Scripture to Read: Luke 4:3–4
We know Jesus was in the wilderness for forty days, and during that time, He fasted and the devil tempted Him. But then, God had Luke provide us with some specifics on how Jesus was tempted. We know Jesus would have been incredibly hungry, for He had been fasting for forty days. God led Luke to write in Luke 4:3–4, “3 And the devil said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.’ 4 And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’” This temptation was the “lust of the flesh.” God tells us in 1 John 2:15–16, “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.” Take note here that there are only three temptations the spiritual forces of darkness have to tempt us. The devil and the demons just package these temptations according to our weaknesses. Since Jesus is God the Son and was hungry, the devil tempted Jesus to display His power as God the Son (the boastful pride of life) and to satisfy His hunger (the lust of the flesh) by turning a stone into bread. Jesus immediately answered the devil by quoting Deuteronomy 8:3. Jesus used “the sword of the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:17) to overcome the temptation.
Challenge & Application
How does the devil and the spiritual forces of wickedness package the temptations they use to seek to get you to sin?
How have you, in the past, sought to overcome your temptations and how has that worked for you?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!