The Winning Walk
Read This Week: Matthew 4
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting for 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 shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 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.
– Matthew 4:1-4 & 10-11 NIV
Life would be so much easier and much more manageable without sin, temptation, and the difficulty that comes along with them. These elements can bring a sudden and cruel nature to our daily walk. Satan and his attacks create intense engagements with our circumstances, surroundings, other people, and ourselves. From sickness to the affliction of other diseases to tragic loss to relational discord to unemployment and difficulty moving on from traumatic situations, it seems that life is a constant struggle.
As we genuinely attempt to follow Christ and be faithful to His commands, we can sometimes forget that in the middle of this pursuit is a warring agent that not only wants to knock us off-kilter but desires to take us out. As naive as it may seem, we can lose sight of the fact that we are engaged in a struggle of great magnitude with a formidable enemy. This confrontation even happened to Jesus Himself in Matthew 4. He gets baptized, the Holy Spirit of God descended upon Him to start His public ministry, and then he is immediately led into the wilderness to be tempted. This chapter also tells us that Jesus is physically weak from hunger. Verse 1 says:
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
So here is Jesus coming off of a spiritual victory and feeling filled with the Spirit of God but a little tired and hungry. It is the perfect time for temptation and the devil to try and take advantage. This scene is not unlike our own lives. We experience a spiritual victory, have some good things going, get a little tired, and our adversary sees this as the perfect moment to tempt, lie, and accuse us so that we may fall and be destroyed.
In this passage (and other places in the New Testament), we see that our enemy is not ourselves or other people or anything that originated in the earthly dimension. Our adversary is supernatural and more intelligent, cunning, and powerful than we imagine. His many attributes include wickedness, hate, and deception. So how do we handle and overcome this? The good news is that we have Jesus’ example and His power to help us in these moments throughout the entirety of our lives on earth.
We see Jesus do three things to resist temptation and the enemy. He confronts him with the Word of God (v.4) and corresponds to the truth in the face of accusations. Jesus reminds Satan of his place and his lack of authority to test and tempt Him (v.7). Then He commands Satan to get away from Him in the name of God (v.10). This approach is our template for temptation and spiritual attacks. We stay in the Bible and correspond to it when we are being lied to; we remind ourselves and the enemy that he does not have authority over God or us in Christ; we get ourselves away from the temptation by worshipping the name God.
The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the central key to our spiritual battles. Christ alone gives us the win over Satan and empowers us to live successfully amid our fallenness. With him on our side, we cannot lose despite some grueling moments that would suggest otherwise. Colossians 2:14-15 assures us that Jesus disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.
In Christ, we can resist and live victoriously above every temptation that comes our way. By following God’s voice and applying the example of Jesus, we can defeat the devil and enjoy the benefits of being in an intimate relationship with the Lord that bring healing, peace, and hope. Verse 11 shows us our reality with God’s help: Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. This is the winning walk.
When reading this, it motivates me to eat less and talk with God more, so that among other things, when temptation comes, I am strong in the spirit of God and able to have victory over the worlds ways, while staying on track with the ways of the Lord. Thank you, Jesus for being such a good example for us. May we all continue to grow and become more and more like you in our lives.
Thank you for this word, Ken, and for the spiritual reminder that there are things we can do as disciplines to draw closer to God in this world of temptations, distractions, and barriers to communion with Him. This chapter is certainly a reminder of that and an example from Jesus. I loved these lines and encouragement from fasting:
When temptation comes, I am strong in the spirit of God and able to have victory over the world’s ways, while staying on track with the ways of the Lord.
This was what I got from God in Matthew 4: “My son, Jesus did not need to be tempted to help Him grow. He endured temptation both so that He could identify with you and demonstrate His own holy sinless character. The Holy Spirit cannot tempt you, but it may lead you to a place where you will be tempted. This is not to prove something to Me who knows all things but to prove something to you, and to the spiritual beings watching you. Temptation is being tested, and you will be tested. Jesus being tempted while fasting 40 days and nights was a forced dependence on Me. You also can learn obedience through the things that you suffer.
