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Part 1 - The Lust of the Flesh

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How Jesus Fought Temptation

the Series

I decided to write a new series of devotionals concerning Jesus's temptations. I would like to break it down by each temptation that Jesus faced while He was in the desert for 40 days, and 40 nights; and I hope you will notice how Jesus handled each temptation, based upon His situation at that time.

I will start off by mentioning that before Jesus went out in to the desert He had just been Baptized by John the Baptist. Jesus knew His Ministry was about to take off in a mighty way, but by His humbleness He saw the importance of this demonstration to all new believers. We as Christians should also show this kind of demonstration so that others can see our faith in Christ. Like Jesus, we have to humble ourselves to go do the work of God in our lives. Pride and Arrogance are things God does not care for us to show. John did not even feel worthy to carry his dirty sandals much less Baptize the Son of God. What a great demonstration of humility they both have shown us, and how we might want to emulate their example. 

When Jesus first stepped into the desert he had already made up His mind he wanted to focus solely on God. He knew he had to suffer his fleshly desires wholeheartedly thereby showing us how we need to respond during our weakest moments. By Jesus fasting for 40 days, He knew His body would become very hungry, and very weak. However, He knew His mind would be very strong if He only focused on God, and not food. 

So now you have Jesus hungry, tired, and I am sure, very hot. All of a sudden Satan appears and says to Jesus in Matthew 4:3, “If you are the son of God, tell those stones to become bread.” Jesus answers him by saying, “No! The scriptures say, People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”  You may be interested to know that Jesus was referring to the scriptures in Deuteronomy where it says in 8:3, “Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live on bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord."

This scripture also makes an interesting point, as, when it was written it was referring to the Israelites who had been wondering in the desert for 40 years. It is amazing to see how God has truly designed His word so that we can recall for our protection.  Jesus was able to use this Spiritual weapon, “The sword of the Spirit”, which is the word of God, to fight off Satan's temptation. I hope you see in these Verses that Satan does not care if you are trying to grow closer to God. He knew Jesus wanted to do just that, but the power given to Satan by God then allowed him to tempt Jesus in many ways. God had to illustrate this to show us we can overcome temptation as well. 

In closing, God tells us in 1 Corinthians 12-13, “If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure."

Just like Jesus, God can show us a way out of any temptation if we are willing to fight. Many times we do not fight; but why don't we? Do we not believe we can overcome Satan's temptation? Do we not know how to fight? Well, that is the reason for this devotional, as Jesus showed us how to get Satan to flee from us. Yes, Satan will come back two more times to Jesus, but tomorrow evening Jesus will show us how He overcame each temptation as well. 

Do you have a temptation that you have been struggling with for a very long time, but no matter how much you pray it does not seem to stop? Please start learning scriptures to help fight Satan when that temptation occurs. God is telling us in His word we can have victory over it. 

Stay strong with the Sword of the Spirit,

E.


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