Say No to Temptation
This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.1
After Jesus was baptized, he went into the wilderness where the Holy Spirit was leading him. There, he spent forty days and forty nights fasting, and then Satan came and tempted Jesus. The first time, he told Jesus that if he really was the Son of God to tell the stones to turn into bread, but Jesus replied with the Word, “People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” The second time, the devil took Jesus to the highest point of the temple in Jerusalem, and told him to jump off because the Scriptures said that God would send the angels to protect Him. However, Jesus responded saying that the Scriptures also said, “You must not test the Lord your God.” For the final time, Satan took Jesus to the peak of a very tall mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in all their glory, and said that he would give Jesus all of it if he kneeled down and worshiped him. Jesus refused to worship Satan and told him to leave because the Scriptures said to worship and serve only God. Satan left him, and angels came to take care of Jesus.
Just how Jesus was tempted by the devil, so are we. But thanks to the great love that God has for us, we can say no to temptation. In Hebrews 4:15 we read that the High Priest, Jesus, understands our weaknesses because he faced the same testing that we do, yet he did not sin. This is why we are to go boldly to the throne of God, where we will receive his mercy and grace to help us in our times of need (Hebrews 4:16). Although it can be hard to resist temptation, we do not fight it alone because we have God who has already won the victory over sin and death, and we can trust that as long as we abide in Him, we will be able to overcome temptation.
Suggested prayer: Lord, thank you for fighting for me whenever troubles, like temptation, come my way. Please give me the strength to stand firm in what you say and resist the devil and his evil intentions. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.
1. Hebrews 4:15 (NLT).
Today’s Encounter was written by: Gianna B.
All articles on this website are written by
Richard (Dick) Innes unless otherwise stated.