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.” Matthew 4:8
1 John 2:16 tells us that there are three major areas in our life where we are susceptible to sin; the lust of the flesh; the pride of life; and, the lust of the eyes. In just a short time Jesus had been tempted by Satan with all three, the last one likely being the most difficult to withstand: The Deceiver offers Jesus the power and glory of all the kingdoms of the world. He said he possessed these things and could give them to whoever he desired. But Satan is a liar and frequently gives only half-truths, laced with deception (John 8:44).
2 Corinthians 4:4 states that Satan is the god of this world, and while he certainly holds influence through sin, his control is temporary because ultimately all things are under God’s control. The only thing the Devil could have offered Jesus was temporary power and control. In exchange, Jesus would have had to bow down and worship Satan, and in short, be willing to give up His eternal identity, power, control, and His mission to die for the sins of the world. Satan was offering Jesus power and control over a dying world, but He would have had to abandon His role as our Savior. The very idea of the Deceiver’s plan offended Jesus.
Jesus said to him, “Away from me Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”
Lost in the Greek translation is the passion and anger in Jesus’ words; ‘Away’ actually means, ‘Get out of here!’ ‘Go away!’ or ‘Be Gone!’ Jesus was livid! We too must become as excitable when we are tempted by the enemy of our souls.
Jesus was able to overcome all three temptations because He knew a secret of the Bible found in Ephesians 6 that we so often forget: we fight not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of the dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. He recognized who He was fighting against and used the only thing powerful enough to deflect the fiery darts of hell: the Word of God. Jesus also realized that the battle at hand was temporary and that its consequences would be eternal. And finally, he took the trials at hand seriously, never flirting with the offers on the table, instead, rejecting them immediately. He did this because there was more of God’s Word in His heart than His own pride and will. The only way that’s possible is for God’s Word to become the light unto your feet and the light unto your path.
Brothers and sisters, I am a prayer warrior and I minister daily to people who are suicidal and struggling with tremendous strongholds. I frequently lead the lost, the lonely and the hurting to the saving knowledge of Christ. That being said, the enemy has been on a full-frontal attack of me, my family and my ministry for years. However, I do several things to combat the enemy; I flank myself with the armor of the Lord daily (Ephesians 6); the Bible, the Word of God is spoken in my house by recording twenty-four hours a day; praise and worship play for hours in my home every day; and aside from my quiet time in the early morning of the day, I pray continually, asking, among other things, that the Lord put a hedge of protection and encamp warring angels around me, my family and home. Additionally, I work hard at taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and to practice the presence of Christ at all times. It takes work, effort and time to do these things, but I have learned that when I cling to God and His promises, praise and worship His name throughout my day, and offer up prayers continually, it is easier to keep my eyes on the Prize and my feet on the Rock. It makes me a conquer in Christ Jesus. That is not to say I don’t sometimes waver or sin, because I do, but when that happens, I run to the throne room of God to repent for I want nothing to stand between me and my First Love.
Today, consider where you have been defeated when confronted by the enemy of your soul in your day-to-day life and ask the Lord in prayer to remind you of Scripture when you are face-to-face with temptation. To be reminded of something, you have to know it, so take time out of your day to read the Word of God and memorize key verses to help you stand against the evil one, who, according to 1 Peter 5:8 “…prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” Continually keep in mind that Satan’s goal is to “steal, kill and destroy,” and think of ways to stand against the fiery darts of the enemy. I’ve listed some of the ways I do so above. Pray that a hedge of protection will be around you and your family that the Holy Spirit will be quick to convict you when you sin, and for the strength to overcome, remembering that He who is in you is stronger than he who is in the world. Don’t even flirt with sin and its hollow promises of pleasure and freedom that actually leads to slavery and imprisonment, and most of all, cling to the Lord, allowing Him to shelter and protect you under the shadow of His wings as His child. Let Him be your Strength, your Fortress, your Shelter, your Ever-present Help in time of need. He is faithful, and as Jeremiah 29:12-14 says, “Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.”
*Leslie Montgomery has written two books on spiritual warfare to help those who want to learn ways to stand against and combat the enemy of their souls; Engaging the Enemy: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare and A Parent’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare. If you would like a copy of either, please contact Leslie’s ministry at lesliemontgomery@itctel.com or her website at lesliemontgomery.com.
Don't you mean "WARDING Off Temptation"?
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