Jesus tempted – SeekGrowLove.com

It was the spirit that led Jesus into the wilderness to be tested. It was the devil who tempted him. God does test us, like a father tests his children, allowing us to make a choice between his will and our own, but he does not tempt us to do evil, nor can he be tempted, as everything already belongs to him and therefore wouldn’t be tempting.

God does not tempt with sin, but he does test his children so that they can learn obedience, to overcome sin and become people of character, for their own good, for their survival and for other good things he desires for us. We’ll pass the test every time if we choose his will over our own, just like his son Jesus did.

The devil’s temptations to cause Jesus to sin were cunning. With the first temptation, (Luke 4:3 “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”) the devil raises doubt about Jesus’s identity. He then targets Jesus’s need, his hunger, as a result of his fasting. When you are so hungry and deprived of your need to eat, it can be the most powerful time in your life because you have no choice but to cry out to God for help.

This was a very crafty temptation for Jesus, because both he and the devil knew who he was. He was the Son of God. God had already granted him authority and power, which he continued to grow in, which he could have used to meet his hunger need by performing a miracle for himself at his will. But he didn’t. Instead, his response was God’s will (Luke 4:4: And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”).

The temptation was taken right out of God’s playbook, when he tested his firstborn son, the children of Israel in the wilderness. What is new is knowing the devil’s part in this temptation towards Jesus. Jesus goes straight to God’s will in the matter, referencing Deuteronomy 8:1-10 with his response. The testing was meant to test obedience and build the character trait of humility, as is clear from that passage.

Keep in mind though that it looks like God’s testing came after his firstborn son already tried to put him to the test by blaming him for their hardships and lack of needs in the wilderness. God is Israel’s father. He is going to take care of his children, but they needed to learn to obey and trust him. Our good God sent them bread from heaven despite their evil response because he loved them. It didn’t always fare so well in God’s response to their constant rebellion, but you can see throughout scripture that God was patient and long-suffering with his people.

The second temptation was tempting because the devil was offering the world as Jesus’s kingdom right then and there, if only he’d worship him. Satan is called the god of this world, which meant that he had the power to give Jesus the kingdom. Jesus knew through scripture that through serving God, he was going to gain the whole world and more, but he had to die first. It would have been very tempting for him to set up his kingdom straight away, without having to die first. But his response was to serve God by carrying out his will for him in his plan of salvation (Luke 4:8 ⁸Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.”).

Jesus’s response came from Deuteronomy 6, where God gave the children of Israel the first and great commandment, which is to listen; Yahweh is God, Yahweh alone. Love Yahweh God with all your heart, soul, and might. They were told to do this so that they would remember him, fearing him only, and worshipping him, and swearing by his name (Deut. 6:13). They were to remember what Yahweh did, bringing them out of slavery and into the promised land to serve him. He told them these things for their good always and for their survival (Deut. 6:24).

Jesus trusted his father. He knew that God was faithful to do what he said he’d do, and he loved his father. He also knew from scripture that he had to die to be able to bring us with him. He chose us. He chose God’s will.

With the third temptation, the devil tries to provoke Jesus to prove that he is the Christ on his terms. He quotes from Psalm 91, telling Jesus that God will protect him if he performs the miracle that he wants him to do to show everyone that he is indeed who God said he was.

This is tempting because proving that he is the Son of God, the Messiah, could remove a lot of suffering from his life. Picture Jesus performing the miracle from the temple pinnacle in Jerusalem, in front of all the religious leaders. If they saw him doing this act, in front of everyone, from that location, they all would have known for certain that Jesus was the Christ. They probably would have set him up as their king, rather than trying to continuously kill him. Because Jesus chooses not to reveal his identity to anyone, except on God’s terms, it appears that like David, Jesus was always “on the run” from his enemies, because they doubted that he was the Messiah. Falsely claiming to be so was an offense worthy of death to the Jews.

But Jesus wasn’t really just “on the run” from his enemies. He was choosing to do God’s will at every step in his ministry. For the most part, he was on the move because his father told him to preach the kingdom of God to the various cities he was sent to.

