Written ~ 01-04-2024
Read Matthew Chapter Four
Matthew 4:10
10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,
‘You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only Him.’”
At the very end of Matthew chapter 3, Jesus is baptized by John, this is a monumental moment, then right after that in Matthew 4:1 Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness.
Sometimes in life that happens. Doesn’t it? Something wonderful happens, you’re gliding through each day without any troubles, then all of sudden you’re pulled into a wilderness, a desert like experience that is testing your patience, your faith and your endurance. We read in Matthew 4 that Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights where He fasted and prayed. It says in verse 4:2, “…He fasted and became very hungry…”
Let’s think about what happens when you go through a time of troubles and trials, you are being stretched and tested and you feel as though every ounce of your will has been depleted. You may feel completely famished. Lacking support, love, attention, hungry for the familiarity of life without troubles, sorrow and pain. Right then is when that voice in your head can turn your eyes off of the Lord OR you will continue to stay alert and strong even in your circumstance.
This is exactly what happened to Jesus! He was hungry, He was weakened. Fasting for 40 days is not something I have ever attempted, but can you imagine the longing for substance. Then along comes the devil, right at that vulnerable moment, he sees the hunger in Jesus’ eyes and he’s going to try and take advantage of that situation. The devil proceeds to taunt Jesus with His deity, “…if You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
What is one of the greatest lessons we can learn from Jesus in this very moment? The first word in His reply to the devil is “NO!” We have the choice to listen to the words of the devil, those sneaky temptations, especially when we are going through a particularly difficult challenge and we give in. Or we can turn with authority and say “NO!” But the greatest lesson we need to see here is that Jesus quoted Scripture, Matthew 4:4,
4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
‘People do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
This is one reason why it is so important to read, study and learn Scripture, because in an attack from the enemy you will need to have the knowledge of the Word of God to defend yourself.
The devil is cunning, he knows Scripture too and will try to twist it around to confuse us. That’s why we need to know the Word of God and realize a trick when it is presented to us. That’s what the devil did in verses 4:5-6, he tried to use Scripture against Jesus to get Him to do what he wanted. But again, the reply from Jesus was “NO!” And He quoted Scripture back to the devil in verse 4:7.
The devil was asking Jesus is verses 4:8-9 to bow down and worship him! Sounds kind of ridiculous doesn’t it? The devil asking Jesus to worship him? But guess what, when we are going through the wilderness season of life, where troubles and trials seem to come at us from every direction, we can either decide to worship the things of this world to get us through. Or we can respond like Jesus did in verse 4:10,
10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,
‘You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only Him.’”
We must worship the Lord our God and serve only Him! As believers we should be turning to the Lord first. When we do that, when we acknowledge the Lord’s presence in our lives and speak His Name, what happens? Verse 4:11, “…then the devil went away…” That heavy temptation to disobey the Lord will diminish, we will gain our strength and the Lord will provide the exact nourishment needed during that difficult time. As long as we stay true to the Word of God, He will protect and provide.
What is going on in your life right now? Are you in a season of plenty? Or are you in a wilderness season? Have you gotten full on the knowledge gained from Scripture? Or do you feel like your soul is depleted?
No matter what season you are in right now, it is always time to stand your ground on Scripture alone. Praising the Father through your difficulty and worshiping and honoring the Lord during your time of plenty will keep your eyes on the Savior above everything else! The devil is lurking. He wants to trip you up, especially when you are famished. Keep your hearts, minds and souls filled with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.
Praising You Father for Your presence in my life. You are the only One I will worship and serve. I bow my heart in thanks to you Jesus, my Savior for all You have done for me. Help me to always turn to You even in a wilderness experience.
~AMEN~