Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil came and said to him,” If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him,” No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but the every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you, and they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’

Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.” Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’ Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.

Matthew 4:1-11

Oh, how my heart gets so heavy at times with the temptations of this life. Some days it is simply too much. After all, we live in this world and everything that we experience is tangible and present every day. Temptations look different to each of us.  When the devil comes a calling he paints such a pretty picture doesn’t he? Just like when he promised Jesus the world if only He would worship him. Sounds spectacular, right? Kind of like when the devil convinces us that being accepted by people and this world is what it is all about. We then work hard every day to be accepted by people, because then we will be happy. Sometimes it is difficult to think about eternity when we are wrapped up in the here and now of life. We live in a world of I want it now and furthermore, I can actually have it now.  The temptations to satisfy our own desires rather than follow God’s desires for us become overwhelming. It is easy to forget that we don’t have to resist temptations alone. Christ is in us and the battle has already been won. All we have to do is surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit. It doesn’t mean that temptations won’t come our way or that resisting them will be easy. It simply means that when they do we can call on the awesome power of our Lord and Savior to help us through. Not even Jesus himself was immune to the devil’s temptations. He was our example of resisting it.

Notice how the devil came to Jesus when he was weakest. He hadn’t eaten in forty days. Going without food for that long is more than a physical weakness. Your body is so hungry your mind begins to become weak. Of course the devil came to him at that time. He sends temptations our way when we are weakest. That is why it is so important to put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) so that we are ready to resist being tempted by the devil. That is why spending a portion of your day in God’s word and in prayer is vital to our walk through this life.

Resisting temptations is hard, but not impossible. Why? Because of the Holy Spirit that lives in us. Hold tight to that truth. Jesus loves you and wants to fight for you. All we have to do is let him.

Prayer

Gracious and Most Loving Father, thank You for sending the Holy Spirit so that we don’t have to fight the temptations of this life alone. We love You and thank You for your unending love. In Christ’s Name,  Amen.