Tactics

What questions are you going to ask God when you see him?

'Why this ... ?'

'Why that ... ?'

Sometimes my questions revolve around Jesus himself ... like this one.

You know, Jesus' hair might have still been wet from his baptism, the Father's approval hanging in the air when he was led into the wilderness for 40 long days. . . by God? Why? Why was it necessary for Jesus to go out alone, in the extreme heat of the day and the bone-chilling cold of night in the desert, and then add fasting to the equation. . . oh, yeah then there was His temptation.

Lord, please give us open minds to learn about You and from You, and to know that when we are tempted, we are neither alone or unarmed; You have given us tools to navigate and respond wisely. Amen.

Luke writes:

Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.

Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.”

But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone.’”

Then the devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. “I will give you the glory of these kingdoms and authority over them,” the devil said, “because they are mine to give to anyone I please. I will give it all to you if you will worship me.”

Jesus replied, “The Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’”

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”

Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”

When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left him until the next opportunity.

Luke 4.1-13

The Lord Jesus gives us two tactics when we are faced with great temptation: 

--Counter with Scripture.

But first,

--Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.1 Jesus said to him, “Go away, Satan!”2

We underestimate the power Scripture lends our lives, and that which we have memorized is instantly available to us.

->‘Discouraged? I think of ‘Why so downcast, O my soul? Put your trust in God.’3

->'Worried about what is going to happen in the future? ‘Do not worry about tomorrow, for it has cares enough of its own. Seek first the kingdom of God.’4

->‘Loneliness engulfing you? There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.5 Reach out to Jesus.

When I was in the sixth grade, I attended a four­-room grammar school in the San Francisco Bay Area. No kidding—grades one through eight in four classrooms. It was a little Christian school founded by Christian Reformed parents (most first generation after the war from Holland), to give their children careful instruction. We had singing time to start the day with my homeroom teacher, Mr. Bakker. Contemporary Christian music was just emerging—early songs like ‘He’s Everything to Me’, (my favorite), ‘Pass it On’, etc. I played the old upright piano for the class to sing along, and diligently practiced the piano at home so that I would not mess up in front of my peers. All these years later, the lines of one song readily replay in my mind, apropos in our loneliness, temptation, discouragement, fear or anxiety—

reach out to Jesus, he’s reaching out to you! 

>‘Feeling far from God? When you seek him with all your heart, he will be found by you.6 

>‘Temptation threatening to overtake you? Jesus was tempted in every way like you, and yet resisted.7 He understands, and he will give you strength.

Knowing always,‘Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.’8 

These truths give us strength, life, hope and power, straight from the heart of God. And Jesus, thank you that you showed us how to combat temptation and stay strong.

Scripture breathes life,

Christine

PastorWoman.net

Luke, #14

just found it: Reach Out to Jesus! the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iRC2cYay6I

1 – James 4.7

2 – Matthew 4.10

3 - Psalm 43.5

4 – Matthew 6.34,33

5 – Jeremiah 29.11, Jeremiah 29.13

6 - Hebrews 4.15

7 – 1 John 4.4