“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ But He answered, ‘It is written, ‘”Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”‘ Then the devil took Him to the holy city and set Him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down, for it is written, ‘”He will command His angels concerning You,” and ‘”On their hands they will bear You up, lest You strike Your foot against a stone.”‘ Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”‘ Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, ‘All these I will give You, if You will fall down and worship me.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘”You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve.”‘ Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to Him.” (Matthew 4:1-11)
Just like Jesus we all have a wilderness that faces us in this life. Temptations to sin come at us. Trials of this life test our faith and resolve. Jesus was tested and tempted in the wilderness and it surely wasn’t easy. It’s not going to be easy for us all the time either. We are going to be tempted and tried. The devil is going to challenge us. Satan is going to offer us pleasures of the world. But like Jesus we have to resist! We have to fight back against the devil no matter how hard it will be. Jesus trusted in the Lord and used His Word to fend off the devil. So should we!
At times we are going to find ourselves in the wilderness. We will be vulnerable to Satan’s attacks in periods of our life. We have to determine now to stand strong with Christ and be faithful to the Lord no matter what the temptation or trial may be.
Where is your wilderness? What are you facing in your life? Where are you weak and vulnerable? The devil is going to seek any and every opportunity he can to come at you with temptations and trials. Stay strong. Keep your eyes on the Lord. Resist the devil firm in the faith. Use God’s Word. Tell Satan to back off! Follow the example of Jesus. Remain faithful to God no matter what. We can overcome the wilderness. With God all things are possible.
A Cord of Blue 