Month: February 2023 Page 1 of 3

n Luke 4:1-13 there are three specific temptations that Satan threw at Jesus along with His response.  Today we’ll look at the third one.

The tempter.  Always the devil!  He has assistants because he’s not omnipresent like God, but it’s always the devil who does the tempting.  God tests us, but Satan tempts us.  This seems like Satan’s last ditch attempt to get rid of Jesus by having Him jump off a cliff.

The doubt.  “If you are the Son of God…”  After two failed attempts at tempting Jesus, the devil didn’t take the hint.  He still tried a third time to tempt Jesus from a different angle.  He still questioned Jesus’s authority and His deity.  He knew who Jesus was and who God was, but that’s as far as it went.  Did Satan want to truly see if Jesus was God’s Son?  If He did and survived, would Satan then believe and stop tempting Him?  Probably not. Satan never wants to acknowledge God.  Then he’d have to give up his doubts.  Are we like that sometimes?  We know something in our heart and mind, but we think if we don’t verbalize it aloud, it doesn’t count or it’s not true.  Sometimes that’s a coverup for things we don’t want to admit, and sometimes it’s our way of not acknowledging the truth.

The temptation.“…Jump off!”  I have no idea how high I was while hiking on the top of this mountain, but it was way too high for anyone to jump from and live to tell about it.  The internet states that the Temple in Jerusalem was about 740 miles high!  Miles, not feet!  Just think about the height of that alone as a deterrent for anyone to even consider a temptation such as Satan’s to jump off.  I am a child of God and I know God protects me because it’s happened over and over, but I still would not even consider jumping from a high place such as that.  Jesus knew He had the Father’s hand on Him and angels watching over Him, but that didn’t mean He would put them to the test

Misuse of Scripture.  Satan continued, “For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you.  And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”  Satan was quoting Psalm 91:11-12, but that entire chapter was speaking to “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High” and it was referring to God’s care for His people.  It does not, however, mean that we should step out into harm’s way just to see if God will protect us.  We need to apply Scripture appropriately.

The response.   Jesus gave a counter reply, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”  What would have happened if Jesus had not known what the Scriptures say?  Would He have accepted the challenge to show what God could do???  Testing God is insisting that He prove that He is trustworthy.  Those who are His (as Jesus was) already know God is trustworthy, so there was no need to test or prove Him.  “Do not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.” in Deuteronomy 6:16 is referring to the Israelites testing God when they were wandering in the wilderness. 

Short and firm.  ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’  Jesus did not go into examples, mention the temptation just presented to Him, nor explain what Scripture He was referring to and why.  He just stated the truth of Scripture that applied to the situation at hand.  That’s a good example for us to follow when we need to respond to someone about a specific situation.  There’s a saying, less is more.  The definition of that is this:  “Simplicity is better than elaborate embellishment; Sometimes something simple is better than something advanced or complicated.”  I believe this applies to conversations at times, but does not apply to other things or situations.

Takeaway.  “When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left Him until the next opportunity came.”  Satan doesn’t give up!  He might leave you alone for a time, but don’t be too hasty to celebrate victory.  Be assured, he will return when you least expect it and with a different tactic so you won’t recognize him from previous temptations.

Tomorrow and throughout this next week we will focus on confession, forgiveness, and fasting and all that entails, with a preface on examination.

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, please give me just the right answer and response when temptations arise. Give me Scripture recall from what I’ve learned and memorized over the years Help me to be victorious in You.

• Week 1 – temptation
• Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
• Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
• Week 4 – God’s love for us
• Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
• Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
• Easter – resurrection and salvation

In Luke 4:1-13 there are three specific temptations that Satan threw at Jesus along with His response.  Today we’ll look at the second one.

The tempter.  Who else?  The Devil!  He thought he was pretty smart, powerful, strong, and authoritative.  In his statement to Jesus, he said “I will give you…I can give it…”  But it was not in Satan’s power or authority to give.  The kingdoms of the world, the beauty, the high places, and everything in creation do not belong to Satan.  So he could not give something that wasn’t his in the first place.  It sounded good to him, but he wasn’t using his brain properly or he would have realized his limitations.

