MYRA D. COLGATE
CHEROKEE PENTECOSTAL HOLINESS CHURCH
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
“After he fasted forty days and forty nights he was famished.
“The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread.’
“But he answered, ‘It is written, Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’
“Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the highest point of the temple, and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written, He will command his angels concerning you and ‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’
Jesus said to him, ‘Once again it is written: ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’
“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their grandeur. And he said to him, ‘I will give you all these things if you throw yourself to the ground and worship me.’
“Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go away, Satan! For it is written, you are to worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.’”
“Then the devil left him, and angels came and began ministering to his needs.”
Matthew 4:1-11 (GSB—NET)
As soon as Jesus was baptized by His cousin John the Baptist, He found Himself being led by the Holy Spirit directly into the wilderness for a forty-day time period—no food, water or shelter offered. It was His time of being tempted fully as a man—only hunger, thirst, with no outward sign of any resources available given to Him to help Him pass through this rigorous time of being tempted, tried and tested.
He knew that in this fallen world, each person would have to learn how to best handle the distractions and delays possible in giving in to following any kind of temptation. How to keep focused on the perceived goals in life in order to overcome anything that might keep one from achieving the goals they choose is the real challenge in living. Without dedicated goal-seeking or perhaps making a haphazard choice instead, would at least place people on a more hazardous, time-consuming detour that may not even include a successful or fulfilling final destiny. Every choice we make each and every day can have the intended consequences, but also can include even the unintentional ones. Each choice one makes throughout each day should be thoughtfully considered as there are always consequences to keep in mind.
However, in 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (GSB—NET) we read, “So let the one who thinks he is standing be careful that he does not fall. No trial {temptation} has overtaken you that is not faced by others. And God is faithful. He will not let you be tried {tempted} beyond what you are able to bear, but with the trial will also provide a way out so that you may be able to endure it.”
Jesus went through His time of testing, trial and temptation always finding in the Scriptures, Old Testament verses, that are available to anyone who reads and studies the Bible and can likewise use them, speaking them out loud to address the tempter whenever a situation arises where he ‘shows his ugly head’. “It is written…” and then speaking the words of Jesus, or applicable life stories found in Scripture (New Testament especially) can also be good ‘fighting’ words to use if it is a similar situation. God is no respecter of persons, as He has stated of Himself—if He has honored His Word for someone else—He will also for you or anyone having need of His Promise Words. (This means it can apply to everyone needing a verse to stand on—if they can truly believe what He has said in His Word is the Truth—the ‘almost too good to be the Truth’—is true and available to all who believe Him.)
After Jesus’ preparation by His own temptation in the wilderness and subsequent three and a half years of ministry, His Crucifixion Death, and Victorious Resurrection, He returned to Heaven and was made our High Priest forever.
“Therefore since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession.” (Read Hebrews 4:14-16.)
