Hi! Welcome to this inspiring addition to my blog! As we get into this beautiful entry, let's dive deep into our foundation scripture, Matthew 4.
1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.6 “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.’” 7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” 11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. So let's set this all up. Matthew is the first book of the New Testament, where Jesus is beginning His journey. Matthew 4 is right before Jesus calls His first disciples, Peter and Andrew, and right after He is baptized by John the Baptist in Matthew 3. The first few chapters of Matthew truly sets up the believer. Once we are baptized and give our lives to Christ, God must test our faith, Are we truly committed to Him like we proclaim? Do we trust in Him with all our heart? Needless to say, Jesus is the Son of God, but we must realize that Jesus is half man, half Spirit, So, yes, He was half flesh when He was walking this earth. So, God took Him out into the wilderness to be tested. Now, we must note that it's not that God didn't trust His son, but Jesus was half man, and God had to know if Jesus was truly committed to fulfilling His purpose. So, he took Him into the wilderness for forty days. The wilderness wasn't a punishment. It was a humbling process. It was a cleansing. As believers, God leads us into certain situations not to be punished, but to be humbled and stronger to truly fulfill our purpose. After those forty days, Jesus was hungry. He was weak. When God leads us into a battle, it weakens us to the point that we will do anything to survive. "We want more!" we say. And at the point of our weakness, we begin to be tempted by the enemy as he advertises an outlet. In Matthew 3, Satan says, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Satan is basically saying that if you have all of these gifts because you belong to God, why don't you use your power to change your situation? Now, Jesus sets it up for every believer what our response should be to the world. Jesus replies, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." What is there to turn this stone into bread, turn this situation around, and lose my soul? Your soul cannot thrive from your desires, but it can only thrive from every word that comes from the mouth of God! God led you by the Spirit, as said in verse 2, and because you've been led and God has called you into this wilderness, you must let your desires go and seek only HIM! That's why the wilderness is a cleansing ground. When you are baptized, you are washed away from your sins, stepping out into a new, fresh life. And when you are led into the wilderness, you become cleansed from seeing self to seeing God and His promises for you! It's not about you anymore. It's not about man. It's about trusting God enough to allow God to shape you into the believer God desires you to be! Then in Matthew 6, Satan says, “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.’” And Jesus replies, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Satan is saying if you have this great relationship with God and you are in peril, why don't you just give up and let God just pick you up, because He would have to, right?" Jesus has the perfect answer, as always. WE MUST NOT TEST GOD. It's like saying, "I'm going to jump off of a cliff and hope God saves me,". God is shaping you in this wilderness. You cannot give up. Where is your faith? Faith is your survival kit. Push through and conquer the world's temptation, even though it may "feel good". It may feel good now, but it won't feel good when instead being set apart from the world, you are set apart from the Kingdom. During your weakness, the world will offer you everything that "feels good", and it only "feels good" because you are weak. In verse 8, it says, Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” In your weakness, this is when Satan tries to intervene with empty promises. 1 Peter 5:8 testifies to this when it says, "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." The world will begin to offer you ways out by losing your soul, and it feels good to your flesh, but not to your spirit. TRUST YOUR SPIRIT. God gives His true believers discernment, so use it, especially in the wilderness! You must be able to discern between good and evil, which means gaining spiritual eyes, and Jesus, who was desperate at this point, kept His eyes on His Father during the test. He resisted temptation by simply speaking the name of the Father, and proved His faith and obedience to God. In verse 10-11, it says, "Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” 11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. When the Devil is put in his place, all he can do is flee. James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." If you conquered death, you can conquer temptation!!!!!! In all of your trials, focus on His desires for you, not yours. God never fails!! "Praise the Lord! He is good. God’s love never fails. 2 Praise the God of all gods. God’s love never fails. 3 Praise the Lord of lords. God’s love never fails." Meditate on that. Speak it in your prayer closet! Proclaim it to the enemy that you are the son/daughter of an Almighty King, Abba, Father! God knows your heart. He created it, yeah? Don't shut Him out in the wilderness, but embrace Him. When you embrace Him and trust His Word that He wholeheartedly promised, He will come in and breathe life into all of your emptiness. And if you ever have doubt, remember this: Our God is greater, our God is stronger, our God is higher than any other! Our God is healer, awesome in power, Our God!!! (Shout out to Chris Tomlin for that beautiful song of worship!) I pray that whoever reads this finds the peace they are so heavily seeking, and through Christ Jesus, they discover their true purpose, not through their desires, but Yours, Lord. In Your mighty name, Jesus, we proclaim Your name over the highest mountaintop. Let Your love conquer our lives, Amen. 3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3-10
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