Jesus was in the wilderness forty days fasting and communing with his Father in prayer without anyone else to distract him. And yet, distractions did come his way. During this time of being alone with God, we find that Satan came to distract, tempt and discredit everything Jesus was about to do. While we are not bound by traditions of men, the practice of seeking solitude with God and looking unto our Savior as the model and captain of the well fought fight against temptation is surely a worthy calling. Perhaps you will take forty days (or more) to become more intentional in your faith to spend daily time in God’s Word, to mediate on it and to quietly and slowly reflect on its message as it relates to your soul. This may be a good opportunity for you to reflect on the words and actions of Jesus Christ during his temptations in the wilderness and how he fought against the enemy.
The focus is not on what we can do or give up to be more like Christ, but on allowing God’s Word through the work of the Spirit to “renew our minds” and change us more into the image of the Son (Rom. 8:29; Eph. 4:24). Matthew 4:1-11 can be a rich text to ponder and reflect on as we look to Jesus as our only hope. For endless praise, we do not have a Savior who “is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin” Heb. 4:15.
It was in a well watered garden like paradise that Adam fell into sin and that Satan won a victory over the whole of Adam’s race. So, it is the second Adam, