INTO THE WILDERNESS
J.D. Ketterman
Today’s Scripture: “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.” Matthew 4:1-2, ESV
Theme: Fast at times you need to focus on God.
OUR SOLUTIONS
We wake up each morning, daring at times to put our feet on the floor, to face the daily challenges, to delve into chaos, and to do battle in the wilderness. We can submit to hopelessness, anger, or fear of all that surrounds us. There is an easy way out. We can stay in-between the sheets with self-pity, escape reality with electronics, surrender to addictions, shop for self-gratification, or chase whatever gives us an inordinate opinion of self-importance…Pride.
These are temporary non-solutions. These are temptations. The devil is out there and uses these distractions to weaken our spirits. Jesus demonstrated the way to win over temptation: He fasted, prayed, and fixed His eyes on God.
THE TEMPTATIONS
Today’s Scripture reveals the strength of the Spirit of Jesus. Shortly after being baptized, seeing the Spirit of God descend, and being given divine power and affirmation by His Father, “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1, ESV). He fasted forty days. He put away all temptations to break the fast or not follow the Spirit’s leading. Suspecting He was in His weakest state, the devil stepped in with three temptations, the same temptations which we face every day. First, Jesus was encouraged to turn stones into bread to satisfy His physical needs and desires. The second was to test His possession of His powers by jumping off the top of the temple; in other words, to show off His powers by saving Himself in a death-defying act. Thirdly, the devil tempted Him with pride, in that He could own the world if He only bowed down and worshiped the devil. The devil had attempted to pervert Scripture to cause Jesus to submit. But Jesus knew the Word of God and focused on it. He proved the strength of the Spirit to defy the temptations. Through His Word and with the power of His Spirit, we too will win over temptation.
HIS SOLUTION
We face worldly temptations daily, and even more so these days, with distractions and temptations coming speedily from innumerable sources. Pride and false justification of sin can cripple us and lead us to embrace the devil’s lies. Jesus understands what we are going through. He has been tested, and through the strength of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, He conquered temptation. We, too, need to fast from temptations and flee from sin; to dedicate ourselves to our quiet time to find the strength of the truth in God’s Word and submit to it.
Make It Personal: Read the Scriptures out loud to strengthen your resolve to recognize evil and avoid it. Find your identity in the Spirit of Jesus. He is with us always. He does not abandon us in even the worst circumstances. “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13, NIV).
Pray: Father God, give me the strength of commitment to find the Truth in Your Word, to don Your full armor, and stand righteous against the evil of temptation. Let me find solace in the words of your Son, so that I exemplify His example. It is in His Name I pray. Amen
Read: Matthew 4:1-11, 2 Timothy 3:16, James 4:7
Weekly Memory Verse: “It will be said on that day, ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.’” Isaiah 25:9, ESV