One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. 10 As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” 12 The Spirit then compelled Jesus to go into the wilderness, 13 where he was tempted by Satan for forty days. He was out among the wild animals, and angels took care of him. 14 Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God’s Good News. 15 “The time promised by God has come at last!” he announced. “The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!”
Mark 1:9-15 (NLT)
Yesterday, while standing in our kitchen, one of my sons walked up to me, pulled up his sleeve and said, “Feel my muscles Dad! I’m strong.” After affirming his new-found-strength, I had him feel my bicep then proceeded to have a moment like Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite about how much weight I could lift during my glory days. It must be a guy-thing. 🤣
I think when it comes to temptation we think of it being a test of brute strength and willpower. Like trying to reach a new max in weightlifting, if we can just psych ourselves up enough we can push the weight of temptation. Sadly, that’s just not how it works.
Jesus shows us how to conquer temptation.
I find it encouraging that even Jesus experienced the terror of temptation. He can identify with you in your moments of temptation. I thought being strong meant you never would experience temptation. This what my perception of Christians, mostly because I never heard any Christian leaders talk about their struggles. The only time it would be talked about was when an influential pastor had a moral failure, and the conversation would be centered around the shock of the fall. I was very young when I started serving in the ministry, working at a church at 18-years old. I would go to church and see God move in mighty ways and then come home to experience temptation alone. I thought something was wrong with me. I thought that if I really loved God, I will not experience temptation. Simply not true.
So how did Jesus deal with temptation? In Mark’s account we don’t see the details of his temptation like we see in the other Gospel accounts. What I saw in Mark’s account was the emphasis of what happened right before Jesus was tempted.
Jesus experienced temptation in the wilderness immediately after the moment the Father affirmed his relationship. Temptation is always about if we are going to believe who God says we are, or if we are going to believe what everything and everyone around us is saying. Are we going to believe what we feel, or are we going to believe God.
Temptation is not a test of willpower, it is test of relationship.
I oftentimes see temptation as a test of willpower alone. I think it is all about how strong I am and try to conquer it in my own power, most times to no avail. However, when I look at this account of the life of Jesus I see him walking into the wilderness with affirmation of his identity from the Father.
“You are my dearly loved son. You bring me great joy.” Do you know this is how God feels about you. He speaks this over your life as well. Notice, this pronouncement was before Jesus did many of his recorded miracles. He was simply affirming his identity. You are valuable to God not because of what you do, but simply because of who you are. You were created in the image of God. You were created on purpose for a purpose.
So what is one thing can we take away from Jesus’ victory over temptation:
Key: When you are tempted, strengthen your relationship.
When you are tempted alone in the wilderness of life, remember who you are and what God says about you. When you are tempted, strengthen your relationship with God. How do you strengthen your relationship? There are many ways to strengthen your relationship with God: Prayer, worship, listening to a sermon, attending a small group, worshiping with other believers, just to name a few. Put your focus on who God is and what he says about you.
There are two ways to try to stay faithful in my marriage. I can live everyday psyching myself up to “Stay strong.” Or I can just fall in love with my wife and no other options will be appealing to me. Satan’s one goal to destroy a marriage is to put gaps in the relationship so that couples will give in to temptation. When a marriage is full of healthy communication, romance, and honor each day, temptation has no power.
God is with you win the wilderness! He has already spoken over you who you are and what he thinks about you!
You Are Accepted:
- I am God’s child. (John 1:12)
- I am Christ’s friend. (John 15:15)
- I have been justified. (Romans 5:1)
- I have been bought with a price. I belong to God. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
- I am a member of Christ’s body. (1 Corinthians 12:27)
- I have been adopted as God’s child. (Ephesians 1:5)
- I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 2:18)
- I have been forgiven of all my sins. (Colossians 1:14)
- I am complete in Christ. (Colossians 2:10)
You Are Safe:
- I am free forever from condemnation. (Romans 8:1-2)
- I am assured that all things work together for good. (Romans 8:28)
- I am free from any condemning charges against me. (Romans 8:31-34)
- I cannot be separated from the love of God. (Romans 8:35-39)
- I am confident that the good work God has begun in me will be completed. (Philippians 1:6)
- I am a citizen of Heaven. (Philippians 3:20)
- I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and of self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7)
- I can find grace and mercy to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
- I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me. (1 John 5:18)
You Are Important:
- I am the salt and light of the earth. (Matthew 5:13-14)
- I am a branch of the true Vine, a channel of His life. (John 15:1,5)
- I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit. (John 15:16)
- I am a personal witness of Christ. (Acts 1:8)
- I am God’s temple. (1 Corinthians 3:16)
- I am God’s workmanship. (Ephesians 2:10)
- I may approach God with freedom and confidence. (Ephesians 3:12)
- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
Lord, when we walk through the wilderness and are tempted, help us to remember what You have said about us. May we see You and all of Your glory when we face temptation. Father, help us remember how loved we are by you! Today we choose to pursue more of You in our lives. Holy Spirit, fill us to overflowing with your presence today! In Jesus Name!
