Scripture Reading: Luke 4:1-44, Deuteronomy 9:7-11, Hebrews 4:15-16
If you follow sports, even casually, you’re familiar with this scenario: An athlete does really well in college, is drafted and paid a lavish amount of money, and then plays their first game as a professional. There is a lot of publicity, because a of people are expecting them to do well on the next level. In the Gospel of Luke, we can see Jesus’s temptation in the desert like this, only more so. Instead of proving His athletic ability, He was proving His character. He was proving that He really is who His heavenly Father said He is.
These three desert temptations are the types of temptations we also face. We don’t face them in the same way that Jesus faced them; our mission is not His mission. But we do face temptations to find security apart from God. We face temptations to take control and avoid suffering. And we face temptations to be spectacular or to expect God to be spectacular on demand.
Jesus, in His resistance to temptation, shows us how we also can resist temptation. The first step is relying on the Holy Spirit to help us recognize what temptation looks like. Often, the things we may be tempted to do might seem good, but they draw us away from the heart of God. They might seem good but not be the best. This discernment is not easy, but it is possible through reliance on the Holy Spirit.
Jesus also demonstrates how to resist temptation by trusting the wisdom and character of God revealed in Scripture. Sadly, we are often more like the Israelites grumbling in the desert than like Jesus trusting God in the desert. We may fall prey to temptation over and over. But Luke’s Gospel shows us that Jesus was faithful when the Israelites were not.
Consider the parallels Luke points to in this passage: Israel was in the desert for forty years; Jesus was in the desert for forty days. Israel was in the desert after they passed through the Red Sea; Jesus was in the desert after He passed through the waters of baptism. And when Jesus responded to the devil, He even quoted verses from this part of Israel’s history.
Jesus is being shown as the faithful Israel. And because Jesus is the faithful Israel, we know that when we fail, God will not abandon us. “If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself” (2Timothy 2:13).
Resisting temptation is possible. The same Holy Spirit who led Jesus in the desert is the same Holy Spirit who lives in us if we are in Christ (John 14:26). But if we do fail, let’s be thankful along with the author of Hebrews that “we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15–16).
Written by Elliot Ritzema
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70 thoughts on "The Temptation of Jesus"
❤️✝️ Holy Spirit fill me in times of temptation and lead me towards righteousness.
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Luke 4:18 stood out to be, that Jesus came to give sight to the blind and liberty to the oppressed. Thank you Jesus
Amen!
Jesus was led into to the wilderness by the Holy Spirit for forty days and without anything to eat(fasting). Jesus was tempted and tested as we are tempted and tested today. Jesus defeated the devil by quoting scriptures, rebuking with power and authority. We (Believers)can quote scripture against the enemy and rebuke with power and authority In The Name of Jesus Amen
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Jesus shows us while He was in the wilderness how we can resist sin, and He tells us to take authority over sin and temptation. He also tells us that we should not live by bread alone and to only serve God and only Him. We should also not put our Lord our God to the text either because He knows all things so we shouldn’t be the ones who are testing Him because that means we are doubting God.
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Luke 4:18–19 really stood out to me today. I love that Jesus came to bring good news, freedom, healing, and hope to people who are hurting. It says so much about His heart. And then Hebrews 4:16 reminds us that we can approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, knowing we will find mercy and grace in our time of need. I needed this reminder that Jesus not only came for those who are hurting, but invites us to come to Him when we’re hurting too ❤️
I have not long returned my great grandson home to his mummy! For the short journey he wanted a satsuma and grapes which I lovingly prepared for him in his spiderman snack box. As we travelled we chatted and he told me how delicious the fruit was. Suddenly he said he was saving the rest for his cousin Jessy who would be at his house when he got home. He put the lid on the box and continued to talk about how delicious he thought his cousin would find the satsuma and grapes, and as he spoke he opened the lid for one more, just another until there was none left… he then said “..oh dear, there’s none left for Jessy.. I hope he won’t be sad!”
Lorenzo is a week short of 3!
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The good intention was there, as was temptation..
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I know this is a funny little story, but temptation is not picky, yet, we could be!
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We could choose the right way, we could choose to follow the original ‘resister’ of temptation, Jesus, we could choose to set free what we know to be truth, we could choose to be noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent..
We could, oh, but temptation, even with the sweetest and kindest of intentions, temptation can fall on your lap and cause you to sin..
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BUT GOD..
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Thank goodness Lorenzo is little, and therefore I pray, will not lose any cuteness points.,
Seriously though, we can only fight temptation when it comes and we recognise it with the Word of God, learned, heard and stored for such a time., not always easy, but, it can be done..through the gift given to us to be our guide in and through life.. the Holy Spirit..
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Thank you Father God for the gift of the Spirit within us as we walk with you.. Thank you Jesus,
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AMEN.
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Happy evening, my loves..❤️
What a sweet story, and what a sweet little boy Lorenzo is! He had such good intentions! His giving in to the temptation of eating his snack – one bite at a time – is a great illustration to us of how temptation works. It doesn’t come to us with all its ugly intentions showing. Instead, it looks good. It sounds tasty. One little nibble won’t hurt. No, maybe not. Until one nibble leads to two leads to twenty, etc. And suddenly, all our good intentions of not giving in to temptation are gone. We’re in a bad spot, and not even sure how we got there. Tonight, my prayer is that each of us can learn from Lorenzo’s adorable example, and apply it to our adult temptations. Lord, keep my eyes open, and my mind fixed on You so that I recognize those “little” temptations when they come. And give me Your strength to say NO, and tell the devil to go away.
Thank you so much for sharing Lorenzo with us today, Tina. ❤️
Amen to this prayer! Lorenzo has also taught me that when we give into temptation,it could deny someone else a good thing.
I love that Jesus can help us when we are tempted. I pray that I would be able to notice when I am tempted and rely on Jesus to fight my battles.
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Amen
Hey Shes
Watching the “Knowing God” webinar on my tablet right now! So good! Among more than 12 thousand people registered to watch! While not a V.I.P. She, still “at the table”. Benefiting from their excitement & encouragement; invitation & inspiration. Learning tips & techniques on generating & encompassing Biblical “compound interest”. Reveling in the theme repeated by each presenter. The Bible is one unified story that points to Jesus! To KNOW him – in relationship – is to LOVE him!
I was there as well. It was a great summit! I don’t think I’ll ever read my Bible the same…knowing that God is there waiting for me to crawl on his lap so that he can read me His story yet again! Looking forward to the next one!
I only was able to see a snippet live, but the replay is available to watch until midnight on the 11th.
This is a timely message about not giving into temptation but also, if and when we fail, not to let the enemy’s lies condemn us. Run to the Father who will forgive us.
Praying for all!
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I have a new set up today, on my laptop, hooked to a big screen and 200% font size. Praise the LORD, I can see better.
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A few things stood out to me (as KELLY said, this chapter is packed).
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1- If you are the child of GOD, jump, Jesus answers, you shall not tempt the Lord Your GOD. This dark temptation was presented to me last year during a very dark time of depression in winter. BUT GOD. He took me out of the pit of despair. I don’t know why I need to share this today, if you might be going through this and these thoughts hover around you like a dark cloud, please know joy is coming, rebuke the devil and the thought pattern to leave. GOD can and will deliver us through it all when we ask Him to destroy our enemies. Keep your praise, stir up your faith in GOD who is able, resist the temptation, meditate on victories, dwell on examples of great men and women of strength in the Bible (who suffered great afflictions too). Satan uses the same tactics in new packages to tempt God’s children. Knowing the gospel and knowing GOD truly can save our lives.
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2- “In the synagogue there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon…” (Luke 4:33). Can an unclean demon possess people who go to church? (people who are in the synagogue). This made me stop on my track. In this verse evidently it dwells within the host that is IN the synagogue. Does proximity mean salvation? Does proximity mean freedom from demonic oppression? May we discern. May we be careful. If there is a foothold, if there is an opening, they will come in. GOD is our mighty deliverer.
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This verse brought me to asking for prayers over a girl who is 17 year old named Violet in the social care system. She suffers from mental oppression and self harm from witnessing trauma in her own home. She came from a blended family, and her mom abused the younger 8-year-old step brother. Though justice is served (the parents are now in jail) and but consequences of their action still prevail, she is in the social care system (praise God that the younger brother is adopted by a Christian couple and he has received Christ). But Violet is struggling, she is 17 and won’t be adopted by anybody. I would appreciate your prayers over her. She kept trying to escape the social home and stole ibuprofen from Dollarama and took them in large doses. Please pray that GOD will touch her today and be with her always, and He will rebuke the unclean demon in her as He did for the man in Luke. Thank you sisters.
