He knows our weaknesses, he knows when we are vulnerable- and it's at those times that the attack will be stronger. But it's also at those times, that we can call out to our God who is mightier than any attack of the devil to rescue us and deliver us from temptation.
So what is God calling you to? What is He asking you to repent from? How is He asking you to obey? How is Satan tempting you? How is He enticing you away from what God has commanded you? Does it seem the temptation is harder to resist? How are you going to respond?
I don't exhort you to obey Jesus and resist the devil because it's easy. It's not. Temptation wouldn't be temptation if it wasn't hard. But Jesus does give us a way out- call out to Him. Jesus is our example, you can face temptation and walk away from it sinless. It is possible. I speak from experience of letting temptation lure me to sin, and also from holding fast to Jesus and running away from the temptation.
Please email me if you need prayer in this, it can be difficult if you are facing it alone and no one knows how the devil is tempting you. If not with me, share with someone close to you who will pray with you and encourage you.
What's your next step?
~Leanne~
The reason I am writing about this specifically is part to encourage and part to exhort you. If you are a believer, you belong to Jesus. Satan doesn't like that so much. So when you decide to confess Jesus as Lord, do something radical for Him, change your sinful ways to become more godly, obey God in something He has asked you, enter into ministry etc., Satan will attack you then. He does not want you to confess Jesus as Lord, do anything radical or bold for Jesus' sake, become more godly, obey God or go into ministry! So, it seems to be that at those definitive moments, temptation and obstacles will be at their maximum levels. We have a perfect example of our awesome Savior who conquered temptation at it's highest, when He was probably the most vulnerable we see Him in Scripture. We learned in Matthew 4, that Jesus was 40 days without food after He fasted. You guessed it: one of the ways Jesus was tempted, according to Matthew and Luke, was that Satan challenged Him to turn the rocks into bread to eat. We need to learn from this that Satan knows us to a point. He knows our weaknesses, he knows when we are vulnerable- and it's at those times that the attack will be stronger. But it's also at those times, that we can call out to our God who is mightier than any attack of the devil to rescue us and deliver us from temptation.
So what is God calling you to? What is He asking you to repent from? How is He asking you to obey? How is Satan tempting you? How is He enticing you away from what God has commanded you? Does it seem the temptation is harder to resist? How are you going to respond?
I don't exhort you to obey Jesus and resist the devil because it's easy. It's not. Temptation wouldn't be temptation if it wasn't hard. But Jesus does give us a way out- call out to Him. Jesus is our example, you can face temptation and walk away from it sinless. It is possible. I speak from experience of letting temptation lure me to sin, and also from holding fast to Jesus and running away from the temptation.
Please email me if you need prayer in this, it can be difficult if you are facing it alone and no one knows how the devil is tempting you. If not with me, share with someone close to you who will pray with you and encourage you.
What's your next step?
~Leanne~
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