Tuesday, November 29: Matthew 4- When you are weak. watch out.

The chapter opening showed me something quite simple. The devil is a cagy adversary, who knows how to strike a person when he/she is down.

Jesus’ public ministry is about to begin but before it does, Jesus spends sometime alone in the desert. Matthew explains:

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread"… (1-3).

I have done a little bit of fasting in my life, mostly a day here and a day there,once I might have completed a fast of 5 days or so. Honestly, I cannot imagine 40 day fast. I’ve read people who have done that but I can’t imagine it.

Matthew’s comment, After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.  That seems like a touch of humor.  Of course he was hungry!

What caught my attention is that the devil chose to strike at the moment when Jesus was hungry, when He was weak and when He was most vulnerable. That’s a strategy… strike a person when he/she is down. If I am hungry, tired, sick, in a hurry, upset, those are the moments when my fleshly, sin-filled desires are closest to the surface and I am most apt to stumble and fall.

As I have talked with friends and listened to wise counsel, this appears to be a universal human trait. The devil knows that and thought Jesus was most likely to succumb to temptation at that time. Jesus didn’t! And a devil strategy was revealed.

The Spirit’s warning to me was simple. The devil is a wily enemy who wants nothing more that to cause me to fall into sin and for me to disgrace the name of my Savior Jesus. I have to be constantly vigilant against the devil’s schemes and most especially vigilant when I am tired, hungry, sick, in a hurry, upset, etc. These are the times in my life when I am most vulnerable! And the Spirit says, “Be alert… and take care of yourself to minimize those vulnerable times in my life…”

Think about it…

O, Father, help me. Help me to be strong, to stand for You strongly. Help me to be wary of the enemy, the devil, and to resist his tactics and ploys. Father, help me to immerse myself in Your Word. Jesus used scriptures as his defense, how much more should I?  Holy Spirit, teach me scripture, that my life will be strong in You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

 

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