I want to add to the Temptations of the Young that I sent out to you all last week so we can better understand the magnitude of our temptation that we are facing as adults and how the temptation is never ending. We will start with the following verses.
Luke 4:1-13 1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. 3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’” 5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” 8 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” 9 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: ‘ He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,’ 11 and, ‘ In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” 12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’” 13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.
Look at verse 2 where it reads about Jesus being tempted for 40 days. Only three temptations are described in these passages, but were typical of a much wider struggle in which Jesus and the devil engaged. The attacks of Satan continued nonstop for 40 days and continued throughout Jesus’ ministry. Can you imagine being attacked by Satan himself as Jesus was? Of course not. We have enough problems handling Satan’s lesser evil spirits.
The temptations from Satan and his evil spirits will not cease for us either unless we recognize them as Jesus did and rebuke the temptations. Below are temptations from the dark kingdom spirits that we experience each day as a tormentor or as the tormented.
Critical Spirit – Have you ever criticized or been on the receiving end of criticism?
Judgmental Spirit – Have you looked at someone and judged them or been judged?
Lying Spirit – Have you ever exaggerated a story or said something to make you more than what you are? Or lied so that you would not be found out?
Spirit of Slander – Have you ever said something that was not 100% accurate? Does gossip have a stronghold in your life?
Unloving Spirit – Is there someone in your life that you don’t or can’t love including yourself?
Spirit of Anger – Who doesn’t get angry.
This are just a few of the hundreds or even thousands (Mark 5:9 Then He asked him, “What is your name?” And he answered, saying, “My name is Legion; for we are many.”) of sins that have been manifested in your life as a result of temptation. At one time they were only temptations until we succumbed to the enemy. If you don’t believe in spirits or that evil spirits will work in you then you need to read in God’s Word Mark 8:32-33: He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Classic example of Satan working through a person to come at Jesus or even you in this present day.
Our temptations are overwhelming. The world is acting out these temptations leading to much sin. The world is degenerating to the point where God will not allow it to go on much longer just as in the days of Noah (Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man).
God has given us a Savior who shows us how to overcome Satan in Luke 4:8 “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” We also are to only worship the Lord our God “and nothing shall by any means hurt you Luke 10:19” if we follow His instructions.
The Day of the Lord Is Coming
2 Peter 3:3-7
Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.” They deliberately forget that God made the heavens by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.
