Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil.

Temptation is real. I think sometimes as Christians, we think that we shouldn’t be tempted or that it’s something we can handle. Jesus, the Son of God, was tempted, and He reveals a path to conquer temptation.

Jesus was led to the desert. What was He doing?—fasting and praying. He was in deep relationship with the Father, unhindered by anything around Him. He was not aiming to get something from the Father, but to prepare to accomplish the Father’s will—His ministry on this earth. He was in fellowship with the Father in a way we cannot fully comprehend. And what happened? The devil showed up when Jesus was physically weak, alone, and hungry.

How did Jesus respond to the first temptation? Listen to His words: “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God.’” Jesus had the authority to laugh in the devil’s face, to send him away, to make him run, but Jesus doesn’t. He uses the authority of God’s Word.

Listen; to fight the devil, Jesus tells us we must feed on every word of God. It breaks my heart to think I, too often, take God’s Word lightly, yet it is the very substance of life. While we need food to physically survive, we need God’s Word to spiritually survive. Do we look at God’s Word as survival?

The next temptation the devil uses seems rather ridiculous: to throw Himself down and let the angels catch Him. But, listen to Jesus’ response: “The Scriptures say, ‘Do not test the Lord your God.’” Did you catch that? How often do we think when tempted, “I should not test the Lord.” It is one of the devil’s ploys. He used it with Eve when he said that God didn’t really say, “You will die.” The devil makes sin look light until we fall, and then he becomes the accuser. However, we have an Advocate before the Throne in our defense. The enemy wants us to run away; God wants us to run to Him (1 John 2:1; Romans 8:34).

Lastly, the real temptation comes to Jesus. The devil wants to be worshiped. If he can convince the Son of God to worship him, it’s all over. Of course, that’s absurd. This time Jesus has had it with the devil, “Get out of here Satan.” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, you must worship the Lord your God; serve only Him.” And the devil had to flee. The Father sends his angels to care for the Son.

Friends, the devil cannot stand against the authority of Jesus. The devil can cause havoc, but he cannot win if we are in Christ. These are powerful words Jesus has revealed. The fight is real, but the victory is coming. Don’t lose hope. Stay and stand in Christ!

By Debbie Mesin, Bible League International staff, United States