The temptation of Jesus. I’ve read this passage (Luke 4:1-13) several times. It’s a great reminder that because Jesus, fully man, was able to resist the temptations from Satan, so can we. And that because He walked through it, just like we do, we have a God, a father, that can completely sympathize with everything we will ever be tempted by. 

But this time reading and thinking through it, God spoke to me a bit differently. And what I came away with were two things. The first is this: We have a very real enemy that intimately knows us, actively observes our lives and tailors temptations to our personal weaknesses. Reading through the exchanges between Satan and Jesus, it struck me how very personal the whole thing was. Satan knew where Jesus was.. in the wilderness, alone. He knew that He hadn’t eaten and was hungry and physically weak. And he personally and purposefully preyed on His “weakness” in these temptations. 

Satan has not changed. And this is how he deals with us. 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” It says “your” adversary prowls around... seeking someone to devour. He isn’t just God’s adversary, not just Jesus’ adversary, he is YOUR adversary. He’s speaking to believers in this passage. Because we are God’s, because we belong to Him, we are now his prey and he wants to devour you. He knows he’s defeated. He knows his end, and he wants to personally take you down with him. If you are a believer and are walking with the Lord, he will make it his personal job to know your weaknesses and tempt you in them in order to get your eyes off God and do whatever he can to cripple you and make you ineffective as a believer. He will make sure you are “lured and enticed” by tempting you with what you personally may struggle with or have struggled with in the past.

Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Friends, people (flesh and blood) are not our enemy. Satan and his rulers and authorities under him are what we wrestle against. And it is their job to know exactly how to wrestle with each of us personally. 

But here’s the good news. The second thing God spoke to me about was this: God has given us the authority and power to resist and stand firm against Satan and send him back to where he belongs. How? First, know your enemy. Be familiar with his schemes. Read and learn as much as you can from God’s word and biblical teaching about the enemy so that you know what you’re dealing with. 

And second: Know and renew your minds to the fact that you are a NEW creation and have the spirit of the almighty God Living and working inside you. The same powerful Spirit that overthrew the grave and conquered death lives in you. When you became a believer, you were given a new spirit. Not an overhauled spirit, a new one. And God’s word is filled with directions on how to live walking in that new spirit as a new creation. Ephesians 6:10 says, “...Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil...Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” 

Learn more about the armor of God by studying Ephesians and about the authority God has given you in Jesus’ name. And then take that knowledge and authority, pick up your sword and put on that armor and use it!