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KELLY (NEO): praying over a successful interview today and a new wonderful opportunity opening.
SEARCHING: ❤️
RHONDA: prayers over your sister Donna and her strength.
ADRIENNE: peace between you and your mom despite the lack of actions, what a challenge i am so sorry.
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Be blessed dear sisters.
Mercy, I’m praying for Violet. I pray she comes to know Jesus as her Savior, and finds solace in Him.
Praying for Violets heart to change, for God to show up in a most extra-ordinary way and that she will now safety and love through this., I am sorry for her troubles mercy, i will continue to pray for her, ah bless her..❤️
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Your set up sounds awesome.. 200% font size, i can see why things would stand out…:) :) :)❤️
Can an unclean demon possess people who go to church? (people who are in the synagogue). This made me stop on my track. In this verse evidently it dwells within the host that is IN the synagogue. Does proximity mean salvation? Does proximity mean freedom from demonic oppression? May we discern.
Mercy, it’s my understanding that if a person is a believer and has accepted Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior then the person cannot be possessed by a demon because they are already “possessed” by the Holy Spirit.
I don’t remember where I heard or saw this, but is there to be a live SRT broadcast today at 11:00? Does anyone know how we would access that?
Go to the She Reads Truth Website Knowing God Dashboard
It’s on YouTube
Go to the She Reads Truth Website Knowing God Dashboard
It’s on YouTube
Thanks!
I had no idea! Boo that I missed it!
Prayers again for me and my mom. We are butting heads often, and I am incredibly frustrated by her actions (or LACK of them, really!)
Praying for you Adrienne. I understand.
Praying for you Adrienne❤️
Praying Adrienne!
Adrienne, I’m praying for both you and your mom.
praying Adrienne.. ❤️
GM! The devil (and his evil army) is alive and well although we seem to live in a culture where “demons” aren’t regularly talked about except in Hollywood. But as Christians we know his temptations are real. We must be aware of it at all times by arming ourselves with the armor given in Ephesians 6.
There is a Spiritual war going on around us at all times (as if fighting in this realm isn’t enough to tire us), and we have to have eyes to see. His Holy Spirit eyes. When we know that the devil is against all things that bring more people to God, I think that can help leverage it as more of a challenge rather than feeling defeated. Like being able to laugh and say “no way” and not letting you get me/us off track, it will make me/us use my Spiritual weapons even more! It will make me more determined! It will fire us up!
When we have this mentality that we are fighting for the Kingdom it edifies and strengthens us. We fight the good fight! That is more “fun” than anything the world has to offer us, the material things and superficial relationships, and what the world deems success. And don’t forget that we will be accountable for what we did with what we knew! If we KNOW Jesus, we are to share him and be the light! Everyday counts! We should be “about HIS business!”
Lord help us to be empowered to walk daily with you and FOR you! All of our interactions matter. Our workplace is a mission field full of people that need the living water. Our social media represents us and YOU through all we post, give us discernment. The way we behave around friends and family reflect you and our faith, so let the fruits of the Spirit reveal YOU. Let us decrease as you Increase! Help us to discern the evil one and what he tries to do with us and around us. He must flee in your Name! We are covered by the blood, but he doesn’t like that, and makes him want to defeat us, we rebuke him. We honored you Lord, we live for you Lord, let it be so. Amen.
Amen Rhonda❤️
Thank you for this prayer and I’m praying for you and your family.❤️
Praying God’s comfort and mighty protection over your family ❤️
Amen, Rhonda. Continued prayers for you and yours. ❤️
Thank you, Elliott for a devotion on the scripture that really and efficiently brings it home for us. The sports analogy is timely and quickly added clarity. I appreciate the parallels you drew from Christ’s temptation and the Israelites, followed by practical and meaningful application for the here and now. Lots to think about and act on. Blessings to all as a result!
I often think about how much easier it is for us to share the Gospel today simply through social media and yet, at times we don’t want to because we don’t want to offend people with posts about our faith. In this reading, the people spread the word of God all over without excuse. Feeling convicted by that today!
I think that often too! I mean, it’s not going away, and it’s a great way to get the gospel out there!
There have been many times where you don’t think anyone is reading or “receiving,” but then someone will message me and ask me about something I had posted. That’s why we always want to keep open dialogue and always come off loving and sharing truth. At some point when they want to know more, you might just be the one that they know can help.
It’s getting to the point though that just putting the word of God is becoming offensive to everyone that is not a believer. But that is where we have to hold strong and not care what everyone things of us.
Amen
The timing of this reading is encouraging. I had a situation yesterday. A coworker asked me to apply for a position that I had already been told I would not be selected for that position if I applied and I told her the only reason that position was advertised was because they had already found the person they wanted to take that position. Then I told her who I thought that person might be. I feel like I gave into the temptation of gossip and selfishness. I don’t have any friends or coworkers I talk to on a regular basis. It is a very volatile office and so it is incredibly lonely. I never contribute to the gossip and never let anyone know about positions,raises, projects I have been passed over for however this time I did and felt good to be able to tell someone I was frustrated but I was definitely the wrong place and time. Immediately after the conversation the Holy Spirit let me know it was wrong. I wish I would listen to God or the Holy Spirit before I do something. But I am learning…
Be encouraged that your spirit was able to receive a word from jesus. That is progress.
Temptations have and will continue to come, no one is exempt – not even Jesus! Therefore, we must all be prepared. We must walk in the Spirit daily, we must know the scriptures as it is our sure defense. The devil knows God’s word – we must know it better!
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It’s amazing how quickly the people turned on Jesus, one minute they’re amazed at His gracious words (Luke 4:22) and the next they were furious with Him and drove Him out of town. (Luke 4:28,29) Why? Because they didn’t like what He had to say about their sin.
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Father God, may I always heed Your voice. May I stand strong under temptation by the presence and power of Your Holy Spirit, and may I know Your word and use it to fight the evil one. In Jesus Name
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@Rhonda – praying for your sister. I can’t imagine losing a child. ❤️
Happy Thursday She’s.
Amen Sharon❤️
Amen, friend..❤️
Amen, friend..❤️
Amen
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As Kelly said, so much happening in this chapter. Wilderness, temptation, ministry, casting out of demons, physical healings, and fickleness of the people – astonished in one moment and enraged the next. The news about Jesus spread like wildfire!
SOOO much happening in this chapter!
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I imagine the reaction of the people in Nazareth was one of the sorrows that pierced him. These people knew him for a long time and would have seen him be a faithful and humble follower of God. Yet their expectations of Messiah did not conform to the reality.
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The irony that the demons acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah yet people did not, shows how deeply their expectations clouded their thinking.
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May my heart and mind be open to God’s plans over my own.
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Praying for your requests.
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I have a second interview today at 4:30…praying again for wisdom and clarity from God.
I thought the same thing. And the two areas that you pointed out are the two that I had to dive into.
His hometown was outraged that he was basically exposing their lack of faith and threatening their “ethnic pride.” And that they were his hometown that expected more from him. This all explained it better to me why they were praising him one second then trying to throw him off a cliff in the next.
And that the demons recognized him…but Jesus was not ready to be “exposed” yet as the true Messiah, is why he strictly silenced them. It also explains it as “Jesus did not want the testimony of evil, deceptive spirits to be the foundation of people’s faith.” They recognized his authority but “However, they were shouting it to cause chaos, not out of true, saving faith. Jesus wanted people to discover who he was through his teachings, his compassionate miracles, and his character—not through the terrified screams of evil spirits.”
Thank you, Tami
Praying for you and your interview today.❤️
Praying for your 2nd interview, Kelly
Praying for you during your interview today, Kelly. May God guide you in this journey.
Praying peace over you whether you have had or going to your interview, be at peace knowingvFather God is with you,,❤️
As from the beginning, the devil is casting doubt on God’s truth and faithfulness – “if You are the Son of God…”
Father, please help me walk so closely to the Spirit that these lies are obvious and to quickly rely on Your word to resist whatever arrows come my way! For Your glory and my good – Amen.
Amen Sally❤️
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As Sally mentioned below, He Reads Truth has the right reading for today.
Anybody besides me getting a little confused this morning…We jumped from His birth to the wilderness temptation right over His baptism.
Somehow it looks like Day 4 has come before Day 3….
There is a Day 3 on He Reads Truth – thanks to those of you who remind me about that as I often forget!:) Looks like we need to keep praying for the SRT technical team!
Happy Hump Day – hopefully we can go into our day clearly point others to Jesus just like John!!
Yes! I felt confused as well. The long paragraph was hard to read too.