The life Jesus chose was hard. He told us often that he spoke his father’s words, not his own. His father’s words were met with resistance and hate from most, except from those to whom it was given to know the things of God. Jesus’s response was the harder, but better route. He chose God’s will. He said, ¹²”…It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

This quote comes from Deut. 6:16. It references the bread incident from the first temptation. Again, we’re told what this was all about in Deut. 8:1-10. God does things his way for our own good, for our salvation, and to give us good things. But we have to trust him by doing it his way, even if his ways are harder than what we think ours will be.

If Jesus would have performed the miracle that the devil tempted him with, he would have been no better than God’s firstborn son, who put him to the test in the wilderness. They remembered their former slavery to Egypt, thinking it was far superior to their journey in the wilderness on the way to God’s promised land. The wilderness was hard. Many of them died there, never getting to see the promised land.

Similarly, if Jesus had proved to all that he was the Messiah by choosing his own will over God’s, the seemingly better route to go, he too would have put God to the test. Instead, he never blames God for his circumstances. He endures, looking at his hope, and thinking about all those he will save by choosing God’s will.

The devil left him, but only until another opportune time. Many of the things he said to Jesus make their comeback through the lips of religious leaders, as we’ll see through their interactions with Jesus in the rest of Luke’s narrative.

There were people who admired Jesus, but still doubted his identity. There were people, particularly those in his hometown, who asked Jesus to heal and perform miracles. When they don’t receive what they want from Jesus, which looks like a request for proof because of their doubt that he was the Messiah, they are denied, and they hate him for it. They attempt to push him off a cliff! Jesus doesn’t budge in following his God’s will, despite the consequences from men.

It is interesting that after the devil’s temptations, that Jesus quotes from scripture in Isaiah 61. We’ll eventually read in the rest of Luke’s narrative that Jesus lives out these proclamations from Luke 4:18-19.

Mixed in the quote is a quote from Isaiah 35 (recovery of sight to the blind). Jesus will indeed perform this miracle too. He’s even going to do it in Jerusalem, proving that he is the Son of God for many to take note of, but it will be on God’s time, and it is to the people God chooses for Jesus to reveal himself to as the Son of God, for God’s own purposes. When you read about this, and the other “Messiah” miracles, be careful to investigate the details so that you will know the exact truth about the things you are learning.

-Juliet Taylor – It’s been a joy to write again for SeekGrowLove.com and I’ve grown tremendously from doing it, so thank you Marcia! Hello Seekers! I am a Biblical Unitarian (BU) living in Tennessee with my husband, Wes Taylor, and our two boys, John and James. God has given me a BU church (Higher Ground), the best BU friend (Amy Swanson) to go through this race to the Kingdom with, an online church to fellowship with (Allegiance to the King), and a profession (Behavior Analyst/Sleep Consultant) that allows me time to study God’s word. God is good!

Questions

God cannot be tempted, because there’s no way to get him to desire anything that he doesn’t already have or will have at his will, as he’s the creator of all. But he can be tested (although we shouldn’t, knowing the consequences). In what ways do people test God in our time?
Similarly, God does not tempt us to sin, but he does test us like a father tests his child for her own good. In what ways do you think God has tested you?
What other “Messiah” miracle does Jesus perform in Jerusalem (hint: it’s mentioned in Isaiah 35).

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Getting Ready for the Storm

Old Testament Reading: Genesis 5 & 6

Psalm Reading: Psalm 5

New Testament Reading: Matthew 4

In some circles, to say you don’t like the beach is blasphemy. What?!?! You don’t like the sea? the sun? the sound? the sand? I do. I like them all individually, but something about the collection of all those things alongside the umbrella, towels, bathing suits, etc. just isn’t my thing. Sorry if I have offended you. Don’t worry, more offense to come. This is why I have never understood why people want to live along the coast, especially in the Southeast United States. Year after year, hurricanes pound the Gulf and Atlantic coastline one after another. The scenes of destruction are played over and over again, with very few structures standing after the wind blows, the rains come down, and the surge amasses. However, in the age of technology, there is most certainly time to prepare for the storm. Days and sometimes weeks out, the predictions come and the readying begins. The evacuation notices go out, priorities are readjusted, the search is on for the supplies needed, windows and doors are boarded shut, and then you must wait. None of these actions stop the storm from coming, but they will assure you will see the other side of it.

