“Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.” (v:1)
Here in chapter 4 Satan had but one goal, to bring Jesus to sin against God. Three times Satan tempts Jesus with the desires of the physical and material realm, all within his power to provide. And, three times Jesus answered with, “it is written.”
What made Satan give up (that day) on his tempting of Christ, it was not just the verbal quoting of scripture, but the commitment to living it out as well. You see, Satan himself could quote scripture but he had no intention of living by it. However, Jesus did!
Today Satan’s goal remains the same, to get people to compromise on their beliefs and sin against God. We are all in a constant battle against his deliberate and subtle attacks and can’t win in our own strength. But, He has not left use powerless. The true power in overcoming temptation lies in the submission to God’s Word and the commitment to live by it through the power of His Spirit.
So, "armor up," and move forward to meet all battles in His name.
The Truth: “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:15-16)
