As Christians, we are constantly tempted by the things of this world and it is not always easy to resist. When Jesus was being tempted by Satan in the wilderness, he was tempted continually. The three specific temptations the Bible mentions are hunger, materialism and power, and testing God. Jesus was tempted for forty days, and what the devil was enticing him with would have probably satisfied his flesh but not his spirit, leading to spiritual destruction. While Jesus was fully God, he was also fully human and had free will, allowing him to do anything he desired. However, his hunger for the Father was greater than any worldly desire.

Every time Satan tempted Jesus, Jesus fought back using Scripture, which is what we need to do as well. God allows us to be tempted, but he promises never to leave us. Satan often tries to attack us when we are confident in our faith and are feeling like we are on top of the world. Luke 4:1 says that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit when he was led to the wilderness and in Luke 4:14, after all the enticements, it says that Jesus returned to Galilee filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Those verses show us that the Lord was with him the whole forty days, giving him strength from the beginning to the end. When we are tempted, we can either give in or use it as an opportunity to grow our faith and trust in God. Jesus understands our weaknesses because he faced all the same testing we do, allowing us to come boldly to the throne of God where we will receive His mercy and grace (Hebrews 4:15-16).

Suggested prayer: Thank you, Lord, for giving me the strength to overcome the challenges of this world. Thank you for promising to always be with me through the highs and lows. When I fall into temptation, please forgive me and restore me. In the name of Jesus I pray, amen.

1.      Matthew 26:41 (NLT).

The Encounter for today was written by: Gianna B.