Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:1-4 (NASB1995)
Temptation is a common ailment of saved children of God. It comes in many forms and at different times. Anyone who says they are never tempted has already fallen victim to pride. If our Lord Jesus, the Son of the living God, can be tempted, there is no doubt that we lesser mortals are just as prone to temptation, if not more so. Temptation is the work of the devil to try to divert us from God and His Word; we see this in the temptations that distract us from church, prayer, meeting Christian friends, or reading the Bible.
This was the aim of the devil in our Lord’s temptation in the wilderness: to divert Him from God’s work of redemption for mankind. The fact that God allows temptation is not an oversight or a weakness; it is proof of His strength working in the life of the individual. It is permitted that God’s righteousness may be seen in and through us as we resist Satan. The devil does not play fair – it’s not in his nature. Take note of his twisting of God’s Word in this scripture today, and also in the temptation of Eve in the garden of Eden. It is interesting that the devil snears, saying, “if you are the Son of God…” when he knows full well that He is – this is playing dirty with a physically weakened Jesus. The devil waits until his victims have been softened up by some trial before slithering into view.
Dear Reader, the most important point is how our Lord deals with this temptation – He quotes the Word of God. If this is good and effective for Jesus, it certainly is the best way for us to respond to our temptations. If we can memorise a couple of powerful verses for such occasions, that is great. But even if we can paraphrase a Bible verse accurately in our own words, that is also effective. In the face of temptation, I have found that thanking God for them and glorifying Him really annoys Satan, who soon slithers off in the huff. The Word of God and prayer are your two most powerful weapons against temptation – use them often, brethren.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Devotional Treasures
