Skip to main content

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 tempter's 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

IT IS WRITTEN AGAIN

Text: Matthew 4:6. He told Jesus, “Since you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, because it is written,   ‘God will put his angels in charge of you,’ and,   ‘With their hands they will hold you up, so that you will never hit your foot against a rock.’ Jesus knocked devil off with "it is written" when he came to him with the first temptation. So, the devil too decided to use "it is written" for Jesus for the second temptation.  Don't be deceived, the devil knows the scriptures too. Second Corinthians 11:14 says,  "Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light." So, it's no surprise when you see Satan's messengers masquerading themselves as Apostle of Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:14.  The word of God is perfect. Yet, many people can twist it to their advantage and ultimately to their disadvantage. A drunk, smoker, fornicator, liar and all sort can justify their sinful lifestyles with a Bible verse. See to it that you do not twist the word of Go...
Post a Comment
Read more

WHEN GOD IS SILENT(2)

Text: Matthew 4:1  *Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.*  We saw yesterday that God was not pleased with many israelites that left Egypt for the promised land  (Corinthians 10:5).  A good percentage of the Israelites were overthrown in the wilderness.   Wilderness experience is not what any child of God desires, but it is an experience God sends or allows his children go through. In Deuteronomy 8:2, God says that He *LED* the Isrealites through the wilderness for forty years to humble them, to prove them, and to know what was in their heart whether they would keep his commandments or not.  Our Lord Jesus Christ was also *LED* into the wilderness by the Spirit of the Lord to be tempted by the devil. You will  notice there is a similar feature of the number *40(forty)* between these two wilderness experiences. That is, that of the Israelites and our Lord Jesus Christ. The Israelites spent 40years, Jesu...
Post a Comment
Read more

GULLIBLE BUT INTELLIGENT

Text : Mat 25:31-32  *When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:*   *And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:*  Have you ever wondered why Jesus compared His followers to sheep and not goats?  Sheep has reputation for being stupid, defenceless and harmless creatures that mope about on hillsides doing not very much. They are good for two things: being eaten and producing wool. According to a study by Keith Kendrick, he said in reality, Sheep are actually surprisingly intelligent, with impressive memory and recognition skills. They build friendships, stick up for one another in fights, and feel sad when their friends are  sent to slaughter. The truth is that sheep are far smarter than we know., All these reasons and more are the basis for Jesus' comparism of His followers with sh...
Post a Comment
Read more