“Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungered. And when the tempter came to Him, he said, `If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.’ But He answered and said, `It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’ Then the devil taketh Him up into the holy city, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and sayeth 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.’ Jesus said unto him, `It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.’ Again the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and sayeth unto Him, `All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.’ Then Jesus said unto him, `Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.’ Then the devil leaveth Him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him” (Matthew 4:1-11).
In the wilderness, the devil came to tempt Jesus three times. Thrice our Lord defeated him using only one weapon; the sword of the Holy Spirit, which is the Word of God. Jesus said, “It is written… It is written again,,, It is written!”
This is a magnificent example for us to learn how to live, not by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. God is alive, He speaks! What He says enables us to live and defeat the tempter every time.
Warning! The devil can quote Scripture! Oh, yes! In his mouth, the Scriptures become “the dead letter that kills!” Only by the power of the Holy Spirit do the Scriptures become “the Spirit that gives life.” Let us always wield the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, praying always, with all manner of prayer and supplication, in the Spirit! Yes, pray in the Holy Spirit! Then you can always defeat the devil.
If you are a Christian totally surrendered to the Lord, but you are being tempted, you can boldly command the tempter, “In the mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ, get out of here Satan!” Remember this verse, “Submit yourself to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
The devil refuses to worship the Lord his God, but we love to worship the Lord our God and only serve Him. No matter what the devil devises against us, we can worship the Lord, we can pray in the Holy Spirit, and we can walk in the Holy Spirit. Then, no matter what Satan does, it will backfire on him and all things will work together for good for us who love God, who are called according to His purpose.
Let’s pray:
“Thank You Father that I am to live not merely by food, but also by every word that comes from Your mouth! I worship You, my God, and I serve only You!”
From Praying God’s Word – Chapter 18