Becoming Like Jesus: Fasting and AbstinenceSample

Resisting the Devil - Part 2

Yesterday, we learned that spiritual warfare is primarily fought with truth and lies, not swords and shields. We watched the devil attack Jesus’ identity and target His desires with lies and deception. We saw Jesus defend against that attack through the spiritual disciplines of fasting and Scripture memorization. Today, we are going to finish reading the story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness to better understand the desires the devil most often targets, and how fasting and abstinence enable us to stand strong against Him when He does.

Let’s get started.

Pray…

Lord Jesus, you have overcome death, darkness, and the devil. You have rescued me from sin and my own selfish desires. Help me to keep denying myself so I can obey you. Help me to resist the temptations of the devil so I can stay faithful to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Read…

The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’ ” The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. If you worship me, it will all be yours.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’ ” The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. Luke 4:3-13 NIV

Consider…

The devil attacks Jesus’ identity and targets His desires through the use of lies and deception three different times. He attacks His identity by questioning if He really is the Son of God. And he targets Jesus’ desires by tempting Him with food, influence, and safety.

All three times, Jesus defends against these attacks. Through fasting, Jesus trained Himself to deny His desires so He could stay faithful to God. Through memorizing Scripture, Jesus countered the devil’s lies with truth. But that’s not all. You see, during His showdown with the devil, Jesus wasn’t alone. The Holy Spirit was with Him.

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness… Luke 4:1 NIV

In our fight against the devil, we are not alone. When we enter into a relationship with Jesus, we become filled by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us the power and wisdom we need to resist the devil and stay true to Jesus. Spiritual disciplines are more than simply practices to increase our willpower. They are practices that invite the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts and reorder our desires to make us more like Jesus.

In your fasting and abstinence, are you relying on your own willpower? Or are you asking the Holy Spirit to give you strength?

Practice…

Evaluate how much you’re trying to resist your desires in your own strength compared to how much you are asking the Holy Spirit to strengthen you.

Throughout your day, when you start to feel hungry or find yourself craving the thing you’re abstaining from, redirect your attention back to God. Ask Him to help you resist those desires by praying, “Lord, give me the strength to say no to my desires. Help me to focus on you. Make me more like Jesus.”

Listen…

Set a timer for 5-10 minutes. Next, ask God to speak to you. When you get distracted, bring your focus back to God by repeating this short prayer:

(Breathe in) Lord Jesus, (Breathe out) Have mercy on me.

(Breathe in) Heavenly Father, (Breathe out) Speak to me.

(Breathe in) Holy Spirit, (Breathe out) Guide me.

When the timer ends, thank God for the time you got to spend with Him, then head into your day looking for opportunities to better serve Him and serve others.