Unfortunately, not every challenging life circumstance comes with an evacuation warning, but there are sometimes when we can anticipate the storm. It may be a move to college, rearing your children through their teens, a long battle with an illness, or even some pleasant “storms” like marriage and the welcoming of an infant into the world. When we know the season is coming, whether it is forty days or a hundred years away, the examples of Jesus Christ and Noah tell us we should prepare for the moment we are called to. There may be testing, trials, temptation, frustration, and outright rejection, but we can ready ourselves with the tool God has called, the word of God, an ark, or a cross for whatever is in the forecast.

“Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” – Matthew 4:4

“Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” – Genesis 6:22

In Matthew 4, Jesus takes a getaway to catch some sun and put his feet in the sand, but it is far from a vacation. He is led to the desert by the Holy Spirit to prepare for His ministry. He denies himself food and water, to be focused solely on God. The spiritual discipline of fasting can take many forms, but it is traditionally done with the things we cannot live without: food and drink. Imagine for a moment if you committed to fasting for a single day. If you found a place physically removed from your demands, how much time could you spend focused on preparing yourself for God’s calling? Depending on how much you scan your pantry, the amount of food prep involved, and how well you chew, it is possible to gain a couple of hours. Where else could you gain a similar amount of time? Could you lock away your phone, remote, or computer for a day and read scripture during your unwinding time? Could you deny yourself an hour or two of sleep once a week to get up and pray? While literally impossible to make every day a fasting day, it is the practice of someone who is preparing to weather whatever spiritual or physical battle is coming their way. There is no doubt that the rain is coming for you. The flood is rising to meet you. Are you putting in your hours on the boat? Are you making time to fill your mind with the Word of God? If not, adjust your priority, and get rid of even physical necessity. Reinforce all the openings with His Word. Make sure to make God the first thought or the only thought through fasting sooner rather than later and frequent rather than seldom. And the house on the Rock will stand firm against any squall long after the storm subsides.

“The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock.” Matthew 7:25

-Aaron Winner

Reflection Questions

Who did the tempter recognize Jesus as? What three things did he tempt Jesus with? How did Jesus respond each time? How do you respond to your temptations?
How did Jesus prepare for the storm? (Matt 4:2,4) How have you previously prepared for storms (if at all)? How can you try the Jesus method?
What are some similarities, and differences, between Jesus and Noah: their characteristics, their focus, the world around them, the task before them, etc…
What do we learn about the God of Jesus and Noah? Is He interested in more than making you happy and comfortable (removing storms)? How does He provide and empower you to weather the storms?

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Victory!

Luke 4

Sunday, December 11, 2022

Temptation is a struggle that humanity has been at war with since the beginning of time. Temptation changed our world from a perfect paradise with no sin and no pain to a broken world full of flawed people. It was a result of the first human succumbing to the pressure of temptation that there hasn’t since been a single human capable of fully breaking free from the grasp of sin – constantly giving in to temptation, and consistently turning away from God and rejecting His love.

Until Jesus.

When Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil in Genesis 3, they failed massively, and their failure brought misery upon the entire earth (not to say that anyone else, if put in the same situation, wouldn’t have eventually made the same choice and given in to temptation). When Christ was tempted, on the other hand, he triumphed. His victory over temptation was a victory over Satan, bringing hope to all humanity for a day when we can be free from the bondage of sin. For a day when the world is not only set back to the state it was in at the beginning of time, but a state unfathomably better. Under Adam we were slaves to sin, but through Christ we have been set free.

As broken humans living in a broken world, we are just as susceptible as Adam to the call of evil, and temptation lurks all around us. But just as we have the failure and weakness of Man within us, we also have the hope and grace of God through Christ who sets us free. We have the power to overcome, and to stand firm in our identity as a child of God as Jesus did in the wilderness.

-Isabella Osborn

Reflection Questions

What 3 things did the devil use to tempt Jesus in Luke 4? How did Jesus respond to each temptation?
What are your 3 biggest temptations? How can you use the same power Jesus used to overcome these temptations? Think specifically.
Do you more often see yourself as a child of Adam (and all humanity), or a child of God?

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There’s a War Out There

Matthew 4

January 4

Deserts are dangerous places! Wild animals, extreme temperatures, lack of water, and don’t forget the devil, the tempter or Satan – he goes by many names – even in our short desert passage in Matthew 4 (vs. 1, 3, 10).

