When God Says …
“And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” (Luke 4:3-4 KJV).
In the most vulnerable state, while the Lord Jesus Christ hungered during His forty days of fasting in the wilderness, the devil turn to tempt Him with bread. Coaxing the Lord, “The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”” (Luke 4:3 NIV). “If” you are the Son, that’s the devil in his cunning statement, like he always does. God the Father already affirmed His relationship with His only Son when John the Baptist baptized Him — "You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy." (Luke 3:22), the Lord Jesus had no reason to doubt who He is with His Father.
With the Lord’s knowledge of Scripture, He could easily answer Satan's well-timed attempt to tempt. But, what are we to learn from this confrontation? We can know that Satan knows when, where, and how to attack us in our weak moments. His enticements are often targeted as a shortcut to a real need. He deceives us, like he did to Eve (Genesis 3:1-7). However, our identity with God, the presence of the Holy Spirit within us, and the power of God’s Words of truth help us win our battles, as the Lord Jesus did and continues to do. The real challenge is for us to keep each of these three areas of our faith secure and strong. We are God's beloved children (Romans 8:16 TPT). The Holy Spirit is in us (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19). God's Word is our lethal sword for battle against the enemy of our soul (Hebrews 4:12; Ephesians 6:17).
These we strengthen by totally resting in the Lord's grace by faith in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 12:9). And, be sustained by ingesting God's holy and written Words day and night through our regular meditation and reflection. It is written, God said to Joshua: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8 ESV).
And I say, AMEN!
Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries
When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment