A SEASON

-
Text:  Luke 4:13. 

And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.

We established yesterday that as a child of God, you can't avoid temptation. Infact,  James 1:2  says you should count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.James 1:3.

God expects you to know that temptation is the testing of your faith and it is expected to produce endurance in you. Invariably, temptation offers you the opportunity to be promoted, so, embrace it like a valiant warrior. 

Now, taking a clue from Jesus Christ, our Master and Lord,  you'll recall that the devil tempted Him three times while He was in the wilderness. 

Jesus was able to overcome these temptations because He submitted to the leadings of the Holy Spirit that was on Him and because He was a good student of the Bible. 

 *The word of God is the sword the Holy Spirit uses in helping you to fight the enemy. The more of the word you have, the better equipped you are, not just to fight but to win.* 

Ephesians 6:17 says And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

For the three temptations, Jesus kept saying "it is written". How many of the written words have you put into your hearts. Note that memorising the scripture is never old fashion. 

One striking thing happened immediately after Jesus overcame these temptations, it was recorded that the devil left Him for *a season.* 

Don't ever make the mistake of lowering your guard after every victory. The Bible could have said ' the devil left Him', without adding 'for a season. I believe this was added for our learning. 

Devil doesn't give up. That you have overcome him today doesn't mean he won't try his luck again tomorrow. 

You must not rejoice too much over old glory. Like Apostle Paul, you must learn to  forget those things which are behind,(including your past victories over satan) and reach forth unto those things which are before. Philippians 3:13.

1Peter 5:8 says Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour.

Jesus gave us a perfect hint on how to escape the tempters' trap. He says,  *Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.* Matthew  26:41.

WATCH AND PRAY. 

Bible Reading:

Matthew 4:1-11.

PRAYER FOCUS

1.) Father Lord, please fill me with your Holy Spirit afresh and help me to overcome in my times of trials.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BE CALM & LISTEN-3

-
Image
Text: 1 Kings 19:12 "...and after the earthquake a fire, [but] the LORD [was] not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice" Prophet Elijah fled after he received the life threatening message from Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab, because he didn't keep himself calm before the Lord.  *Endeavouring to listen to God in difficult times is a major prerequisite to your deliverance.*  Are you faced with a life threatening situation like Prophet Elijah, the first and most important thing you need to do is: "Set yourself before the Lord for His still small voice."  *"You will be saved from many unwarranted troubles if only you will always maintain your calm before the Lord and listen to Him."*  After Prophet Elijah heard the still small voice, then the Lord asked him, "What are you doing here?" This question shows that Prophet Elijah had left his rightful location and God-given assignment.  The windstorm he saw, revealed that he has been blow
Read more

PRAYING MEN

-
Image
Text : 1Timothy 2:8. I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. God gave explicit instructions to all of His children as to how we must live our lives. Some of these instructions cut across boards, of which all of God's children must obey. However, there are some instructions that are specific to gender or portfolios. We we'll be looking at some of these instructions today.  *THE MEN* From our text, there are two distinct responsibilities God wants men to undertake, and the two are intertwined. First, God wants men to pray. The word  'men' as used in our text is not generic as to mean all human beings. It is specifically requesting that all men should pray. Yes, God expects every of His children to pray, but He specifically called men out here.  A number of times,  when prayer meetings are called, the proportion of women in attendance always outnumbered men. This is because the devil knows the import of praying men.   
Read more

LET GO, AND LET GOD

-
Image
Text : Exodus 2:3. But when she was no longer able to hide him, she took a papyrus container, coated it with asph and pitch, placed the child in it, and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.   Ecclesiastes 3:1 says  "There is a season for everything, and a time for every event under heaven" There's a time to hold tight to what you have, and there's a time to let go. Having a good understanding of this timing is great wisdom. For three months, Jochebed hid her son from the mouth of the fowlers,(killers) but when she could no longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink. Exodus 2:3. You must know when to let go of that thing or person you love so dearly if holding on to them will cost you more than you can afford. Jochebed knew she had to let go of her son Moses, to let God do what only He can do. At tim
Read more