Here’s a question that came to my mind as I read about our Lord’s temptation in Matthew 4.1-11 this morning during “coffee with the Lord” … “How important is God’s word to me when I am facing temptations and trials? How important and essential do I consider the truth of Scripture to be in order to successfully weather the difficulty I am facing and overcome?”
There is no question about it… temptation and trials will come our way! In fact, in this instance the Bible says… “Then Jesus WAS LEAD BY THE SPIRIT into the wilderness TO BE TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL!” (4.1) God allows temptation to come our way … the devil is the one who tempts us, but God permits it. I can almost hear the Lord whispering now… “LISTEN, CHILD OF GOD, THIS IS A TEST!” 1 Corinthians 10.13 makes it clear… Temptation is a common experience, God limits it to our ability to bear it, and His purpose for us is not failure, but victory!
But back to the question… “How important is God’s word to me when I face temptations and trials?”
In every instance of Jesus Christ’s temptation, He drew of Scripture for the resources to resist and overcome!! On each occasion, you find Jesus responding to Satan by saying, “IT IS WRITTEN!” In fact on one occasion Jesus reminded Satan, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Quoting Deuteronomy 8.3, reminding Satan of God’s miraculous provision of “manna” to sustain His people during their test in the wilderness).
This principle is not some kind of spiritual “rabbit’s foot” that I pull out of my pocket to rub superstitiously and “presto… victory!” The principles and truth of God’s word are something I must build into my life day by day … they must become part of my “spiritual psyche” if you please! Then when temptations and trials come and my inner-self reaches out for resources to deal with them… God’s word is there to help, sustain, and guide me!!
Hey, that’s one of the reasons I have “coffee with the Lord” every day!
Coffee With The Lord 