And a voice from heaven said,
“This is MY SON, whom I love; with HIM I am well pleased”
(Matthew 3:17),
A beautiful moment
and then the next moment
the very next sentence~
"JESUS was led by the SPIRIT into the wilderness to be tempted"
(Matthew 4:1).
One moment the blessing
and then
IMMEDIATELY,
for the next
40 days,
JESUS was led to be TEMTPED.
Sound familiar?
One moment you are flying high
because you are
FOLLOWING JESUS
and
LOVING JESUS
and
LOVING LIFE...
and then
TEMPTATION
calls your name.
TEMPTED
to let go of JESUS
for just a moment
because
you are led into the garden.
You SEE the apple,
that GOD told you that it would not be a good idea
for you to partake.
But oh it is so
"pleasing to the eye",
so
you review all of GOD'S WORDS
and begin to question whether iif
GOD really did say that you weren't allowed to
partake of something so beautiful.
So you ingest the words of the crafty serpent on the tree,
instead,
who convinces you that
it is only one bite.
Do you take the BAIT,
because all of a sudden you are so
HUNGRY for something more than just
GOD?
Hmm.
JESUS was so very hungry~
"After fasting forty days and forty nights, HE was hungry.
(Matthew 4:2).
HE was empty.
Oh the perfect time when
the TEMPTER comes knocking on your door.
KNOCK.
KNOCK.
KNOCK.
THREE times the tempter came
when JESUS was most vulnerable
and
when we are most vulnerable.
EMPTINESS IS THE DOORWAY TO VULNERABILITY.
What would JESUS do?
Well, this is what JESUS did do.
HE ANSWERED the KNOCK with THE WORD~
"It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of GOD"*
And then the next KNOCK~
“It is also written: Do not put the LORD your GOD to the test"*
And then the next KNOCK~
"JESUS said to him,
'Away from me, Satan!
For it is written: Worship the LORD your GOD, and serve HiIM only' "
*(Matthew 4).
1,
2,
&
3!
Jesus answered with
THE
WORD
OF
GOD.
Because
HE ate,
but not of what the tempter was offering,
but what HIS FATHER had offered.
HIS WORD.
The power of
THE WORD
to
break the power of
TEMPTATION.
The TEMPTATION
to LISTEN and RESPOND
to the wrong voice
that feeds you the wrong
WORDS.
What WORD do you need to EAT
when the TEMPTATION
to
be anxious,
to be worried,
to be frustrated,
to be impatient,
to be bitter,
and
to doubt the WORD OF GOD
comes
KNOCKING at the door of your heart?
Speak the
ONLY WORD
that slams the door
on the
the tempter and his schemes ~
"SPEAK JESUS"
(listen to the song below)
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