We Have A Weapon
Matthew 4:1-4 NKJV
1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."4 But He answered and said, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
This is an important passage. I have done devotionals in past years about this interaction between Jesus and Satan. But the lesson here is worth repeating. The importance of this passage is not so much Jesus resisting and rebuffing Satan, but how He did it.
Jesus had just finished fasting for forty days and nights out in the wilderness. It was only food He was fasting; a physical body cannot go that long without water. In any event, He had to be literally starving. And Satan came to Him, tempting Him. Satan's taunt was to question Jesus legitimately being the Son of God. Thus, the temptation to prove He truly was God's Son and to misuse His powers by turning the stones into bread. This was a legitimate temptation. And Jesus answered Satan and resisted the temptation at the same time.
It is written. Jesus' answer to Satan's taunt of if you are the Son of God was to not address that subject directly. In reading about Jesus in the gospels, we notice He does not answer every question regardless of who asks it. Jesus did not owe Satan an answer, but He resisted the temptation by referencing what the Scriptures say. Jesus never argued with Satan. He did not laugh at Satan and declare He was the Son of God. He simply responded with it is written and then quoted the verse. Satan tried three times to tempt Jesus. And each time, Jesus responded to the temptation with the power of the Scriptures. It is written worked for Jesus, not His divinity. And it is written will work for us as well.
Application
I do not suggest a forty-day fast. Outside of Jesus, we don't see that pattern in the Scriptures. I do suggest using the same method Jesus used to resist Satan and temptation, it is written.
Satan will not come at us in physical form, but his dark forces will work against our flesh and mind to get us to yield to temptation or error. But we can use the same weapon Jesus used, it is written. When thoughts attack our minds, we have a weapon, the Scriptures, that we can answer with. We, like Jesus, are not at the mercy of Satan and his schemes. He cannot force us just as he could not force Jesus. When we are armed with the truth of the Scriptures, we can resist the temptation and counter the dark thoughts. Quoting the Scriptures out loud is more effective than you may think. That is using our mouth to speak life to the death that tries to overwhelm us. Knowing what the Scriptures say is more than a good religious idea; it is a weapon we can use.
Prayer
Thank You, Lord, for Your Word that I can use as You did to defeat the enemy and resist temptation. Your Word is a powerful sword in my mouth.