March 9, 2010
Luke 4
Pastor Jason Yon
In Luke 4, we find Jesus being led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to fast for forty days. The devil tempted Jesus three times, trying to get him to sin. Each time, Jesus responded with scripture.
From this reading, I believe that we should glean these major things:
- In the beginning of the passage, Luke wrote “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit…” I believe that it is important for every believer to be full of the Holy Spirit. We face temptations and challenges every day and it is the Holy Spirit who gives us the encouragement, strength, and power to say “NO” to the devil and his temptations.
- Just as Jesus used scripture to combat the devil’s temptations, we must also know the Word of God so that we can recall it at any time and resist temptation. The devil is very sneaky and will attack you when you least expect it. You need to have God’s Word so engrained in your heart that when the devil tempts you with something, you can slam God’s Word back in his face! Verseoftheday.com is just one of many resources on the internet where you can receive a different verse each day, reminding you to memorize God’s Word. We also have a “Verse of the Day” on the right side of the gracecovenantfamily.org website.
Know this: you will be tempted. Jesus tells us in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” The devil wants you to fail. He wants to steal, kill, and destroy your full life in Christ. You are in warfare with the enemy and must be fully armored and ready to fight (Ephesians 6).
So grab your Sword of the Spirit, and ATTACK!
Pastor Jason’s favorite scripture is found in Matthew 28:19-20: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Love this post Pastor Jason! The Apostle Paul used the metaphor of a soldier to describe the Christian life a number of times. Your post reminds me that just like a soldier, we need to be prepared and aware at all times. This is probably most crucial when times are good because that is when trials and temptations can catch us off guard.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the good word and link to the verse of the day site!
Bridget Haymond
Bridget,
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right. The enemy always wants to attack us and hit us when things are going well and our guard is down. We must always be ready to defend and fight.