Our reading today is Luke 3-4, and I’m calling the episode “How To Resist Temptation.”

Jesus gave us the perfect plan for when we are being tempted. Remember this, beloved. Jesus was fully human, as well as fully God. Jesus was a real man. So the temptations that Satan put before Him were real. These were not theoretical. 

Jesus had flesh. And notice the very first temptation Satan put in front of Jesus. Jesus had been in the desert for forty days and had not eaten. He was hungry. The very first temptation was for Jesus to turn the stones into bread. Satan knew that Jesus was a man, so he went after the needs of His flesh. Some people can’t say NO to their flesh. I don’t think I need to say that the temptations of the flesh are more than just food, do I? The desires of the flesh are some of our most basic urges. Animals are almost completely controlled by this, but humans have the ability to exert control over these urges. And God’s Word is full of exhortations to do just that. We know that when we have the Holy Spirit in us, we can say no to the flesh.

The next temptation was, what some have called the lust of the eyes. I read this more as the lust for power. Satan showed Jesus all the nations of the world at one time, and said He could have power and glory over them all if He would worship Satan. Some people have a ravenous desire for power. I think we have seen a lot of that since the pandemic began. Politicians and bureaucrats around the world have taken a level of control that no one would have believed possible before covid hit. Now they seem to be drunk with power. 

The third temptation was to force God to do a miracle to save him. Or one might say, Satan tempted Jesus to twist Scripture. Some people crave signs and wonders. They’ll follow anyone who claims to have a supernatural power. And, some people do twist Scripture for their own gain, don’t they? The Antichrist will seem to have supernatural powers, and many will be fooled.

So these were the temptations. What did Jesus do in order to overcome each one? He correctly applied and quoted Scripture. Yes, Satan quoted Scripture to Jesus, but he twisted and misapplied it. Jesus did not twist it, and He correctly applied it. 

Beloved, this is why it is so important to know and memorize God’s Word. If you listen to this podcast every day, if it is your aim to go with me all the way through the Bible, that’s a great start. But unless you have a photographic memory, going through the Bible just once will not be enough. I pray that you will develop a life-long habit of reading through the Bible. I have a Bible that my great grandmother owned. There are notes in her Bible that show that she read the Bible through three times. But I have to think that this was not her only Bible. I would be shocked if she hadn’t read the Bible through many, many more times in her lifetime. She passed away before I was really a Bible student, so I won’t know that answer until I see her again in Heaven.

I myself have recorded the entire Bible three times. And do you know what? Even now, I’ll read passages that seem completely new to me. I do not have the best memory, so it is incredibly important for me to keep reading. God gave us His Word so that we could learn it so well that it becomes a part of us.

Ephesians 6:10-18 tells us:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For 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. 13 Therefore 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. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Notice, beloved, that all but one of the items spoken of here as the full armor of God are defensive in nature. The belt, the breastplate, the covering for the feet, the shield and the helmet. The only offensive item, the only weapon spoken of is the sword.

A warrior’s primary method to overcome the enemy is with his weapon. The weapon in this passage from Ephesians is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” A warrior must learn how to use his weapon if he wants to be victorious. If he doesn’t train with it, not only will he not be able to use it effectively, but the enemy can actually use it against him, as Satan tried to do with Jesus.

Beloved, we are in a spiritual battle. More-so now, I think, than in any time in my lifetime. Spiritual battles are not fought with physical might. They are primarily fought on our knees, in prayer, wielding the Sword of the Spirit. 

This podcast is one way to prepare you for the fight. I’m really very honored to be just a very small part of the process. Thank you for allowing me into your life in this way. But you need to learn to handle the Sword of the Spirit on you own.

Bible translation used in today’s episode: Ch. 3 NLT, Ch. 4 NLV

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