“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.”
Recently, my husband and I went to the auto shop to pick up my vehicle after some work was completed. When I went to the Cashier desk to check out with credit card in hand, she shook her head and said there was no charge. I questioned her again because I thought we owed money for this service and the part, and I did not want to leave without properly paying for it. Again, she said there was no charge since we must have prepaid for it. For a split second, I thought, “Well. Ok.” Thankfully, I double-checked with my husband before leaving, and he verified we did not prepay for it. We were both relieved to have caught the error and returned a third time to the Cashier to notify them of the mistake.
However, there was a moment of temptation brewing in me to take their word for it and leave.
In Matthew 4, versus 1-11, Jesus was tempted by Satan three times while in the wilderness after He had fasted forty days and forty nights. So Satan tempted him in three areas where we tend to be weak and easily influenced by our human nature.
TEMPTATION #1: Satan challenged Jesus to prove He was the Son of God by tempting Jesus to turn stones into bread to satiate his hunger. Satan was appealing to Jesus’ physical needs and desires.
TEMPTATION #2: Satan challenged Jesus to prove He was the Son of God by tempting Jesus to throw Himself off the pinnacle of the temple and let the angels save Him. Satan was appealing to Jesus to show off His power.
TEMPTATION #3: Satan challenged Jesus to submit to him and worship him. If he would, then Satan would give Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. Satan was appealing to Jesus’ pride and possessions.
We all are tempted in these areas as well…physical needs, desires, power, pride and possessions. Thankfully, this text also provides us with some warnings to look out for and also the actions that Jesus’ used to battle the temptation. We are able to learn from these examples in our own lives.
WARNINGS:
- Satan will try to use us during times of weakness to sin by tempting us in the areas of physical needs, desires, power, pride and possessions.
- Satan will manipulate us by bending the meaning of scripture to make us think we have “permission” to sin.
- Satan is the great deceiver and will lie to us about what is right and what is wrong to draw us into sin.
ACTIONS:
- Fasting is a spiritual discipline we may use to draw us closer to the power of the Holy Spirit in us. Through fasting, we learn that we are able to overcome our human desires through prayer and discipline from the Holy Spirit.
- We are not alone. Jesus was tempted and overcame the temptations. He will give us strength to overcome as well.
- Jesus uses scripture in all three cases to battle Satan and stand up to the temptations.
- Jesus exclaimed to Satan, “Be gone!” We also have the ability to rebuke Satan in Jesus’ name through the power of the Holy Spirit in us.
Standing up to temptation may be a daily battle for us. It may also be one of the most difficult battles we face to say NO to sinful behavior when we believe it will provide us immediate gratification and happiness. However, sin will never bring us happiness and joy, for sin ultimately leads to death. (James 1:15) Sin often brings pain, regret, and hurt either to ourselves or others or both. So where do we go for happiness and joy as well as other wonderful qualities?
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And thsoe who belong to Christ Jeuss have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” ~ Galatians 5:22-24
We run to Jesus! Jesus as our Savior along with the Holy Spirit in us will provide us with the Fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and self control. Isn’t this wonderful? The passage says there are no laws against these things. And why would there be? All of these qualities will only bring good things to ourselves, to our friends and family, to our neighbors and community. These are the qualities that will change our world! Amen. Amen.
QUESTIONS TO PONDER:
- What are the areas where you are most easily tempted?
- What actions do you have in place to fight and/or avoid these temptations?
- What can you do today to prepare yourself for future battles with Satan and the deception he uses against us?
PRAYER: Thank you, Jesus, for the lessons you have taught me in this passage. I am reminded that I am not alone. You were tempted and you know exactly what I am experiencing when I face temptation. I know I have the Holy Spirit on my side and the power of God to help me battle Satan. Lord, please help me recognize when Satan is trying to deceive me. Give me the strength to say, “Be gone, Satan, in Jesus name!” Amen.
Hugs & blessings,
Stacy
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