But, dangerous deserts aren’t his only hang-out. He was also spotted in an other-wise perfect garden giving a tantalizing advertisement for forbidden fruit. And, oh the trouble he caused there! The spiraling, echoing repercussions of which we can still feel and see and hear today. The darkness. The evil. The distance from God and His will and His way.

Don’t assume that if you don’t see a crafty red fellow with horns and a spiked tail or a wily talking snake that you are free from temptation and the spiritual battle between good and evil. Paul says it well in Ephesians 6:10-18. I encourage you to read the whole passage, but here I will include verses 11-14a

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. ¹⁴Stand firm then…”

Jesus shows us how to Stand Firm against the devil’s schemes. Adam and Eve show us how to crumble, reject God and His truth, listening instead to Satan’s lies and pursuing selfish gain and ultimately paying the consequences – which lasts for generations to come. Let’s not follow in Adam and Eve’s footprints as they take the serpent’s bait and then try to hide from God in their guilt.

Let’s look again at Jesus’ victorious example in Matthew 4:1-11.

It is interesting that Jesus had just completed a 40 day fast in the desert when Satan appears ready to tempt him with food. Certainly a fast of this length would make you hungry, so at first it seems maybe Jesus will be weakened by his current circumstances. However, keep in mind that a fast is NOT just not eating, an extreme diet plan. It is rather giving up typical food, schedules, conveniences, practices, self to instead focus on seeking God and drawing near to Him. 40 days of seeking God, sacrificing self “needs” to focus on His desires. Jesus’ stomach was empty but his spiritual tank was full up and ready for battle. He was armed with all the ingredients necessary for a successful stand against Satan. Truth. Righteousness. The gospel of peace. Faith to extinguish ALL the flaming arrows of the evil one. Salvation. AND interestingly the only offensive piece of equipment in the armor of God – the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. He was prepared to not just protect himself but he was also prepared to do battle with the forces that wanted to tear him from God and His will. He was armed with Scripture. He knew it well and he knew how to use it to rebuke Satan’s attacks.

That, is what I want. I want to stand firm in victory over Satan because armed with God’s armor and using God’s word has power over evil. I want to know and love and be practiced in God’s word so I can use God’s light from His words to scatter the darkness. And, that is what I want for you, too. Let’s suit up with the armor of God and His Word!

Questions for reflection and discussion

On a scale of 1-10 how aware are you of the spiritual battle being waged right now? In Scott Deane’s class on Daniel and Revelation for Atlanta Bible College, he often said, “What happens in the spiritual world affects what happens in the physical world.” Do you see evidence of this in Scripture? Do you see evidence of this in our world today?
When do you feel weak against evil and Satan’s attempts to pull you from God and His will? When do you feel spiritually strong? How can you make changes to increase the amount of time you feel more spiritually prepared to face the devil’s schemes?
What was Jesus’ message when he began preaching (Matt 4:17)? Where did we hear this before? (Matt 3:2) Do you think we will hear it again in Matthew? Is it a message we still need to hear today?
Who did Jesus call to follow him and fish for men in Matthew 4? What did they give up to follow Jesus? What are you willing to give up in order to have more time and resources to follow Jesus and fish for men? How are your fishing for men skills? How can you develop them more? Who do you know who is currently in darkness and in need of being caught for Jesus? What can you do this week to share Jesus with them?

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The Enemy desires everything we have

2 Kings 19-20; Proverbs 14

In our previous readings, there were examples of two choices that could be made when faced with trouble. One could follow the one true God or follow their own god. Hezekiah was the king of Judah who chose to follow God, and we should too. However, Hezekiah was not exempt from later circumstances with choices to be made. The choice to follow God or not was – and is – ongoing.

At the end of Chapter 18, we see that Hezekiah stumbled. He accepted defeat from the Assyrian army after years of conquering and standing strong with his God. He gave the king of Assyria what belonged to his God (gold from the temple of Yahweh). Even after meeting their demands, it was not enough. The enemy desired everything of Hezekiah and his people. He desired their worship.

The king of Assyria sent armies to Jerusalem and surrounded it. The leader of the army told the people to accept defeat because their God would not deliver them from the king of Assyria. He went on to offer the people great things such as a land full of plentiful good food and drink. It could be theirs if only they would forsake their God.