Secondly, the world and everything in it was already God’s and thus belonged to Jesus as well.  It was an error on Satan’s part to offer something that wasn’t his.  Jesus knew who He was and Whose He was, so the “generous” offer from Satan didn’t hold any desire or promise for Jesus who already had everything that belongs to God.

The doubt.  Satan was either fishing or doubting.  After showing his pride and ignorance in offering the world to Jesus, he tacked on the IF clause:  “IF you will worship me”.  Satan must have still had doubts that he could really sidetrack Jesus from His mission in life, but he was trying.  Satan’s own temptation was that he was puffed up with pride and was hoping to add a feather in his hat, so to speak, if Jesus would just succumb to this temptation.

The temptation.  The offer of glory and authority over the kingdoms of the world might have been a viable option for anyone else who was looking for self-glory.  But for Jesus to whom they already belonged, this did not even cause Him to give it a thought.

“If you will worship me.”  Everything comes with a price.  Sure you can have the latest and greatest car, house, or appliance, but is the price tag worth it when the bill comes?!  The temptation Satan placed in front of Jesus may have sounded pliable to anyone else until you get to the IF.  Worship is meant for God alone.  Just think…  If Jesus had given in to this temptation to worship Satan, He not only would have lost the glory and authority over the kingdoms of the world that were already His, but it would have changed the whole course of the world and eternity!  When temptation taps you on the shoulder, pause and think about the ramifications if you would give in.

The response.  Jesus once again responded to Satan with Scripture!  “It is written…  ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.’”  Jesus had a relationship with His Heavenly Father and knew Him in a personal way.  He wouldn’t have given that up for anything.  Are we that dedicated to our Savior?  Or are we tempted to turn to other things and turn our back on the One who died for us?

Short and firm.  Again, Jesus was short and firm.  He told Satan what Scripture says.  End of subject for Him.  Jesus had nothing more to say to Satan.  That’s the way we need to be when Satan tempts us.  Just speak God’s Word and then walk away.  The longer we tarry, the stronger the temptation will become.

Takeaway.  Only God is to be worshipped.  Never allow other things or people to have your worship nor to get in the way of your worship of God.

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, I worship You, Almighty God, there is none like You. Keep me focused on You and You alone.

• Week 1– temptation
• Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
• Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
• Week 4 – God’s love for us
• Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
• Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
• Easter – resurrection and salvation

When are you most susceptible to temptation? And how do you respond?  Do you give in?  How do you feel after the temptation?  Don’t beat yourself up when you give in to temptation.  Everyone is tempted by something every day, but it’s what we do with the temptation that matters.

In Luke 4:1-13 we find three specific temptations that Satan threw at Jesus and how He responded.  Today we’ll look at the first one.

The tempter.  The devil was the tempter.  Are there other tempters?  Yes, there are many people and things that can be tempters in our lives, but it all comes from the oldest tempter in the world, the devil, the one who tempted the first man and woman in the world, and his tactics haven’t changed, only gotten a little more sophisticated and sometimes less subtle.

The doubt.  There’s an IF in this statement by the devil.  He said “IF you are the Son of God”.  Did the devil doubt that Jesus was the Son of God?  Or was he trying to get Jesus to become defensive and hurt by the subtle but sarcastic jab?  Doesn’t that happen to you and I?  Others in our lives know what buttons to push to get us riled up and respond.  It’s not that they doubt us, but that they want to see us respond in an ungodly way which will prove to them that we’re no different than they are and our faith has holes in it.

The temptation.  Temptation is and always will be a part of life here on this earth.  A statement in a footnote in my NLT Life Application Study Bible caught my attention:  “Often we are tempted not through our weaknesses but through our strengths.  The devil tempted Jesus where He was strong.”  We usually think of temptations coming at us when we are weak, but it’s actually the temptation itself that makes us weak.  When we’re weak, Satan leaves us alone.  It is when we are strong in the Lord that Satan will attack us to bring us down.  In these verses Jesus may have been physically weak from not eating, but He was strong in the Spirit. 

