The Jesus Was Led By The Spirit Into The Wilderness To Be Tempted By The Devil

MATHEW 4:1-4
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
”‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4:1-4‬ ‭NKJV‬
‬https://bible.com/bible/114/mat.4.1-4.NKJ

V

The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted-He was tested to prove Himself and maybe to show people how to deal with temptation in our lives today.
For it is through our trials and testings that we grow in Christ (JAMES 1:2-4).
After forty days and nights of fasting, Jesus was hungry, He was at His weakest and the temptation was at its greatest. But regardless of His supernatural abilities and power, He chose to not use His divine privilege to satisfy His hunger; if He had, He would of failed His test and broken His word, and would not of been able to be the sacrifice of sin, for He claimed He would not use His divine privileges as something to cling to (PHILIPPIANS 2:5-8).
His time in the wilderness was to fast for forty days-to go without food as a sacrifice to God.
But after forty days of fasting, the devil knew that Jesus was hungry and weak and saw opportunity to cause Him to back track on His word, and therefore attempted to bring temptations.
The devil is always close by ready to test us when we are at our weakest.
But Jesus rebuked the devil’s words of temptation with the word of God and sent the devil packing.
Jesus needed food, but the timing was wrong.
He had put down His divine powers in order to experience humanity fully, and He needed to wait for the right time to eat when food had become correctly available for Him.
If He had done as the devil planned, He would of fallen into sin and could not of paid our debt.
The devil is never far away; he is the accuser and is always looking for opportunity to accuse you (JOB 1:6-11).
We all face temptation of satisfying the lust of our flesh. They are usually perfectly normal desires, but in the wrong way or at the wrong time become sin.
If we indulge in sexual relations outside of marriage, or steal food, we are trying to satisfy God-given desires at the wrong time or in wrong ways.
Many of our natural desires are normal and good, but God wants you to satisfy them in the right way at the right time.
Jesus was solid in rejecting temptation, because not only did He know the Scripture, but He obeyed it.
God’s word is a spiritual sword to use in combating the devil (EPHESIANS 6:17).
Knowledge of the Scriptures is an important step in standing firm against the devil’s attack, but without putting God’s word into practice, it is pointless.
The devil knows the bible well, and He used it to try to fool Jesus into making a mistake, but Jesus, even after 40 days and nights of fasting remembered the Scripture-“It is written man shall not live by bread alone” He said, “but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,” and rejected his body’s plea for food.
Knowing and obeying the Bible helps us to follow God’s desires rather than our own which can be influenced by the devil.
We must therefore learn it and put it into practice in our daily life.
Who is in control, you or your body? Are you going to submit to the cravings of your flesh, or to God?
Good food, sexual relations, and other cravings can be good desires, but are only good for us when we indulge at the right time and in the right way.
Unfortunately, because we have inherited a sinful nature, we cannot overcome temptation in our own strength.
We have a deceitful heart (JEREMIAH 17:9), and since it is a part of the flesh, is determined to please the flesh and is very good at justifying sin.
But however, we believers are truly blessed, for God sent His Holy Spirit to be with us, indeed, in us to lead us in His righteousness. He is an advocate, the help we need to live right (JOHN 14:15-18).
Once we receive the Holy Spirit a battle starts from within.
One’s flesh has been in control from birth, but now is being challenged.
That deceitful heart comes up with every trick in the book to justify and satisfy the flesh, while the Holy Spirit gives a righteous way forward.
Having said that, He does not take away one’s free will, so cooperation and determination is needed.
It is encouraging to know that God not only gives us the desire to do what is pleasing to Him, but He gives us the power to do it (PHILIPPIANS 2:13). All you need do is ask.
“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬-‭18‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
God cannot be tempted, Jesus proved that, and He doesn’t tempt anyone else.
But the devil is always close by to bring temptations and with his little whispers, he justifies it.
But don’t be deceived my brethren, sin lets the devil in, and like squatters are very happy to make your body their home, giving them access to manipulate your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and behaviours, and bring all kinds of torment, sickness, negativity, fear and anxieties, depression, and even suicidal thoughts.
From within these devil’s take possession of areas of one’s life, placing themselves in the driving seat of our bodies, which is supposed to be a vessel of the Holy Spirit, Whom when we are saved, joins with our spirit and we become one spirit with Him (1 CORINTHIANS 6:27).
“Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭12‬-‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
The Holy Spirit shall manifests Himself through our flesh to do His good works through our bodies and as Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.””
‭‭John‬ ‭7‬:‭38‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
Sin lets the devil in, for the Holy Spirit must retreat from the flesh, and like squatters, they will reside in a person’s body until they are evicted.
It feels like the Holy Spirit has left, but He never leaves us orphans (JOHN 14:18). He resides quietly joined to our spirit which remains perfect and convicts change from within.

In our times of testing, like in school, the teacher leaves us to do the test, and we find ourselves in the wilderness until the test is finished.
James said, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.”
‭‭James‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬-‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
To submit to God is turn away from sin and submit to His will. To resist the devil is to resist his temptations and command him out. It is then that he shall flee from you.
When we make our spirit king and our soul (our mind, will, and emotions) servant to the king, the King of kings shall lead us in His righteousness and we shall produce good fruits.
But when we allow the flesh to be dominant, it shall live only to satisfy our flesh.
Our bodies are temples of the living God, but when we sin, we come in agreement with the devil and he is authorised him to enter.
However much we try, we will make mistakes, but God knew about all our sins, from the start to our last breath, and forgave them all when He blessed us with the Holy Spirit.
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
But sexual sin is sin within the temple of God.
“Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
‭‭I Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭15‬-‭20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
We have free will to choose, but the decision comes from our very soul, our mind, will, and emotions.
“Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. “Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16‬:‭24‬-‭28‬ ‭NKJV
Those who choose to deny himself (the worldly lust), and take up his cross, (serve God even in suffering), those who give up their lives-the things of this world for Christ will be saved.
To have nice things, a nice home, car, money in the bank , is not wrong. God wants us to have a healthy lifestyle.
But “There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun: Riches kept for their owner to his hurt. But those riches perish through misfortune; When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand. As he came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return, To go as he came; And he shall take nothing from his labor Which he may carry away in his hand. And this also is a severe evil— Just exactly as he came, so shall he go. And what profit has he who has labored for the wind?”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬-‭16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
No amount of money, life style, or credibility, is worth selling your soul. Everything of this world is temporary and useless for our eternal future.
Whether we choose heaven or hell, we shall go naked and empty handed-we shall take nothing with us.
“I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:16-26‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
All glory to God forever and ever! Amen.