The Weapon to Fight Temptation

In our ongoing battle as God's men to fight temptation, we would be wise to observe how Jesus handled Satan's attempt to undermine his earthly mission. In Luke 4, we read about the temptation of Jesus Christ in the wilderness prior to the start of his public ministry. Several key things are worth noting.

First, Satan came after Jesus when he was alone and isolated. After having fasted for 40 days, he was also hungry and probably tired as well. Our enemy knows that we are most vulnerable in any of these states. Secondly, the enemy tries to convince us that God's plan for us isn't really our best option. Twice (vs. 3, 9) he directly challenges Jesus' authority--If you are the Son of God... to tempt him to rely on his own ability rather than on God's provision. Thirdly, the evil one offers the promise of reward without ever disclosing the true cost of disobedience and he's been doing that since the Garden of Eden. He promised Jesus authority over all of the world's kingdoms if he would bow down and worship him (v. 5-7); failing to mention that it was a direct violation of the first Commandment (Exodus 20:2-3).

Jesus fought Satan's temptations by quoting Scripture, which is always our best weapon in fighting the enemy's lies. Our Savior's responses "Man shall not live by bread alone" (v.4), "You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve" (v.8) and "You shall not put the Lord your God to test" (v.12) are wise words to live by. God knows what we need, beyond our physical and temporal needs. We must make God the top priority in our lives and seek to serve Him and not our own selfish desires. And finally, we should never try to distort the truth that God has revealed to us to justify ungodly actions.