God made it simple. It took mankind, theologians, and Satan’s aid to make is difficult to grasp.
Text for Today – Matthew 4:1 – The was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
To grasp today’s thought more fully, you will need to read the account of the temptations of Jesus in Matthew 4. After His baptism by John, Holy Ghost led Jesus into the wilderness to face three temptations; only three. They were: (1st) if You’re really the Son of God, turn these stones to bread; (2nd) if You’re really the Son of God, cast yourself down from the pinnacle of the Temple; and (3rd) bow down and worship me (the devil) in order to receive the world’s kingdoms and their glory.
These three temptations cover the entire gambit of temptations any human will ever face. In the first one, Jesus was hungry after having fasted for 40 days. He was dangerously close to starvation, and being tempted to turn stones to bread for His Own benefit was a temptation to DISTRUST Father. Casting Himself down from the pinnacle of the Temple as a test of His Sonship was a temptation to DISOBEY Father. Finally, being offered the kingdom of the world and their glory to bow and worship Satan was a temptation to DISOWN Father.
Every temptation you have ever faced, or will ever face, will fall into one of these three categories. Every temptation is an attempt to get you to distrust God to meet your basic needs, especially when the senses are screaming at you, or an attempt to get you to disobey God by deliberately placing yourself in a place of doing something you know is wrong (or refusing to do what you know you should do), or an attempt to get you to disown God by bowing to any authority other that the Word of God.
As you read the temptation account, you discover that not only were there only three temptations, but there were likewise only three answers. While many Bible teachers focus on the temptations, perhaps we should look more closely at the responses to them, learn those answers, and learn how and when to apply them. (1) Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God. (2) Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. (3) The Lord thy God alone thou shalt worship and thou shalt serve. Only three temptations. Only three answers. Now that’s not that difficult. Jesus made it easy, so just do it.
Manna for Today – 2 Corinthians 10:13; 1 John 5:4; John 16:33
My Second Miler by Dr. Beechard Moorefield 