Gò0dNews for Everyone
Tempted In the Wilderness
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(Part 1) by Contessa Long
ur wilderness experiences tell us exactly who we are in our hearts. God uses the wilderness to grow us and show us areas that still need attention in our lives.
No one is exempt from the Holy Spirit walking them into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, not even Jesus. And for Him, it happened immediately after a great move of God. “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when He came up out of the water, immediately He saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; and with you, I am well pleased.’ The Spirit immediately drove Him out into the wilderness. And He was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And He was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to Him” (Mark 1:9-13, ESV). We see the Trinity in full force at this moment. God is three persons, but One being, and we see this beautifully manifested at Jesus’ baptism. Jesus is being baptized obediently by John, who is reluctant because he knows who Jesus is. He knows Jesus is the Son of God who has never sinned. He preached of Christ coming with boldness proceeding this very moment. As Jesus walks onto the scene John says, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29, ESV). Father God spoke audibly over His life, giving testament to His identity. The Holy Spirit descended onto Him and immediately led Him to be tempted. What a glorious portrait of the One True King! We can truly learn how to fight temptations from how Jesus reacted to the schemes of the devil. Although He was completely sinless, He gives the example of the life we are to lead in response to warfare from the enemy. He faced the same temptations that we do when He walked the earth. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15, ESV). Let us learn from these three temptations to better equip us in our own spiritual warfare. There is so much more depth than this one article can attain, so we will lay the temptations out in this first one, as we ponder them in our own hearts.
1. The temptation of hunger and being satisfied. “Then the tempter approached Him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread’” (Matthew 4:3, CSB). 2. The temptation of putting God to the test to get what we want (control and manipulation). “Then the devil took Him to the holy city, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will give His angels orders concerning you, and they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against the stone’” (Matthew 4:6, CSB). 3. The temptation of worshipping anything or anyone other than the Lord God Almighty. “Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. And he said to Him, ‘I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me’”
34 // October 2021
(Matthew 4:8-9, CSB).