“Tell this stone to become bread.”  The devil probably thought he could trap Jesus into performing a miracle to satisfy His hunger.  We don’t know what may have gone on in the mind of Jesus, but we do know that He did not give in to this temptation.  The devil knew that if he could get Jesus to fulfill His own immediate needs, that it would take Him away from the long-term plan of redemption.

The response.  So how did Jesus respond?  With Scripture!  “It is written…  Man shall not live by bread alone.”  In other words, food for the stomach is not the most important thing in the world.  Obeying God is more important than physical needs.  Would your response have been something like, go away, don’t bother me! or would you have even answered Satan at all?  Jesus calmly stated “It is written…” followed by what He knew from the Holy Scriptures, “Man shall not live by bread alone.”   He knew that physical food was not what mattered at that moment.  There was more involved in Satan’s temptation than just filling His stomach.  Satan was trying to derail Him from the task God had assigned Him.

Short and firm.  I love how Jesus did not engage in a debate, reasons, or conversation about Satan’s statement of temptation.  Jesus didn’t tell Satan it couldn’t be done and give him all the reasons why.  He didn’t tell him to get lost nor tell him what He thought about it.  Jesus was short and firm.  “It is written…  Man shall not live by bread alone.”  It is so important to know what the Scripture says about various things so when a questionable temptation presents itself, we don’t have to in the heat of the moment decide what we should do.  We will have a response ready.  Jesus short and firm response was all it took to send Satan away for the moment.  Satan does not want to hear any words from the Bible. 

Takeaway.  Never go against Satan in your own strength.  Know what the Bible says and refute him with Scripture. 

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, when the tempter comes prowling, keep me on alert so I don’t give in to him. Keep me strong in You.

• Week 1– temptation
• Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
• Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
• Week 4 – God’s love for us
• Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
• Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
• Easter – resurrection and salvation

Again today in Luke 4:1-13 we find another contributing factor preceding Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness.  First we saw that Jesus had just been baptized and had experienced a highly emotional and spiritual experience.  Then we saw that He was alone.  Today we are looking at the fact that he had not eaten for 40 days.

Hunger.  My Black Lab was very possessive of his food and especially his bones and treats.  If I were to caption this picture, it would be I dare you to try and take this from me

When those hunger pangs come—and they come at all times of the day and sometimes night—what do you do?  If you’re at home, you might head to the kitchen for something to quiet the rumbling.  At work if you’re able, you might reach in the desk drawer for a snack or head to a vending machine.  If you’re out running errands, your favorite fast food place might call your name.  Rarely do we ignore our stomachs when they alert us that they need food.

Physical.  Hunger like other things affects us in many ways.  Some of us need food fairly quickly or we get a headache, upset stomach, or even pass out.  Fasting for 12 hours for a blood test is about my max.  I can’t imagine how Jesus could go for 40 DAYS without eating.  He had to have been dragging by the end of the fast.  However, in John’s Gospel after Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, we see a glimpse into how He was nourished:

But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.”
“Did someone bring him food while we were gone?”
the disciples asked each other. Then Jesus explained:
“My nourishment comes from doing the will of God,
who sent me, and from finishing his work.”
John 4:32-34

Emotional.  When I don’t eat right or enough or regularly, it affects my emotions.  I don’t think clearly and have on occasion turned into a bear because I needed food.  That has only happened a couple of times because now I’m aware of it and don’t allow myself to reach that point.  Jesus had a lot on His mind.  He knew what the Father’s plan was for Him and He needed to focus on that.

Reactional.  When my stomach growls and interruptions detain me from getting food, I have to take deep breaths and restrain myself from allowing human nature to take over and be unkind or unloving or impatient.  Have you been there???  It would be easy for us to be tempted to assert our desire for food and place it before all other demands, but is that the reaction Jesus had?  No.  Jesus had a human body just like ours.  I’m sure His stomach growled and it affected His physical body and emotions, but He allowed the Spirit to control Him and never lashed out at someone due to hunger or lack of sleep.

Temptation is just like hunger pangs.  It presents itself in all kinds of ways to get our attention.  It wants to be heard, seen, and satisfied.  Stay alert to the signs of temptation around the corner.  Don’t allow hunger or lack of sleep suck you in.  Don’t give in.  Give it up to Jesus.  Ask Him for strength to withstand and move onward and upward, trusting Him for victory.

