13When the devil had finished every temptation, he [temporarily] left Him until a more opportune time. Luke 4:13 AMP
Will you be ready the next time? You may be wondering why I would ask this question; we see Satan tempting Jesus in Luke 4:1-13 at the conclusion of Jesus’ 40 day fast in the wilderness. Satan is approaching Jesus with “opportunities” that would cause Jesus to fail his assignment that he was sent to Earth for. Jesus had a purpose for coming to Earth, which was to fulfill and abolish the old covenant, while informing Israel (specifically the Jews) that a new covenant was being established and essentially bringing heaven on Earth. I believe that Jesus was summoned to the wilderness by God to prepare and equip him for his earthly ministry (divine task), and reveal the disciples, betrayer, and sequence of events that would occur before his crucifixion and resurrection. This time alone with God in prayer left him physically weak at the end of the days, when Satan saw/felt an opportunity to cut down Jesus by deception before his ministry even began. He provided three temptations where he tried to use scripture to cause Jesus to sin against God by acting against the instructions he had been provided during the 40 day fast. When Jesus resisted these attacks, we see that the devil left, not defeated in the sense that all was lost or that he would no longer tempt Jesus, but that he would wait for another time where he felt that his tactics would prove successful. Jesus defeated the devil using God’s word, which should show us that the only way to effectively defeat the devil is with God’s word. NO WORD, NO POWER!! What the devil didn’t realize is that though Jesus was physically weak, he was spiritually strong and able to resist the attacks. When we find ourselves burdened by life’s struggles, we must be able to access and withdraw faith/power from our word/spiritual bank to defeat the devil’s attacks. We are in a war with the enemy, and winning a single battle doesn’t mean that the enemy is defeated, or won’t return with another attack later. You must be prayed up and filled with the word, ready, NOT fearful for the next attack so that you are able to withstand him. I’m sure that Jesus knew this wasn’t the last time that the devil would tempt, or oppose his assignment, but what he did know, was that God had equipped AND prepared him to effectively resist the devil’s actions. You should take confidence in this realization that because Jesus has already defeated the devil, you are able to as well. Resurrection Sunday (12 April 2020) was the conclusion of Lent, and for those who fasted (either gave up something that they felt distracted/hindered their relationship with God, or intentionally carved out additional time or activities to spend with God), they may have felt that whatever they had been praying for was either immediately going to be given to them at the conclusion of Lent, or that they would be free from whatever they were praying God to remove from their life/heart. For many of us, including those who didn’t fast, we were still confronted with the realities of COVID-19, and the impact that it has had on the world, including our health, finanances, quality of life, and/or family and friends. The presence of an attack or difficulty at the conclusion of prayer AND fasting is not evidence that it didn’t work, or that God has failed you, but rather it is evidence of Satan’s relentlessness in trying to steal, kill, or destroy your faith and trust/confidence in God. Regardless of the his attacks, and the realities that we are faced with today, and anytime in the future, you remain steadfast in the word, prayed, and ready to rebuke Satan and his helpers with the word of God when your “next time” is.
7So submit to [the authority of] God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him] and he will flee from you. James 4:7 AMP
Reflection Time
Are you prepared to defeat the devil when he attacks you? What are the weapons (scriptures) that you use when the devil attacks? Research some scriptures that apply to the areas where you are weak, or are consistently attacked in so that you can use them the next time you feel yourself being attacked physically and/or spiritually. Meditate on and repeat some scriptures to yourself that will help you to stand firm/strong in the Lord. I suggest Joshua 1:5-9, Psalm 23, Psalm 91, Psalm 121, Matthew 11:28-30, Phillipians 4:4-9, 11-13 & 19
