LESSONS FROM THE TEMPTATIONS OF JESUS
from the stable of the hall of champions
Bible Text=; Matthew 4:1-11
A close look at the temptation of Jesus
makes me wonder how man can overcome
them because any man would cheaply fall for
them.
Christ was hungry, in dire need of food. There
was an offer, “turn these stones to bread, it’s
what you can do because you’re the son of
God”.
The devil is subtle. He [first] came up with
what man can fall cheaply for. And that’s
what he’s still doing to Christians daily!
While He [Jesus] turned water to wine, He
didn’t turn a stone to bread. This is because
He recognised when “turning of things” is
needed. He was able to achieve this because;
i. He was Spirit-filled: He understood the fact
that ANYTHING from the devil is fake. Of
course, it’s not a crime to do that, but devil
made it a crime. Devil devised the idea and
anything from the devil is a no-no for
Christians. It’s dangerous to say yes to devil’s
proposal no matter how real it may be. It’s
specious. Beware! That’s why we must walk in
the Spirit as the Spirit admonished us in
Galatians 5:16
“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye
shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
One day, I was faced with two options. Both
are correct in some way as they are what we
must use as Christians, but the application
was required. I asked the Spirit to help me,
and He answered. He countered the one I
would have picked ordinarily. He helped me to
discern the camouflaged. He taught me why it
was wrong [at that point in time] after I
overcame just as the angels ministered to
Jesus after He overcame.
Jesus turned water to wine because He was
instructed by God to do so but didn’t turn
stone to bread because it was the devil’s
order.
ii. He knew God’s Word and applied it well: Memorizing the Word of God will help in
overcoming temptations as it will give the
boldness to stand. Reading, studying and
meditating are prerequisites for this. How can
one pass an examination without studying?
Temptation is the examination which needs
studying and correct application in order to
pass.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God,
a workman that needeth
not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the
word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
iii. He fasted and prayed: Some&;things cannot
happen until they are drawn by prayer and
fasting. Likewise we might not overcome
some temptations unless we fast and pray.
Fasting did not only help Jesus in overcoming
temptations but also helped him in fulfilling
Bible Text=; Matthew 4:1-11
A close look at the temptation of Jesus
makes me wonder how man can overcome
them because any man would cheaply fall for
them.
Christ was hungry, in dire need of food. There
was an offer, “turn these stones to bread, it’s
what you can do because you’re the son of
God”.
The devil is subtle. He [first] came up with
what man can fall cheaply for. And that’s
what he’s still doing to Christians daily!
While He [Jesus] turned water to wine, He
didn’t turn a stone to bread. This is because
He recognised when “turning of things” is
needed. He was able to achieve this because;
i. He was Spirit-filled: He understood the fact
that ANYTHING from the devil is fake. Of
course, it’s not a crime to do that, but devil
made it a crime. Devil devised the idea and
anything from the devil is a no-no for
Christians. It’s dangerous to say yes to devil’s
proposal no matter how real it may be. It’s
specious. Beware! That’s why we must walk in
the Spirit as the Spirit admonished us in
Galatians 5:16
“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye
shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
One day, I was faced with two options. Both
are correct in some way as they are what we
must use as Christians, but the application
was required. I asked the Spirit to help me,
and He answered. He countered the one I
would have picked ordinarily. He helped me to
discern the camouflaged. He taught me why it
was wrong [at that point in time] after I
overcame just as the angels ministered to
Jesus after He overcame.
Jesus turned water to wine because He was
instructed by God to do so but didn’t turn
stone to bread because it was the devil’s
order.
ii. He knew God’s Word and applied it well: Memorizing the Word of God will help in
overcoming temptations as it will give the
boldness to stand. Reading, studying and
meditating are prerequisites for this. How can
one pass an examination without studying?
Temptation is the examination which needs
studying and correct application in order to
pass.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God,
a workman that needeth
not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the
word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
iii. He fasted and prayed: Some&;things cannot
happen until they are drawn by prayer and
fasting. Likewise we might not overcome
some temptations unless we fast and pray.
Fasting did not only help Jesus in overcoming
temptations but also helped him in fulfilling
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