This time (it was over the course of a few repeated circumstances with the same choice – following God), Hezekiah made the right choice. He prayed. He proclaimed the majesty of his God and asked that all would know that Yahweh alone was God. What a prayer. And then what a response from God! What an outcome! Yahweh heard and delivered.

Yet again, God prospered Hezekiah. While all the cities around him, even the northern kingdom of Israel, had been desolated and the people carried away into exile, God did great things in Jerusalem under King Hezekiah. The great things (good food and drink) that were offered to the people of Judah if they would just forsake their God and follow the king of Assyria became abundant in Jerusalem and a remnant was spared for years when they chose to follow God. Remarkable!

It is clear to me that Yahweh God alone wants our worship. He wants our hearts. When we are faced with a choice to follow him or not, he rewards those who choose him.

The people in Hezekiah’s kingdom were seeing defeat all around them. They knew what taking a stand against the king of Assyria might mean for them. The northern kingdom had starved to the point of eating their own dead children before they accepted defeat (as we read in other places, the king of Israel was told by God to surrender. Instead, he allowed his people to die). For Hezekiah’s people, having the temptation of a land full of food and drink dangling above them would have been hard to resist. Yet they did resist. In the face of temptation, they listened to their king and remained silent.

I thought about Jesus when I read this passage and how he was led by the spirit to be tempted when he was hungry. The very last thing he was tempted with was being placed on a high mountain (maybe like the Asherah?) and given a choice to have all that he saw from that high place if he only worshipped the devil. Jesus said “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship Yahweh your God, and serve him only.’”

If our Lord Jesus was not exempt from temptation in his time of need, neither should we expect to be. We all have a choice to make. Will we serve God in our times of trouble? Will we serve God when tempted with pleasure or even with our basic needs? Know what Yahweh has done for his people when they choose him. “Have you not heard?” (2 Kings 19:25). In our time, he has supplied every need through our Lord Jesus Christ. Choose him! He has already won. If we follow him, we’ve won too. Pray like Hezekiah. Command the enemy to flee like Jesus. When difficult circumstances arise again, keep choosing God. Tell Satan to Go!

-Juliet Taylor

Today’s Bible reading passages can be read or listened to at BibleGateway here – 2 Kings 19-20 and Proverbs 14

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The Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry

Luke Chapter Four

Luke 4 43 NIV (1).png

In Luke chapter four, we finally get to see the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. However, before we get there, Jesus spent forty days and forty nights in the wilderness by himself with no food. He was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. We are never told the purpose of the Spirit leading Jesus to the wilderness, but I imagine it served as a great time for Jesus to focus in on God all by himself before he began his earthly ministry.

While Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days, the devil came to tempt Jesus. Three times the devil tempted Jesus, but he had zero success. To combat the temptation, Jesus responded each time with scripture (verses 4, 8 and 12). Scripture offers us a great way to combat temptation, as Jesus demonstrated here. Psalm 119:11 supports this notion, as it states, “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.”

Whenever we are confronted with temptation, as we all are, a great way to resist and combat that temptation is by quoting scripture. Now, this is only possible if you have scripture memorized in the first place. This is a big reason why it is important to store God’s Word in our hearts.

After Jesus withstood the temptation of the devil in the wilderness, Jesus officially began his earthly ministry in his hometown of Nazareth. He did not have quite the warm welcoming, as the Jews tried to throw him off of a cliff (Luke 4:29). This was just the beginning of the Jews seeking to end and kill Jesus. They were constantly taken back by Jesus’ bold claims that he makes. In the end, the Jews send him to the Roman government to have him killed because Jesus claimed to be the Son of God (Matthew 26:54). The Jews seldom got along with Jesus because they did not believe that he was the Christ, the Son of God.

Luke chapter four ends with Jesus telling us his purpose, as Jesus states, “I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent,” (Luke 4:43). Jesus himself stated that his purpose was to preach the good news of the kingdom of God. From the very beginning of his ministry, he preached all about the Kingdom. The message of the kingdom was at the heart of Jesus’ ministry, and it should be at the heart of our ministry as well.

Kyle McClain

Temptation

Mark Chapter 1

Mark 1 13a

This week we begin a journey into the Gospel of Mark, reading just one chapter a day. Jesus has much to teach us about being different. Instead of hearing from just one writer this week – we get to hear from 7 young people as they inspire us to follow Jesus.

