Matthew 4:3
“And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.”
You will never get through life without having to face temptation. Temptation is the desire to perform an action that one may enjoy in the short term but will probably regret later. If Jesus faced temptation, then you will certainly face it.
Jesus had just finished a forty day fast when Satan came to tempt Him. Satan tempted the personal appetites of Jesus, but He overcame this temptation with the Word of God. Satan then took Jesus to the holy city to tempt Him, but He again overcame the temptation with the Word of God. The third time Satan took Jesus to an exceeding high mountain to tempt Him, but again the temptation failed when Jesus used the Word of God to fight the temptation. You will find four lessons in these three temptations regarding the tempter’s presence.
First, the tempter always tempts you when you are weaker. Jesus has just finished a forty day fast when He was approached by Satan. Jesus certainly had no weakness in His life, but He was weaker at that moment because of hunger. You will find there are times when you are tempted more than others. You will see that those times are usually when you are weaker. We often think that Satan only tempts us in our weak areas, and that is not true. He simply looks to find us in our weaker moments and then tempts us. You must be very careful about temptation in your vulnerable moments. Those moments may be in times of sorrow, after a great victory, after a great battle or after a spiritual conquest. Notice, the tempter always comes after something and not before. Always be extra careful after something happens in your life.
Second, the tempter will tempt your personal appetites. It is interesting that Satan simply wanted to give Jesus some bread. He was attacking the personal appetites of Jesus. Be careful about your personal appetites. Learn what they are and realize that Satan will use them against you. They may even be spiritual appetites, but don’t let him win. For instance, a person may have a spiritual appetite to see more people saved. There is nothing wrong with that, but if you must compromise your beliefs to do this then it would be wrong. Be careful about Satan’s temptation with spiritual and monetary appetites.
Third, the tempter will tempt your holy places. It is interesting that Satan tempted Jesus in the holy city. You have holy places in your life and you must be careful that Satan doesn’t destroy them. Those holy places are your prayer closet and the place where you walk with God. Satan would love to tempt you to keep you from those places. Never let anything keep you from your holy places. Those places will give you the strength to overcome temptation. Don’t let temptation pull you from them.
Fourth, the tempter will tempt your high mountains. I like to say these are the life-changing decisions of your life. Satan took Jesus to an exceeding high mountain, and he will come to you about your high mountains. Satan will tempt you and try to get you to deny those decisions. For instance, never second guess your call into the ministry. Satan will try to get you to second guess the sincerity of your life-changing decisions, but you must not succumb to those temptations.
The only way you can overcome all of these areas is with the Word of God. Stay in God’s Word. Let God’s Word be that spiritual meat that strengthens you in your weaker moments. Be aware of the tempter’s presence in these times and let God’s Word be the source you use to overcome any temptation Satan throws your way.