Matthew 4:5-7: (NIV)
“‘He will command his
angels concerning you,
and
they will lift you up in their hands,
so
that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[a]”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the
Lord your God to the test.’[b]”
Today's teaching is part of The Wilderness Series. Today we continue from last
week-for the previous post on this topic click right here.
After
the first testing which was a test of hunger, the LORD was tested again by the
devil in another area because as the Word says:
2 Corinthians 12:8-9: (NIV)
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power
is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about
my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
Notice
the LORD said, My grace is sufficient for
you-hence we need to receive the gift of
grace when walking through the wilderness. Are you in a season of frustration-rest
in the knowledge and understanding of the LORD. And not your own.
The
devil takes but the LORD gives-this is
why the devil took Jesus to the holy
city-the personality of Satan is to always take-so are you experiencing
a loss of happiness, peace, joy, stability-it is the devil-because he comes to
steal, kill and destroy but the Lord comes to give life (John 10:10).
And
Satan took Jesus to the holy city being Jerusalem. And had him stand on the
highest point of the temple. In other words, Satan takes and he pressures.
Once
more the devil tested the LORD according to his identity-because once you lose your identity in Christ, he
can attack you. So he will always come with a question of identity-always
questioning your position in the body of Christ. Which is why he took Jesus to
Jerusalem-the holy city-and had Him
stand on the highest point of the temple-when
He is the temple Himself. The devil will always question your calling in
the body of Christ in the wilderness.
And
he told the Son of God that if he indeed was the Son, he should throw himself
down and he quoted Psalm 91:11-12. This says two things-firstly, the devil
knows the Word he just does not understand it. Secondly, just because your
actions are based on Scripture does not
mean it did not come from the serpent. Be careful to make sure the Word you
have received is from God. how can
you tell? Well God will never tell you to
commit suicide-in your life, your position, your calling. That is the voice
of the devil-and here the devil was asking the LORD to commit suicide based on
the Word-He literally wanted Him to throw
himself down. Do you know why? Because Satan can never take your position as a child of God-he needs you to throw that away yourself.
This
is why the Word says:
Romans 8:38-39 (NIV):
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither
angels nor demons,[a] neither the present
nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor
anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And
Jesus responded with the appropriate Word in that situation: Do not put the LORD your God to the test.
Trust
God in the wilderness and do not listen to the devil’s take on Scripture-he always applies it out of context. Root yourself in the Word-and allow Him to
respond.
Q: Where
has the devil tested you this week? How did you respond?
Tip: Whenever
you feel weak, surround yourself with words of faith ie worship, Bible
teachings, reading the Word, a brother or sister in Christ because faith is a
shield to defeat the flaming arrows of frustration/anger etc of the devil (Ephesians
6:16).
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Tolu.