“At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

Mark 1:9-13 (NIV)

In these verses, we see God having favor with Jesus as well as Jesus being tempted. We just came back from Fuel and it’s so easy to go back to life as we know it and to maintain the same habits. We will be tempted both now and throughout the year. However, the theme this year was different and regardless of a Fuel theme, we should strive each year to become a better version of ourselves upon going home.

Let us pray:

“God, we praise you for such a powerful week at Fuel. We’re grateful for the things you’ve laid on our hearts and for the Godly relationships that have been created and strengthened through fellowship. We ask that you would help us act in accordance with your will and help us fulfill the commitment that we made to be different in our personal lives as well as in our communities.”

Until next year, brothers and sisters in Christ.

~Caitie Wood

Worship God with your Mind

Philippians 4 6

Free theme week: Worship

Chapter reading for the day: Philippians 4

The mind is incredibly powerful. Because the mind is powerful and directly affects how we live our life and how we think about ourself, setting our mind on God is of paramount importance. If Satan and dark spiritual forces can win over your mind and have you believe their “truth” then they control you. We see this when Jesus was led into the wilderness and then was tempted by Satan. Satan questioned Jesus’ identity twice trying to get Jesus to believe that he was not who God said he was. Satan was attacking the mind of Jesus. But Jesus had a strong mind that was set upon God and his promises and did not fall for Satan attacks. Worshipping God with our mind is essential if we want to stand firm against the schemes of the enemy. Today we’ll look at one way that we can love and worship God with our mind.

The definition of anxiety is a being in a state of apprehension, uneasiness, or nervousness. Anxiety wrecks the mind and bombards it with endless “what if’s”. All of us have experienced anxiety at one time or another. There are many situations that we can become anxious about including our relationship with God. If left unchecked anxiety can consume a person and drastically affect their relationship with God and Jesus. When this happens the person and their mind is living in a state of “non-worship”. In Philippians 4.6-8 God reveals to us the remedy of anxiousness:

“6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication make your requests made known to God. 7 And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your mind in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”

Philippians 4.6-8 is a call to worship God with our mind. To set our mind on God and Jesus and not dwell or focus on anxiety. Here are some things we learn from this passage:

Let nothing in life give you anxiety
Because we are called to give everything to God in prayer (including anxiety)
The supernatural peace made available to us because of Jesus will guard our heart and mind
We are to set our mind on things that are good, godly, and wholesome.

Notice that Philippians 4 does not say that life will not have anxiety. But when you do have episodes or seasons of anxiety do not let it consume you. Surrender it to God in prayer. When we allow ourselves to be consumed with anxiety and fear we live in a state of non-worship of the mind. But when we obey what God has said we worship God with our mind, it says I will not let [fill in the blank] define me or consume me, I will bring it to God. That is worshipping God with our mind. This is worship that God desires from his people.

-Jacob Rohrer

Knowing Scripture

Matthew 4

Matt 4 4

It always impresses me when someone can quote scripture that is appropriate to the situation at hand, especially when they can quote it word for word, and know the reference. Being impressed isn’t really because of their knowledge, but because if they can quote exactly what is in scripture, and tell me where to look it up and get more information means that I can know the truth from the Bible.

In Matthew 4, Jesus has spent 40 days and 40 nights fasting. I think that would make it very difficult to remember anything clearly. However, when tempted, Jesus is able to quote the necessary scripture to answer the temptations brought to him by the tempter. When tempted with food, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” For each of the other temptations, Jesus again quotes Old Testament scripture that answers the temptation directly. Because of these answers, the devil leaves Jesus.

How awesome is the power of scripture. We can rebuff temptation with scripture in the same way Jesus did. However, it requires us to know scripture, to memorize it.

I often find myself being able to paraphrase things, and maybe being able to get somewhere close to where it is found. If given time, I can find it. While this is helpful, it often falls short of what I need. When I am having a difficult time, or trying to help someone, it is frustrating not being able to find the verses needed to help with the problem.

I encourage you to learn and memorize scripture. Jesus is our example, and he knew the scriptures. We should all follow that example.

-Andrew Hamilton

Tag: Jesus tempted