4 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Genesis 9-10
Matthew 4

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Matthew 4:1 (CSB): “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

From James 1:13, we understand that God cannot be tempted. In other words, nothing within God would cause Him to feel a pull toward sin. Yet, we are told in Matthew 4:1 that Jesus, God in the flesh, was tempted. How is this possible?

We understand Jesus’ temptation when we consider that He came as fully God and fully man. When He walked the earth, He was just as much man as if He were not God, and He was just as much God as if He were not man.

BUT … He lived His life on earth as fully man with His deity in the background. In essence, He came as the second Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45-49) to gain back what the first Adam lost in the Garden of Eden. Since Adam was not God as he sinned and lost God’s blessings and favor, so Jesus would not use His deity to defeat sin and rightfully gain back what Adam lost. What Adam, as a man, lost, Jesus, as a man, would gain it back.

However, while Jesus lived His life on earth as a man, He was still God, and God cannot be tempted. We understand how this worked when we acknowledge that God made Adam with no sin nature. When Adam sinned, He didn’t have a sin nature that compelled him to disobey God, which made his offense all the worse. So, to be the second Adam, Jesus came as a man, also without a sin nature. As a man without a sin nature, Jesus was tempted just as Adam was tempted. Adam stumbled into sin, while Jesus defeated sin (Hebrews 4:15) and gained back what Adam lost.

So, how did Jesus defeat Satan’s temptations? As Adam doubted God’s Word, we observe that Jesus rested in the truth and power of God’s Word.

As you read Matthew 4:1-11, you’ll observe that Satan hurled three separate temptations at Jesus. And each time, Jesus looked at Satan and said: “It is written…” All three times, Jesus fought off temptation by quoting Scripture (specifically from the book of Deuteronomy) and resting in its truth.

So, if we are to follow Jesus’ example, we must search for Bible verses that will help us in times of temptation. We must study those verses to understand their proper meaning and then memorize them. Then, we must rely upon the Holy Spirit to bring them to mind in times of temptation. But we cannot simply say the verses; we must trust God’s Word and rest in its truth.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you identify your areas of weakness where temptation could turn into sin.
  • Ask God to help you find some Bible verses that you can memorize to accumulate ammo for the next time you are tempted.
  • Ask God to help you memorize the verses He gives to you.
  • Thank God in advance for how He will help you in times of temptation as you memorize Scripture.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into how to battle temptation, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What are the keys to resisting temptation?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)