LEARN FROM JESUS' EXPERIENCE

I have not posted anything personal recently because i have been going through a terrible phase. It has been difficult but by the Grace of God, i am overcoming (yes, it is a work in progress)

I found solace in the book of Matthew.

Chapter 4 describes the temptation of Jesus after his baptism by immersion. I was able to draw some lessons from His experience:

1. The Holyspirit intentionally allowed Jesus to experience this temptation phase. It was the first encounter Jesus had with the devil on earth. And it was the only recorded encounter. Matthew 4: 1

" then Jesus was LED by the HOLYSPIRIT into the desert to be tempted by the devil" 

I couldnt help but wonder why this experience was necessary to God. We would discover this at the end of the experience.

2. The second point i got from this was that the devil came when Jesus was vilnerable. Matthew 4:2

"After fasting for fourty days and nights, he was hungry"

Have you ever experienced hunger?According to Wikipedia, hunger represents the physiological need to eat food. 

So it is safe to assume that the paramount thing on Jesus' mind was to get something to eat. That was the moment the devil chose to tempt him.

This leads me to my third point

3. The devil is very patient and persistent. He waitied in the shadows for 40days till the moment he realised that Jesus was hungry. One question that came to my mind was how did the devil know Jesus was hungry. The bible says in 1 Kings 8:39 that Only God knows every human's heart. There is no one else who has that ability. So satan couldnt have read Jesus' mind that he was hungry. he must have watched for physical signs of weakness and hunger before he risked tempting Jesus.

4. The devil used Jesus' primary need to initiate the tempting discussion. Matthew 4:3

"If you are truly the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread'

This part emphasized the deceptive nature of the devil. 

While i was reading that verse, i thought: What if Jesus had commanded the bread to turn to bread?

The Spirit revealed to me that Jesus did not need to prove his identity to the devil because the devil already knew that Jeus is the son of God and the promised Christ. He came to earth to prove to the jews and gentiles about His identity and assure them of the love of God by the fulfilment of his promise in Isaiah 9:6

" for to us a child is born, to us a son is given and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace''

So if Jesus had yielded to the devil's first question then it means that Jesus was not sure of his identity. One little crack in faith and belief and the entire wall would come crashing down.

5. Jesus used the Word of God to reply the devil.  Matthew 4:4-5,10. That means He must have studied the bible and memorised it. The Bible in Luke 2: 41-52 told u that Jesus literally grew up in the temple, among the teachers, listening and asking questions

And this made him grow in wisdom and stature. 

6. Temptation can happen anywhere even in the church. Dont think that because you are in the church, you are under some kind of impenetrable cover against temptations. Do not be deceived.

Matthew 4:5-6

"Then the devil TOOK Him to the HOLY CITY and had Him stand on the highest point of the TEMPLE"

and the devil questioned his identity again. And also quoted psalms 91:11-12. Be not deceived, the devil knows the Word of God probably better than any of us. So we need to be armmed with the Word to respond and attack the devil. Dont simply say " Leave me alone"

Back up your words with authority by quoting the scriptures. Matthew 4:10

"...AWAY FROM ME, SATAN. IT IS WRITTEN, WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY"

See what Jesus did: 

"It is ALSO written do not put the Lord your God to the test"

Jesus reiterated the fact that He is not only the Son of God. He is also a Lord to the devil. Emphasis on His identity and authority! You gotta love Jesus.

This is also a lesson for us. We should not put God to test by disobeying Him. He is a just God and He rules with Power and Might.

5. God allows His chidren to be tempted. You can see that during this experience the two major players were Jesus and the devil. God just stayed back and observed. He didnt interfere. He could have struck the devil with lightning but He didnt. Even in Jesus' state of being hungry and possibly weak, God demonstrated faith that Jesus would overcome the devil. Therefore it is important that we always pray for grace to overcome temptations.

7. Jesus commanded satan to leave. When Jesus was done, he told the devil to GET OUT with the authority of the scriptures. Matthew 4:11. The devil obeyed Jesus and he left. It was after the devil left that angels came and attended Jesus.

This was the beginning of Jesus' Ministry of earth. The Heavens and the earth were convinced that He was ready to do that which he was sent to do and because of Him, you and I are saved by His blood.