The devil went away...

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”

But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do 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, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”

Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”

Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”

“Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.'"

Matthew 4:1-10 NLT

Every day, we face temptations and trials. And oftentimes, we fail or feel as though we will. We don't feel strong enough to withstand the onslaught of the enemy of our soul and the Truth is that WE are not strong enough. Not by ourselves. Not without the sword of the Spirit... which is what? The Word of God! (Ephesians 6:17). 

In our Scripture passage for today, satan wanted to destroy Jesus. He was out to kill Him. How did Jesus withstand him? He spoke. "The Scriptures say..."  Whoosh! Swing that sword! And again, "The Scriptures say..."  and yet again, "The Scriptures say..."  Then what happened? Verse 11 - Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.

The Scriptures say, "Fight the good fight of faith..." 1st Timothy 6:12. The Scriptures say, "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds..." 2nd Corinthians 10:4. What does Scripture say?  We need to know!

Prayer:

Father,

           Remind us to put on every piece of Your armor so we will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle, we will still be standing firm. Help us to stand our ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of Your righteousness. For shoes, we put on the peace that comes from Your Good News so that we will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, give us the strength to hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Cause us to remember to put on salvation as our helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is Your Word. Holy Spirit, as the Scripture says in John 14:26, bring back all things to our minds that the Word has taught us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen