by: Allen Domelle
Luke 4:14
“And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.”
Life is all about power. Whoever has the greater power wins. This is very evident in the Christian life. In the dialogue about his temptation, Jesus shows us that there are three powers to which you can yield. Jesus had fasted for forty days and forty nights. There is no doubt that He was not only hungry but also physically tired. Satan tempted Him three times, and in each instance Jesus defeated him through the power of the Word. Yet, it says in the verse above that “Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit.” There were three powers at work in this story to which every Christian must deal with on a daily basis.
First, there is the power from without. This power from without is the power of temptation. It is interesting that Satan’s only power was to tempt the Saviour. Today, that is still the only power he has over the Christian. Satan cannot force the Christian to do anything because he cannot possess the Christian. Satan truly has no power over you if you are saved. All he can do is tempt you to do wrong. Yes, temptation is powerful, but it is nothing that you cannot overcome. Too many people give Satan victory when he has no power over them. The power from without is truly powerless. Satan truly has no power over you if will yield to the greater power.
Second, there is a power from within. The second power is the power of the will. Jesus still had to overcome His will. Remember, He hadn’t eaten for forty days and nights, and the temptation to eat bread offered by Satan truly was a test of Jesus’ will. Imagine if Jesus had yielded to His will and eaten the bread. He would have become a sinner and there would be no hope for salvation. You will recall that Jesus at one point talked about not doing His will, but the will of the Father. If you are going to live a victorious Christian life, you are going to have to overcome the power of the will. You cannot allow your flesh to lead you or dictate what you will do. You must determine to yield your will to the greater power.
Third, there is a power from above. This power is the power of the Holy Spirit. It says in verse 1 that Jesus was “led by the Spirit.” The Scriptures say again in the verse above, “…Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit…” Jesus was yielded to the power from above, and that was why He was able to overcome the power from without and from within. He overcame temptation and His will by yielding to the greater power.
Christian, this is the secret to living the victorious Christian life. You can overcome temptation and the power of your will by yielding to the Holy Spirit. We are guaranteed that the power from above is greater than the power from within and from without in 1 John 4:4 where it says, “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” The power of the Holy Spirit is the greater power that you must yield to if you want to live victoriously over temptation and the flesh.
To which power are you yielding? You have access to the same power over temptation and your will that Jesus did. It comes down to which power you yield yourself to. Remember, the power of temptation and the will are overcome by yielding to the greater power, and that power is the power of the Holy Spirit. Whichever power you yield to determines what controls you. Whatever controls you determines what God can or cannot do through your life.