March 3, 2023 - Matthew‬ ‭4‬:‭5‬-‭11

“Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands, so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’” Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.” “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.” Matthew 4:5-11 NLT

Jesus, we can learn a lot in this passage about how to disarm the devil and the power of your Word. I notice you didn’t get into a conversation with the devil. He brought about his temptations which were rooted in lies. You quoted a scripture that stated the truth and it immediately shut down his lie. In Genesis 3, we see Eve getting into a conversation with Satan and through that conversation he was able to make her believe his lies. Getting into a conversation with Satan is never a good idea. He is clever and deceptive. Here we see Satan quoting scripture in an attempt to convince you that his option is right. He can twist the truth and get us convinced that it is ok to do what he is saying. It is so important that we are grounded in your Word and know the truth. Give us a greater desire to go deeper in your Word. Give us your insights so we understand what your Word is telling us so we immediately recognize when he is twisting its truth. Thank you that we have access to the same power that you used to send Satan away. Teach us how to use it efficiently.

In Jesus name, amen.