Read: Matthew 4:3-11 NKJV – Now when the tempter came to Him, he – Bible Gateway
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” Matthew 4:1 NKJV
Have you ever felt tested by the Lord? Have you experienced something that is going on in your life driven by a divine nature? Is this a test you ask yourself, more precisely is this a test from God Himself? There are times in our lives where the Lord will test us, never tempt us, but He will surely test us. The results of our testing is either a pass or fail grade. God does not grade on a curve or allow for extra credit for going over and above what He requires of us, our faithfulness. So how are you doing when tested? Do you pass each test with excellence, or do you fail miserably or even miss it by the skin of your teeth? How can you live in faithfulness to God throughout all your trials and testing in your life, even those of a divine nature by the Holy One.
In Matthew chapter 4, we read the account of the temptation of Jesus by the devil. As previously mentioned, God will never tempt us, but the devil certainly will. What is noticeable is the fact that “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” (Mt.4:1 nkjv) Jesus was indeed tempted by the devil, but it was through the leading of the Spirit that Jesus submitted to a forty day and forty night’s stay in the wilderness. Jesus being tempted by the devil for forty days without food or drink is presented with three more challenging temptations. It is through these last three temptations, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life that Jesus “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb.4:15 nkjv)
We may find it hard to understand how Jesus was tempted in every way we are today. How could He be tempted in the same way? We find the answer in He is fully God and also fully man. The temptations were real. He withstood every one of them by relying on the Word of God.
We are never beyond being tempted in our world. The devil and his cohorts are active and pursuing. In all our temptations we are to look to the Word of God. Let us not confuse the testing of God with the temptation of the evil one, but to understanding the Lord’s desire to lead us to faithfulness and all righteousness. May we look to our example Jesus Christ who being led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, overcame ‘in all points tempted.’ .
