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.” 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.’” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. – Matthew 4:1-11
Lately, it seems as though God’s people have been under a bombardment of attacks from the enemy. Of course, the reality is that attacks always come and we need to continually be prepared to handle them. I am learning not to rely on my own strength but rather on God’s, and let the joy that I have in Him strengthen me. Our church is also such a blessing as God’s people pour out their love on one another. Although this is a great thing and does let the world know us by our love for one another, this should not be what we rely on in times of spiritual attack. Often in times of trouble or attack we turn to everyone and everything for help and forget to utilize the things that have proven to be effective against the enemy. So, how do we combat these attacks?
The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of combating the enemy is the armor of God in Ephesians 6:10-18. I especially love how we are told to take up the shield of faith in all circumstances as it extinguishes all the fiery darts of the evil one. The shield is a defensive piece of the armor. Our weapon is the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. We see that this offensive weapon is exactly what Jesus used against Satan when He was tempted. Jesus took hold of the sword of the Spirit and has given us an example to follow. The first thing Jesus quoted when tempted by the devil was Deuteronomy 8:3, “Man shall nor live on bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” To live by God’s word and to use it in combat we must first know it and have it embedded in our hearts so that the Holy Spirit can bring it to remembrance in time of need. The Word of God is so important! It is our food and our offensive weapon against the enemy. We need to be spending time in it both individually and with others.
The second thing is that Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:16, “you shall not put the Lord your god to the test.” He used the Word every time Satan came at him and tempted Him. I find it interesting that Satan used God’s Word. However, he twisted it and took it out of context. Satan does not change his methods. He twisted the Word of God when he tempted Eve. Satan is the great deceiver and he has been at it for a very long time. But greater is He that is within us than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). We are blessed to have the Holy Spirit indwelling us. He guides and leads us if we choose to listen. When we spend time in the Word and in prayer, we begin to see and know the heart of God and can understand His word in context, which makes it harder to be deceived. We will be able to recognize untruths, partial truths, and twisted scripture. The Holy Spirit will help us. I want to encourage you brothers and sisters that there is no better time spent than in the Word of God. It equips, encourages, and it makes and grows disciples. The war is raging on! What weapon will you use?
Written by Rebecca Murzin
