Starting Point: Desert of Temptation

Destination: Oasis of Deliverance

God Direction: This is a tricky one. In the Desert of Temptation there are no landmarks and as far as the eye can see is desert. Pull out your compass and follow the arrow. The Oasis of Deliverance will soon be revealed.

Matthew 4:1-11 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not 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 splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”

Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.¹

Temptation is something even Jesus had to endure. Let's look at how He handled temptation. What is the common theme in Jesus’ resistance? It was the Bible. Jesus rebuked Satan each time with a quote from the Bible. This is important to understand. The Bible is our compass. In it are directions on how to live, how to resist temptations, and how to follow the Will of God. We need to take time to read the Bible. Not like you would read a novel or a textbook but prayerfully with the understanding that only God can fully reveal the meaning and understanding of what we read. It is not a book of rules or a numbered set of guidelines that if you follow them you will get to heaven. It is a book about Jesus, more than that it is Jesus. We should read it like we would “read” someone we are trying to get to know. The Bible will show us who we are, show us our needs and show us our Savior.

Let us pray: Father God, we know that we don’t spend enough time getting to know you better. Show us how much time we do have to read and help us pick the Bible up and read it. Equip us with what we need to resist temptation and give us understanding and show us how to apply what you teach us. In Jesus Christ’s Name we pray, Amen.