Tuesday 3-9-10

Quickly some observations surrounding Jesus being tempted.

Matthew 4:2-3 "2  And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

3  And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread."

My heart (which Jeremiah 17 says is deceitful and desperately wicked) knows exactly when I am weakest and will attack full fledged there. Just like Satan knew that Jesus would be no doubt weak and famished after fasting for 40 days. I need to be on the alert for where and how I will be tempted.

Matthew 4:5-7 "5  Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

6  And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

7  Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."

Another tactic of Satan/flesh is to tell me that I can indulge in sin because I will have forgiveness, or that this one time isn't going to hurt. I love Jesus' response, because if I know something is wrong and I do it anyway, am I not in a manner of speaking "tempting God". Who is to say that I will not die in the sin. I think what really hit me about this was that Jesus in essence was saying don't mess with sin. I think of Ananias and Saphira, who deceived the apostles and were struck dead instantly for lying to Peter.

Matthew 4:8-9 "8  Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

9  And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me."

How Satan promised glorious things to Jesus yet they could not compare to the the glory He would receive through dying on the cross. Likewise Satan offers pleasures in sin, yet they cannot even begin to compare to the pleasures found in Christ. These are not just words, I have searched for water in broken cisterns and have found that only living and satisfying water is found Christ Jesus.

Unto him who is able to do above what we ask or think,