Things were off to a great start for Jesus in the beginning. In Matthew 3, He was baptised and then heard God the Father say, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy” (V.17 NLT). But then things took a turn for the worse.

What happened next—Jesus meeting the devil in the wilderness—was not an accident. Thankfully, Jesus’ victory over the temptation he faced teaches us that when we find ourselves in our own ‘wilderness’, we can follow His example: to throw the Bible at the devil!

Notice that the devil came to Jesus when He was tired and hungry. Satan uses the same tactic with us. Waiting for when we’re ‘off guard’ in some way, he offers us quick fixes, easy ways out and selfish ways to make us feel better about ourselves.

Jesus answered each temptation with words from the Bible: “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (MATT. 4:4 NLT; SEE DEUT. 8:3).

The Bible is full of verses about sex, cheating, lying, stealing, fighting and all other temptations. If we take time to read them and think about them with God, we can use them when we’re under attack. It’s our best chance for success!

By: Joe Stowell

To Pray About . . .

Lord, please help me to fight back with Your Word when I’m tempted. Your Word is the sword that will guard me, shield me and protect me.