In the wilderness… In prayer, as of lately, I’ve asked the Lord for a greater understanding of the desert and its “purpose”. In that, I was led to the verses of Jesus in the Wilderness… As a forewarning, this post is a little longer than usual, but I would encourage you all to read it. Most especially if you find yourself in the wilderness, wandering, or doubting his word for your lives… Ever find yourself in the desert? Spiritually speaking, of course. Walking in faith weve all gone through the greatest heights in our walk with God, but then we often find ourselves in the midst of spiritual turmoil or, as often noted, the wilderness… During these times of testing, we must rely solely on our faith and trust in The Lord, without fail… Have you ever stopped to think, though, who led you there and why? Sometimes, in our spiritual walk, were led to the desert to be tested, tempted and humbled. Jesus, too, was led into the wilderness and though he was filled with the Holy Spirit, he was led there for both testing and humility... “Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his command.” Deuteronomy 8:2 Sometimes our “tests” in the desert are to see if we hold fast to what we know, in our hearts, as his truth and if we’ll humbly honor his word... The First Test/Temptation: In Matthew chapter four it states, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil…” The greek for tempted can also mean “tested.” As we all know, after forty days and forty nights, Jesus was hungry and physically weak from fasting. That, however, didn’t impede on his spiritual strength… Jesus was first tempted in the area of life’s necessities, his food… “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.” Jesus understood, mostly, that life is not just about the physical needs, but there is so much more to it than that. The word of God gives us life and, though we become both physically and spiritually hungry, only God can fulfill us as a whole. As believers we understand, though we may be full physically, we are never truly full without the spirit of God… Next, look closely at the beginning of that verse, “If you are the son of God…” The enemy purposefully imparts doubt on Jesus’ identity in God by saying, “If you are the Son of God…” We, too, are often tested in our identity as sons and daughters of the most high. Though we know who we are, in Christ, the enemy will continually try to place a seed of doubt in what God has already spoken over our lives. However, Jesus had experienced Gods voice at his baptism. God proudly said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) Though the enemy tried to attack this very claim and create doubt in Gods voice, Jesus boldly and unabashedly stood up for his word, his promise and his life God had initially ordained for him. The Second Test/Temptation: “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.” Matthew 4:5-7 He again questioned Jesus’ identity by stating, “If you are the son of God…” Satan knows just how weak we can get. Though we may stand up, boldly, the first time he knows if he keeps hitting points of doubt he may just break through and deceive us out of believing what we know is truth… But, the key point here, is that the devil tried using the word of God to prove his point. Satan stated, “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…” The Devil knows the word of God, through and through, just as he knows his promises for our lives… So, of course, he will do whatever he can to twist it, manipulate it, misconstrue it and present it in such a way that is contrary to the word of God. Many believers fall away from their purpose and promises, of God, due to Satans key in manipulating His word for our lives and presenting it out of context. He creates an overwhelming sense of doubt by masking himself in false “light” (2 Cor. 11:14) and, many times, we falter from Gods initial word for our lives because of such deception. In this specific verse satan was referring to Psalm 91. Had Jesus jumped off the temple it would’ve been to prove verse Psalm 91 true, but Jesus stood firm. He didn’t have to jump to prove his trust in God. He demonstrated full faith by trusting Gods word in replying, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 6:16 The Last Test/Temptation: “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.” Matthew 4:8-11 At this point the devil is putting it all out there… He is seeking to hit any weakness by using materialistic means. Sounds familiar, eh? We deal with this daily living in a world driven by our own desires. Mark 8:36 resonated loudly in my head upon reading this last verse… “For what good is a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” Jesus knew he didn’t need the kingdoms of the world, nor all of their splendor to be truly fulfilled. He knew his heart in God was the only thing that would give him life, true love, treasures and abundance. He understood that his soul wasnt bound to this world, nor the things of it. My favorite part of this all, though? All of Jesus’ answers started with, “It is written.” In this he is clearly stating Gods word is final and he does not need to test it nor prove it. He is also saying Gods word has not and will not return void... In that small, yet powerful, statement he said I put ALL of my faith and trust in Gods word alone. When we are, often, confronted with similar situations the devil will whisper, in our ears, doubts of Gods purpose for our life… In these times of weakness we need to remember, “It IS written.” God has already provided his promises and his word is, not only, valid but sufficient. His word, to us, will not return void. Sometimes, in the desert, we are too busy trying to seek God that weve forgotten he is within us and he never left… We become overwhelmed with temptation, so much so, that our doubt takes precedence over our faith and honest belief in his word for our lives. So, when you find yourself in the desert ask, “Am I being led here in testing of my faith?” And, whatever you do, stand firm against the enemy and his false sense of doubt by saying, “It IS written.” When you claim that, out of confidence, your promises will surely not be shaken. YOU were created for a purpose filled life. Stand firm, in faith, amidst the dry and desert land...
Posted on: Sat, 22 Nov 2014 01:18:48 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015