In your life, it’s not a question of if the tempter will come, but when he will come. You are to rely on the power and the truth of My word, when you are tempted, and to use scripture to battle temptation, just as Jesus did. It is important that as a Christian you are to know the Bible for yourself. ‘Resist the devil and he will flee from you.’ I will find a way to minister to you and meet your needs as you endure temptation.”
What this says to me is I need to stay in God’s word and I need to learn it to be able to use it in spiritual warfare. God’s weapons and armor are freely given to me, and I don’t need to waste them. He will give me the strength and power to endure.
Wonderful commentary on Matthew 4, Kathy. This expectation both of our struggles in this life and the flesh and the power of God’s word to be sufficient for us is such a tremendous and helpful takeaway from this chapter:
In your life, it’s not a question of if the tempter will come, but when he will come. You are to rely on the power and the truth of My word, when you are tempted, and to use scripture to battle temptation, just as Jesus did.
It is not faithless to expect trouble because Jesus told us that we would encounter it in this life, but He also said, as He demonstrated, to take heart in his strength and word because He has overcome the world. Thank you for this reminder.
Matthew 4:19 says, And He said to them, Come [m]after Me [as disciples—letting Me be your Guide], follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men!
I decided to follow Jesus a long time ago when I gave my heart, my life to Jesus many many years ago. I made a commitment to Him to follow Him forever. I’m so blessed that the person who kept asking me to church never gave up on inviting me.
Following Jesus means to me is to be fishers of men and women for the family of God. Living life every day with Jesus is the best. Being guided by Him and following after Him is what really matters in life, sharing the good news and leading others to Him is the most important thing in life!
I love how you are always expressing your thanks for the person who led you to Jesus. It is a great reminder every time of how God brought us to Himself and who He used to do it. I think this could be the summation lines for this chapter and for our lives as followers of Christ:
Being guided by Him and following after Him is what really matters in life, sharing the good news and leading others to Him is the most important thing in life!
God blessed me with this song. Sometimes we may feel alone in our walk with Jesus, but for me, I decide every day to follow Jesus because I know how much He loves me and I’m so thankful He chose me, kept calling me because He loves me.
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back.
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
Though none go with me, still I will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
Will you decide now to follow Jesus?
No turning back, no turning back.
I love this, Heidi. “I Have Decided” was one of my favorite hymns growing up. It is truly a wonderful compliment to Matthew 4 and the idea of following Jesus no matter what.
God gave me a poem from Matthew 4:4:
Everything is a buffet of renewed pardon
A fresh supply of God’s grace found in His word garden.
From each verse that I pick
They bring me such comfort whether feeling well or sick.
I hunger after what is holy to fill me up for the day
And in the Word, I can find comfort throughout my day.
What that means to me is that my heart and mind are always hungry. I need a steady, stable feeling of God’s mercy and love. All I need is His word garden from above and underneath.
Another beautiful and artistic offering of worship from you, Jeri. Thank you for sharing. I love the word picture of God’s Word being like a garden that we pick from to give us sustenance and to fill us up. I also like the connotation of how it grows as well. This is a profound stanza and such wonderful, literary prose:
Everything is a buffet of renewed pardon
A fresh supply of God’s grace found in His word garden.
God drew my attention to Mathew chapter 4 verse 1 this week: Then Jesus was led (guided) by the Spirit into the wilderness (desert) to be tempted (tested and tried) by the devil.
And He was saying to me, “My son I will lead you through some troublesome times. To test you to see how you respond to Me. You may think that I have left you deserted. But this is only a test of your faith, and know I am always there and watching over you.”
What that means to me is that as we all go through tough times in our lives. We must always remember that we must go through certain things to strengthen our trust in Him and know He is always there.
I needed to hear this and be reminded of God’s faithfulness today, Sam. Thank you for sharing these truths and promises from God’s Word and your heart. I especially found encouragement and hope in these lines today:
We all go through tough times in our lives. We must always remember that we must go through certain things to strengthen our trust in Him and know He is always there.