A Way In The WildernessSample

A Test Of Will

Different people go through the wilderness for different reasons. Some because of their own rebellion and some by taking matters into their own hands. As for Jesus, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. It was a test. A test that Jesus could potentially fail. Otherwise, it would be phoney. After all, He was fully God, yet fully man. It was necessary for Him to endure such testing so that we can relate with Him.

After fasting for forty days and forty nights, Jesus was hungry. The devil lured Him to turn stones into bread. It was not something Jesus could not do, but He was not going to succumb to the devil’s tempting. Temptations build spiritual muscles. God permits temptations to reveal if we value the eternal over the temporal.

As human beings, we are most vulnerable when our physical needs are not met. Will we be afraid? Yes, especially when our survival is threatened. The children of Israel failed this test comprehensively in the wilderness when their provision was at stake, when there was no water to be found. Was Jesus afraid? Perhaps. Jesus fought the temptation fully as a man who was hungry, tired and weak from the wilderness. Where Israel failed, Jesus succeeded. Jesus overcame temptation by using Scripture to battle the devil and that very weapon Jesus used is available to you today. 

In times of testing, we trust in God’s unchanging character. And His character is revealed to us in His word. Therefore, to overcome temptation, we must use Scripture as God’s light and truth and submit to God’s leading. When we know Him intimately, we can trust Him fully, even when it comes to our very survival! 

• Are you anxious about your daily provisions and sustenance today? Surrender your needs to God in prayer.

Jesus overcame by the Word.