18. Satan tempts Jesus in the desert
– Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13
Matthew 4:1 “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.”
The devil has a strong desire for you to turn away from God. He will try anything. He is manipulative and cunning. Be on your guard and protect yourself. Guard your heart and mind. From time to time, all of us have our faith tested. Even Jesus, the Son of God, was tempted by the devil and had to prove his obedience to God. Build your faith on a solid foundation so that you may be unshaken. Although God will never give you more than you can handle, you will still have a choice to follow him or give in to the devil. During the hard times, the devil wants you to curse God. Instead, be strong and praise God. The more your faith is tested, the stronger your faith will be. Take delight in the times of hardship because it will prove your trust in God. Your endurance will only disappoint the devil.
Matthew 4:2-3 “After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus spent forty days without any food. Imagine how hungry he must have been. Personally, I am irritable if I haven’t had food for a few hours. Imagine how Jesus must have felt. Both his body and mind were not working at their fullest potential. The devil tempted Jesus with food because he knew Jesus craved it. The devil is smart and will try to find your weakness. Not only did he tempt him with food, but he also tried to question Jesus’ authority and ability. Imagine someone coming up to you and saying, “Prove yourself.” It is degrading. You have to be very confident in yourself and not rely on the opinion of others to have enough grace to walk away. Jesus knew he was all-powerful. He didn’t need to prove it to anyone, not even the devil. Jesus was at his weakest moment and didn’t budge. Jesus truly lived a human life. He was tempted at his darkest moment. Take comfort in knowing that you are not alone. Jesus knows how you feel when you are tempted. He has been there. He was able to overcome the devil and he will help you overcome the devil. When you consider giving in, consider whether the devil may be trying to withhold God’s purpose for your life.
Matthew 4:4 “Jesus answered, ‘It is written: Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Deuteronomy 8:3 “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
Matthew 6:26-27 “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?”
The Israelites wandered the desert for forty years. During this time, the people did not have food, water, or a place to sleep. Still, God provided for them. God cares about his children. He promises to always provide for us. He created us. He knows that you need food, water, and shelter to survive. He will take care of you. Don’t put limitations on God. The Israelites didn’t have any food but God still provided by having manna appear out of the dew on the ground. God provided food from heaven every day to feed his people. God can do anything. You do not survive on human needs. You survive on God’s truths. One of his truths is that he will provide for you what you need. You can rely on everything God says. Jesus knew that God was all he needed. It didn’t matter what the devil said or what happened to him as long as he still had God.
Matthew 4:7 “Jesus answered him, ‘It is also written: Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
Faith is having complete trust without having certainty. God wants you to trust him. He has already proved himself all throughout the Bible. More so, he has personally intervened in your own life. God wants you to trust in his word. People often make their faith with God conditional. “If God does such and such, then I will believe.” But God doesn’t want you to think like this. Don’t make your faith conditional. He will prove himself through his truths in the Bible. There is no need to test him. He is all-powerful but only his plans will be done.
Matthew 4:10 “Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”
You cannot have two masters. Either you serve God or you serve the devil. Do not be wishy-washy. Follow all of God’s commands. Worship him through your words and actions. Serve and obey God alone. The devil tried to offer the world to Jesus if he bowed down. Likewise, the devil tries to offer us the world in return for us serving him. The devil tempts us with materialism and power. Do not get caught up with the world and its desires. Evaluate your cravings and desires. What do you want most? Is it something earthly? Are your thoughts focused on it? Are your actions motivated by it? This is your wakeup call. Stop pursuing things of this world. Keep your mind and ambitions on heavenly things instead. Serve God alone.
Luke 4:13 “When the devil had finished his tempting, he left him until an opportune time.”
Jesus showed the devil that his faith in God was unwavering. But the devil still had hope that he could make Jesus’ faith falter at a different time. The devil doesn’t give up when you overcome him once. He will try and try again. He waits for your low point. Keep your guard against him and trust that God will help you overcome him again. You must choose daily to serve God. You must withstand temptation and continue to obey God every day.
