Good
Morning Friends,
"Jesus,
full of the Holy Spirit, was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty
days he was tempted by the devil." (Luke 4:1-2)
Jesus
had just been baptized and experienced the miracles that accompanied it -- the
Spirit coming from heaven and the voice of God. Immediately after that
spiritual high, Jesus went into one of the most intensive periods of temptation
that He had. Spiritual highs do not protect us from temptation. What Jesus experienced
is a frequent pattern in our lives, too. Spiritual highs are often followed by
intense seasons of temptation. It is like the devil plays hardball with us
whenever God has moved powerfully in our lives.
When
Jesus was led into the desert He was "full of the Holy Spirit." That
is a mark of being close to God and sensitive to His work. That was always true
of Jesus. It's not always true for us, but there are occasions when we would
say it was true -- times when we feel close to the Lord and sensitive to what
His work. Being full of the Holy Spirit did not exempt Jesus from temptation. It
doesn't exempt us, either.
Jesus
was "led by the Spirit." Jesus was not in a place where God did not
want Him to be. That was not the reason He faced such powerful temptations. Jesus
was not doing anything that God did not want Him to be doing. He was following
the lead of the Spirit and going to place the Spirit wanted Him. Temptation can
strike us anywhere -- even in those places that God wants us. Temptation can
strike any time -- even when we are fully engaged in what God wants us to do.
There
is never time when we can let down our guard against temptation. There is never
a place where we can feel that Satan cannot attack us. There is never a
protection that we can feel will keep us from feeling tempted to sin.
Jesus
was vigilant while He walked in the desert and He overcame each temptation. Victory
over temptation requires vigilance of us, too.
His,
by Grace, Steve
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