Overcoming Temptation

Day 79: Luke 4:1-30

“And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.” - Luke 4:13 ESV

Have you sat down to think about when it is that temptations, for you, are the heaviest and hardest to resist? The Devil had come at Jesus when he was both isolated and physically drained of nourishment. Many of us wonder if dodging the punches of temptation will ever end.

Leon Morris reminds us as he writes that "Throughout these temptations no special resource is open to Jesus. He met temptation in the same way as we must, by using Scripture, and he won the victory," and, "There is no freedom from temptation in this life. There was not for Jesus and there is not for us."
- Morris, L. (1988). Luke: an introduction and commentary (Vol. 3, p. 122)

So, we can be assured that, in this life, we can expect the Devil (and our own evil desires, see James 1:13) to try and bait us into ruining our lives of faithfulness to Jesus and those we love. In this instance with Jesus, the Devil even used a well-known Hebrew song (Psalm 91:11-12) to try and deceive him.

When are you at your weakest to resist? When are you at your strongest? It is almost a given that when we are isolated and unhealthy physically or emotionally, we will be at our weakest. Yet, when we are surrounded by faithful Jesus-followers, taking time to make healthy decisions, and memorizing Scripture, we will be at our strongest.

What Scriptures are you memorizing right now to equip yourself in this fight? Let me share one with you that has been extremely helpful to me over the past two years (as an example):

“Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.” - Romans 13:13-14 NLT

Also, another thing to note about Jesus' temptation-assault by the Devil is that it happens on the heels of one of the most amazing scenes in history: His baptism. 40 days earlier, the sky was being torn apart and the Father was declaring His love for Jesus. I'm sure the memory of this was also extremely helpful to Jesus as He fought back with Scripture as He was tempted. Hopefully, your baptism is just as powerful of a memory.