Next we’ll look at each of the three temptations Satan threw at Jesus and how He responded.

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, when those hunger pangs of temptation strike, help me be strong and resist those impulses to give in. Give me strength and desire to stand up against temptation.

• Week 1 – temptation
• Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
• Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
• Week 4 – God’s love for us
• Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
• Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
• Easter – resurrection and salvation

Continuing today in Luke 4:1-13 we find another contributing factor preceding Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness.  First we saw that Jesus had just been baptized and had experienced a highly emotional and spiritual experience.  Next we see that He was alone.  Nowhere does it say that any human went with Jesus into the wilderness nor that He came across anyone while He was there.

Alone.  Jesus was totally alone in the wilderness other than the Holy Spirit’s presence and Satan’s.  I don’t know about you, but I would not want to be alone in the wilderness nor in a woods nor anywhere else.  I don’t mind being alone in my home but when I’m out and about, I prefer to have the company of other people.  When I’m alone and suddenly I hear someone talking near me, it startles me.  Satan may have been preying on the fact that Jesus was alone which would really get Jesus’ attention when someone spoke to Him. 

Companionship.  Having a friend with us is very desirable at times.  It makes the journey more enjoyable.  Jesus did not have any human companions with Him during His time in the wilderness.  He had not yet called His disciples nor did He have any followers.  Sometimes not having a companion frees us up to change plans, move in a different direction or at a different pace, or just stop and rest without considering the person with us.  For Jesus that meant He could block out everything else and listen only to the Holy Spirit.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NIV

Conversation.  I can’t imagine what it was like for Jesus to have no one to talk to except God for 40 days.  I have enough trouble getting through one day with no one to talk to except my cat!  I’m sure there was an ongoing interaction between Jesus and the Holy Spirit since He was the one who led Jesus into the wilderness.  Was it an audible conversation?  It could have been, but since no one was with Jesus, there’s no way to know for sure.  Not all of my conversations are audible either.  Some are only in my mind, some are on paper, and some are in text, email, or other electronic communications.

Be alert.  Do things seem more tempting and alluring at night?  When you’re alone?  When you’re feeling letdown after a spiritual or emotional high?  That’s when we have to be on guard more than other times.  When we have that companion and conversation, it can help keep us on track, but look out when we’re alone and there’s no one looking or listening.  That’s when Satan tries to trip us up and tell us no one will know.

There’s still another thing that factored into Jesus’ temptations which we’ll look at tomorrow.  After that we’ll look at each of the three temptations Satan threw at Jesus and how He responded.

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, guard my heart and mind, especially when I’m alone, that I will not allow temptation to get hold and pull me down. Keep me strong in the Spirit.

• Week 1 – temptation
• Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
• Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
• Week 4 – God’s love for us
• Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
• Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
• Easter – resurrection and salvation

Temptation.   Luke 4:1-13 is a familiar passage that shows us how Jesus was tested (or tempted) in the wilderness.  You might like to watch this 2-minute video of the story before you read on.

Cause or Prior Happenings.  When a storm comes, a fire breaks out, a fight begins, an argument happens between friends, or some other event takes place, there’s usually something that happened before the event that precipitated or even caused the results of the event itself.  Turn back a page or chapter before Luke 4 to see what was happening, and you’ll see that Jesus had just been baptized publicly.

Timing.  Satan knows just when to come after us.  You might be away at a retreat enjoying great fellowship with other Christians and then you come home to bad news.  You got a promotion, are excited, and can’t wait to get home and tell your spouse but you get tied up in traffic from an accident that spoils your day and makes you irritable.

Distractions.  Jesus was just beginning His public ministry and Satan knew it so He tried to distract Him and entice Him away with things that he thought would surely make Jesus at least think about giving in.  Jesus was most likely thinking about the plan the Father had for Him to carry out.   

Preparation.  Have you used the expression, if I would have known…?  If you’re like me, you like to be prepared, but there’s always the unexpected things that happen.  Some things we can’t be prepared for as much as we’d like to, but we can always be prepared with prayer and our response to the if’s of life.  If “this” happens, then “this” will be my response.  Jesus was prepared just like we talked about the preparation of prayer a day or so ago.  

