Luke 4:1-4
“And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’”
1 John 2:16
“For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life — is not from the Father but is from the world.”
Have you ever been tempted to put yourself first? Of course you have. Tempted with lust, money, self-preservation through lying, self-worth through gossip, and many other things. It is often a daily struggle to check our egos and desires. However, in the passages this week, Jesus shows what it looks like to resist temptation, and to recognize it for what it is: Satan’s plan for us to skip out on God’s best.
Also, we can see that Jesus was more than an example of resistance. Through His perfection, He became our way to escape temptation. Essentially, when Jesus takes over my kingdom, Satan no longer has power over my life. Therefore, this passage shows Jesus’ attack on Satan in each temptation.
So, pour through the verses this week, think on them, and pray for God to show you how to move forward. Most of us, if not all, know temptation is not easy to deal with. If we yield to it, we potentially destroy all that is good and holy. We need a way of escape, and Jesus has provided.
Use the HEAR method as you spend time with today’s scripture.
Highlight – what words or phrases jump out at you
Explain – what does the passage mean?
Apply – how does the passage intersect with your life today?
Respond – how is God leading you to respond?
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"Jesus was more than an example of resistance. Through His perfection, He became our way to escape temptation."