“You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.” (Matthew 4:10)
It’s just like the enemy to wait until we are most vulnerable, before creeping in to cast doubt and confusion, isn’t it? Upon the weary mother, he whispers, “You don’t have what it takes.”
Or, to the struggling student, he says, “Give up now.”
Especially when people are doing the work of the Father in heaven, the adversary swoops in like a summer storm without warning. And if we aren’t prepared, we may be thrown into a whirlwind of doubt and confusion.
Jesus knew, all too well, the severe temptation to give up, give in, and believe the lies of the enemy. After forty days and nights of fasting in the desert, He was at his lowest physical point. By all human standards, it wouldn’t have taken much for Him to command the stones to become bread as Satan ordered Him to do in Matthew chapter four.
Yet, as I read about the temptation of Jesus, and the wiles of the devil coming at Him over and over, I see a common theme. Three times, in the first eleven verses, Jesus responds to Satan with the words, “It is written.” He then follows it with the very words of God, to silence the enemy. In fact, the third time Jesus replies, he precedes it by shouting, “Away with you, Satan!”
What an amazing example for us. On this mission to defend our Jewish brothers and sisters, the enemy will try to set up roadblocks at every turn. He will constantly say, “Give up now. You don’t have what it takes.” Yet, with the absolute truth of God’s Word, we can plow right through every blockade that stands against us!
Are you sensing the rising up of strength as you read this? God’s mighty power is working in each of us—the same power that raised Jesus from the dead! For the Holy Spirit nurtures, feeds, and strengthens us, even when we are coming out of a long desert season. In fact, it is when we are weak that He is very strong.
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-11)
God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. In our infirmities, persecutions, and distresses, the power of Christ rests upon us and we are made stronger than ever.
Dear ones, whether you are at your lowest point today, or on the highest pinnacle of life, arm yourself with the most powerful ammunition you could ever carry—the Word of God. And, when the enemy comes, setting up false signs that say, “Road closed,” knock them down with the simple, yet powerful proclamation…“It is written.”