Expect it.  Jesus had to have known He would be tempted.  After all, the first man and woman God created was tempted.  Adam and Eve weren’t prepared to face temptation nor did they even know what temptation was in the perfect world they came into, but Jesus was.  He had the mind of His Father and knew the Scriptures.  So when Satan came along with his attempts to trap Jesus, Jesus was ready with His prepared response based on the Scriptures and what He knew His Father would want Him to do.

Response.  Are you ready with a response to people and things that happen?  Many people prepare for natural disasters by stockpiling food and water, and in times past some people had fallout shelters in case of war.  But what about the temptations that come our way daily?  Are you ready to resist them?  Do you know how to resist them?  We can’t wait until the moment arrives and then think we’ll be ready to take on whatever comes at us.  Even those trained in self-defense have to think about what move they will make according to how their assailant approaches.  Our assailant is the worst enemy we could ever want to face, and we have to be mindful of his tactics and be ready to fight him off and nip it in the bud!  That’s exactly what Jesus did, and He’s our perfect example of how to fend off temptation.  He responded to Satan with words from Scripture, “It is written…”  What’s your ready response to temptation?

There’s another thing that factored into Jesus’ temptations which we’ll look at tomorrow.  After that we’ll look at some of the temptations Satan threw at Jesus and how He responded.

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, make me aware of the things that sneak in and tempt me before I even realize it, and help me be prepared with a response when temptation does knock at my door.

• Week 1 – temptation
• Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
• Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
• Week 4 – God’s love for us
• Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
• Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
• Easter – resurrection and salvation

Temptation.  What tempts you?  Is it the candy in the dish that’s just within your reach?  Is it the games on your phone or computer?  Then there’s a “temptation” to go outside when you really need to be working inside.  Some temptations are not bad such as having a piece of candy, but if you eat too much candy, it could be bad for your health.  I have to limit myself with a lot of things whether it’s reaching for another piece of chocolate or playing just one more game of Spider Solitaire.  Watch for signs that the temptation may be too strong for you or is distracting you.

I play Spider Solitaire almost every evening to unwind.  It’s fun and makes me think about using my moves to the best advantage.  But one particular night I wasn’t winning at all and I kept playing another game and another game and another game, hoping to win just one before I quit.  The next day I found my brain playing the game as if it was a movie playing in the forefront of my mind, and I was very distracted (unfortunately at a time I should have been concentrating on worship!).  Wow!  Now I limit myself to maybe 3 or 4 games, especially since each one takes 3-5 minutes…all wasted time in light of eternity.

Some temptations can be extremely detrimental if they pull us away from the right path of life and get us into trouble.  You know what I’m talking about.  You have friends or relatives who watched too many YouTube videos and visited too many websites that show things that should never be in print and definitely not on video with access for anyone to see.  Once they view these things, it’s difficult to stop.

Identify it.  So what is a temptation that you face?  Do you think you are the only one facing it?  Humanly speaking probably not!  The Bible tells us that Jesus experienced it all long before we even knew what temptation was.

Common temptations might be things like eating too much, spending too much, gambling you’re your hard-earned money, laziness, venting on social media, gossiping, feeling jealous, viewing pornography, lying or cheating, taking out your anger on someone or something, stealing, and abusing alcohol.  Did I hit on yours yet?  These are just some examples of types of temptations, and each one brings with it guilt.  We know we shouldn’t be doing it, but do it anyway.  So what might you be doing that you know you shouldn’t…and it makes you feel guilty?

Results.  As we begin this season of Lent, think about your temptation.  What have been the results of some temptation you gave into?  Just another piece.  Gained weight?  I’m in a hurry and no one’s on the road.  Got caught speeding? 

Tomorrow we’ll look at the events leading up to Jesus’ temptations.

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, show me the things you want me to see in my life that are pulling me towards temptation and sin.

• Week 1 – temptation
• Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
• Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
• Week 4 – God’s love for us
• Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
• Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
• Easter – resurrection and salvation