I believe that Jesus Christ is the model for us to follow. So lets look at what happened just before His ministry began.
First, He was baptised for the forgiveness of sins. He was sinless, but He submitted to Gods prophet John the Baptist to do this “in order that all righteousness may be gulfilled”. Today we deal with our sins and receive righteousness through Jesus Christ. By faith we are baptised into Him.
Then the Holy Spirit took Him into the wilderness. There the tempter used His hunger to tempt Jesus Christ… the devil said TELL these stones to become bread… he was encouraging Jesus Christ to use His own words as power… witchcraft… but Jesus Christ said He will live by Gods words alone.
It is clear to me that Jesus Christ knew scripture and Jesus was intent on listening to and obeying Gods words as written in scripture. He had decided that Gods words would provide the security, provision and miracles that fulfilled Jesus Christs every need during His walk.
This is because we live by every words that comes from the mouth of God. We too can have the same dependance on Gods words.
The devil underdtood His intention to trust and rely on Gods words in scripture, so the devil then tempted Jesus Christ to TEST whether Gods words will actually come true!
He asked Jesus Christ to throw Himself down and SEE if Gods words prove to be true… that His angels WILL catch Him and lift Him up in their hands. But Jesus Christ knew that Gods words in scripture also say to not test God.
It is clear to me that Jesus Christ drew His strength not only from a day to day guidance from the Holy Spurit, but He literally lived by every word of God in the scriptures.
Jesus Christ knew who He was and what Gods words said about Him in scripture. He knew what Gods words say about those who love God. Jesus Christ knew what Gods promises are in scripture and He trusted that God would keep His words. Jesus Christ literally lived by every word of God.
And can we.
So the enemy’s strategy is:
1) to cause us to use witchcraft and create our own words
2) to blind us to Gods words and how they are alive and powerful and that they achieve the purpose for which they were sent.
3) If He cannot blind us to that, He will cause us to doubt them and to test God’s ability to keep His words
When the enemy could not separate Jesys Christ from Gods words, he offered a bribe. He offered Jesus Christ wealth, power and authority. Again… Jesus Christ quotes scripture in reply… He wont be budged.
We need to bear in mind the context. He had been alone in the desert for 40 days and scripture says He was hungry… and probably lonely because the angels and animals had not yet come to Him…
So… with Jesus Christ in this place of great need satan was trying to separate Jesus Christ from Gods words. And even though He was in need and the evidence of Gods words in action was not visible around Him, He continued to believe Gods words.
And so should we.
satan left Jesus Christ because He had submitted Himself to God and then resisted the devil. He said AWAY FROM ME SATAN. And satan left.
After this victory the bible says Jesus Christ came out of the wilderness IN (or WITH) power.
The bible says from that time onward Jesus Christ began to preach. It was only after this victory over the devil in His life, when He had begun to walk IN and WITH power that He did His first public miracle.
I can see a very clear progression in His life. He was not released by God into public ministry until He had learned to overcome the devil. He overcame the devil by believing the words of God in scripture.
We should do the same. Learn to be overcomers in our own lives through the words of God… and THEN when God has confirmed us and we are walking in power THAT is the right time to enter public ministry.
Faith + Hope + Love 