Verse of the Day - Luke 4:1-4,13

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil....When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. ~ Luke 4:1-4, 13 (NIV)

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I think sometimes we think that Jesus was only tempted during the brief verbal encounter that's recorded in Luke 4, where the devil offers Jesus three tricks up his sleeve. But the Word says that for forty days the devil tempted Jesus. We only catch a glimpse of one little snapshot! Not only that, but verse 13 says that after 40 days (that's tenacity, folks), the devil finally left him for an opportune time. Which means the devil didn't leave Jesus alone -- in fact, the devil was plotting for his next assault. My guess is that the assault continued until Jesus said those trauma-ending words, "It is finished..."

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. ~ Hebrews 4:15 (NIV)

If anyone knows the scope of temptation, it's Jesus. He knows what you go through day in and day out, in your areas of weakness. He's been there, done that...sort-of. Yes, He was tempted; no, He didn't give in to temptation. That's where the road divides between Him and us. We are the fallen, the stumblers, the wayward. We're the ones who believe the lies of the devil and choose the wrong path, time and again. Jesus never did. Not because He was a good man who had purged Himself of rebellion and sin, but because He was God -- the Holy God in human form. Not a good man who cleaned himself up, but God who got down on His knees.

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
~ Hebrews 2:18 (NIV)

So, not only does He understand our struggles, but He has the capacity to help us overcome them. He intercedes with the Father on our behalf as our permanent high priest (Hebrews 7:23-25), and doesn't leave us without a way out (1 Corinthians 10:13). We have help in Jesus for the temptation issues we face -- that is good news! But --

-- do we go to Him when we struggle? Do we seek His way out, or do we just throw in the towel and give into the devil's schemes?

Motrin is great for pain, but it doesn't work if you never open the bottle and take the pills. Jesus is our answer for battling temptation, but if we never ask Him for help, He sits on the shelf like an unopened bottle of Motrin.

We must recognize the spiritual battle we are in, and also recognize that we cannot fight it alone. Remember, we are the fallen -- so we have to lean on and trust in the One who has never fallen. Jesus is our brother, our high priest, our Redeemer. We'll only make strides in battling temptation when we stand behind the shield of our Savior and accept His strength to withstand the onslaught of the evil one.

Love,
Joelene