|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The Bible records some world-class conversations, one of which is the dialogue between satan and Jesus in the wilderness. Jesus has fasted for forty days and is then led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. In this less than ideal situation, the devil makes his appearance and begins to taunt the Son of God. He addresses firstly his physical hunger, asking Jesus to perform a cheap magic trick of turning stones to bread. He then challenges Jesus to do a spectacular feat of throwing himself off a tall building and making it out alive. He finally offers Jesus the chance to rule over the nations of the world if He would bow and worship him. Jesus uses His words, or rather the “Word who became flesh” used the “written word” of God to push back the enemy.
God never tempts us but he will allow us to be tested so that the genuineness of our faith is revealed and that our convictions be based on the bedrock of His word. If we don’t know His word how will we combat the enemy? How will we root out his lies and deceptions? Without God’s word deeply embedded in our hearts, we could get overwhelmed by evil and forget whose side we are on. We are called conquerors because Jesus overcame sin and death and won the ultimate victory. In Jesus, we are more than conquerors. We will be triumphant over the ploys and plots of the enemy!
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 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 answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
Comment Moderation Notice
Thank you for joining the conversation! To keep discussions respectful and spam-free, your first comment will be held for moderation.
✅ Once your first comment is approved, any future comments will automatically post if you choose to save your name and email for next time.
We appreciate your patience and look forward to your contributions!
2 Responses
If Jesus, the living Word, used the Word of God to disarm Satan how much more should we?
So true, Dave. Today’s devotional, especially Hebrews 4:12, really had me asking—am I fighting with God’s Word or just relying on my own thoughts and emotions? More times than not, it’s the latter. I’ve felt a real heaviness to start memorizing scripture again and pray I turn to that more in the heat of spiritual warfare.