Jesus defeated all three temptations, thus defeating Satan who had attempted to nullify His authority by seducing Jesus to act in His own power and to achieve His needs outside of His relationship with The Father.
Every single time He was tempted, Jesus responded strongly and consistently with the Word. After forty days, Jesus came out of the desert with power. Jesus defeated Satan with the Word and won. What God says is what matters. His Word counts for everything. The Word cancels every argument.
Defeated by the power of The Word, Satan left Him.
Thanks be to God, our blessings in life are not dependent on our passing the tests. However, you cannot have authority over the enemy unless you defeat these three temptations.Satan will not leave until you overcome the temptations he throws at you. Every time you fail a test, you can be sure that you will be tested again.
Here are the three temptations of Jesus.
1. The Temptation of Provision
In Luke 4:3 the devil said to Jesus, “If you are God’s Son, tell this stone to turn into bread.” Jesus responded, “No one can live on only bread.” (Luke 4:4).
Jesus taught this same revelation to us all, as He taught His disciples to pray, “Our Father, give us this day our daily bread.”
The need for food plagues humanity. Anxiety over finances cause many to lose their peace. Some people are married to their job instead of worshipping and trusting in God as their Provider.
True sons, however, always trust their Father to generously provide for them.
2. The Temptation of Promotion
We read in Luke 4:6-7 that the devil said to Jesus, “I will give all this power and glory to you. It has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. Just worship me, and you can have it all.”
Jesus responded to His enemy with a fierce rebuke, “The Scriptures say: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him!’ (Luke 4:8)
People who look to find their identity in people’s opinions, are often consumed with ambition, possessions, fame, and serving themselves more than serving God.
True freedom is found in singular devotion to our Father, who loves us. We must forsake all idolatry and worship only God with all our mind, soul, strength, and will.
3. The Temptation of Protection
Finally, the devil took Jesus to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the top of a Temple. The devil said, “If you are God’s Son, jump off. The Scriptures say: ‘God will tell his angels to take care of you. They will catch you in their arms, and you will not hurt your feet on the stones.’ “(Luke 4:9-10)
Fear of death, fear of loss, and fear of accidents can often consume the mindsets of many Christians. People long to fight death and in so doing, they start controlling their circumstances. Satan walks through this open door and often takes advantage of the fear.
Jesus answered, “The Scriptures also say, “Don’t try to test the Lord your God!'” (Luke 4:12) We must do what this Scripture says. Proverbs 1:7 states “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom.”
Reverence of God defeats all vain independence and control as we surrender our fears in the face of His faithfulness and power.
His Nearness is our Greatness.
Each evening, Adam and Eve would hear the footsteps of God.
But Adam lost all when he forsook God and hid in shame and sin. Instead of paying attention to the sound of the footsteps of God, they tuned into another frequency and the serpent stole their heart.
When Eve stopped focusing on what God was saying and focused on the voice of the serpent, she was devoured by desire.
Today, many believers are divided and distracted. Pulled by wants, desires, and temptations, they miss the greatest prize: the joy of His Presence.
Don’t Reason with the Serpent and don’t Argue with the Truth.
Remember:
- Whom you give your ears to is whom you give your heart to.
- What you want doesn’t matter. What God says is what you need.
- What you feel doesn’t matter. Feelings come and go. What God says is the most important. Submit your feelings to the voice of God in order to have the true perspective.
- What majority does is not important. The majority is lazy, lukewarm, messed up. God is all that matters. One man with God is still the majority.
Victory is Yours!
God wants to show us His glory, His secrets, His fellowship, yet oftentimes we are tempted by the three “P”‘s, speaking to Father God about our needs more than about our devotion to Him. These needs don’t matter. His Presence is The Prize! All that matters is the Presence of God.
If you win against these three “P”‘s, your spirit will be filled with the light of the Lord. Truly, you cannot deceive your spirit. You can fool your mind but never your spirit, for your spirit, your innermost parts, testifies with the truth and the light. The more we shine brightly, the more we will destroy the works of the darkness.
May Love come down, may His Presence be our constant as we choose holiness and refuse to give temptation any place in our lives! May our spirits shine bright as we worship our Lord with devotion, with focus, and with hearts engaged with His every Word!