Matthew 4

Matthew 4 records the temptations of Jesus. I do not believe this was the only time Jesus was tempted, but it was a very intense time for if Satan could distract Jesus before He started His public ministry, then this world would belong to the devil. Notice that Satan comes to Jesus at his weakest time. Richard Foster, our Quaker friend who has practiced and written about fasting makes the following observations. By the fourth day of a fast the hunger pains subside. About the sixth to seventh day you begin to feel stronger. By the tenth day the hunger pains are pretty much gone. Then depending on the person the hunger pains return somewhere between the 21st and 40th day. Richard Foster states that this is a sign of starvation. All the reserves have been used up and he recommends breaking the fast at that time. Notice that it has been forty days since Jesus has been on this fast and that he was hungry. Satan picked his time when Jesus would physically be at his weakest. We need to be careful about letting ourselves getting down physically as well. This is a prime time when Satan tempts us.

Another observation about Satan is that he quoted Scripture. He took it out of context, but he tried to use Scripture on Jesus. Jesus called his hand on it and put the Scripture in its proper context. It is imperative for us to know the Scripture if we are to deal with the devil effectively. Also, know that just because someone quotes Scripture doesn’t mean they are representing God. Satan knows the Bible well.

Notice that Satan was trying his best to distract Jesus from staying focused on ‘why’ He came to earth. Jesus never lost focus on His mission and His purpose. That needs to be us as well. Satan will try to distract us from ‘our calling’ if we will let him. We need to stay focused on the Lordship of Jesus and let that guide every decision, conversation and action.

“Lord, deliver us from evil and lead us not into temptation. For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory forever. Amen.”