Daily Gospel Devotional: January 27

Matthew 4:1-11 / Mark 1:12-13 / Luke 4:1-13

Are you tempted…

Just when you get started on a journey of faith, this is when the enemy of your soul will attempt to stop you in your tracks. Wherever God is moving, Satan is sure to be there to try and limit the effects (Mark 4:15). He may go for a while, but he will always come back. And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Christians shouldn’t be ignorant of this (2 Corinthians 2:11). The world wants to feed us, the devil wants to enflame us, and the flesh wants to indulge us (Romans 13:14 / Ephesians 4:27 / 1 Peter 2:11 / 1 John 2:16). We must take up the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17-18) like Jesus did (Deuteronomy 6:13, 16, 8:3), and resist the devil (James 4:7).

Make no mistake; Satan is out to get you, too (1 Peter 5:8). However, we rest in the knowledge that our Champion has defeated the devil (Hebrews 2:14-18). We can win the battles because Jesus has won the war. Even when we fail to live up to the faith, our Heavenly Father gathers us back into His arms (1 John 1:9 / James 4:8 / Romans 8:1, 39).

The dream lives on, it has been proven, the second Adam (Romans 5:12-19 / 1 Corinthians 15:45) did what the first failed to do. Satan used all his best weapons, when it seemed Jesus was at His most vulnerable, yet nothing could stop our Champion, our victory is secure. Jesus in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, the Jews were tempted with in the wilderness, and the question is, will we make it out of the wilderness? Will we cave in to the pressure, or enter in to the throne room (Hebrews 4:16)?

When you are tempted, don’t give up on Jesus.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©