Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Temptations

Psalm 119:41-48
English Standard Version (ESV)

Waw
41 Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord,
    your salvation according to your promise;
42 then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me,
    for I trust in your word.
43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth,
    for my hope is in your rules.
44 I will keep your law continually,
    forever and ever,
45 and I shall walk in a wide place,
    for I have sought your precepts.
46 I will also speak of your testimonies before kings
    and shall not be put to shame,
47 for I find my delight in your commandments,
    which I love.
48 I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love,
    and I will meditate on your statutes.

Matthew 4:1-11
English Standard Version (ESV)

The Temptation of Jesus
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written,
“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and
“‘On their hands they will bear you up,
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall 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 glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
    and him only shall you serve.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+4%3A+1-+11&version=ESV

The evidence we have through knowing the love of Christ allows us to be able to resist those taunts that come our way by means of temptation.  We have a perfect example of that in the New Testament, Matthew 4: 1 – 11 where Jesus is tempted by the satan.  Jesus used the scriptures to fight him off and he finally left him but not without several attempts.  We too can fight off these temptation by using the scriptures but first we need to know what the scriptures say, that is why we need to continually seek Him with all our hearts.  Satan knew the scriptures too but used them to twist the truth.  We can get caught in that at times as well.  Taking scriptures out of context will do more harm than it will do good.  We need to know and understand the scriptures as God intended for them to be used just as Jesus did in Matthew 4: 1- 11.

We need to read His word, know His commands, and share with others, but also we need to embrace them as our own and follow them daily.  We need to meditate on the Word of God and know that all that we speak should be His truth and His commands.  If we were able to speak with Kings, Queens, Presidents, or other leaders, would we speak truth to them?  Would we speak the truths of God and His promises, standing firm in our faith so as not to be ashamed.  How would the listeners react? 

We should not be ashamed of the Gospel, we should know it, and we should proclaim it.  Keeping all His commands close to our hearts we need to seek Him and know that all that He commands is for our good and His ways are perfect. 

Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila



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