And Jesus returned in the
power of the Spirit to Galilee… Luke 4:14
Temptation
had been fierce. Every option that the devil offered to Jesus was appealing. For
forty days and forty nights, the Son of God had been attacked mercilessly by
Satan. Jesus’ human side cried out to be satisfied. Satan’s suggestions were not
necessarily sinful actions; they were merely deviations from the will of God. But
Jesus stayed true to the plan of God, and the result of His steadfast obedience
was new power and authority. He had been anointed by the Holy Spirit at His
baptism, but His faithful obedience put that anointing into practice. It was
that anointing that empowered Him to walk in victory, speak with authority, and
perform miraculous deeds that fulfilled the prophecies about Him. In conquering
temptation, He showed us how to conquer it as well.
Our
temptations do not always involve overtly sinful action. A temptation is an
opportunity to direct one’s own path and veer away from the plan of God. Even
Spirit-filled people struggle with temptation. The temptation itself is not
sin; what we do about can be. Spiritual empowerment starts with crucifying our
flesh (Rom.
6:6). When the
Bible talks about our “flesh,” it means our old sin nature that refuses to be
controlled by the Holy Spirit. To walk “in the power of the Spirit” like Jesus
did means that our flesh no longer gets a vote on our life choices. Instead, we
obey God, even while temptation rages. We can even thank God for temptation,
because it is an opportunity to say to Jesus, “I love you more.”
Have you viewed temptation
as an opportunity to demonstrate your love for Jesus?
.
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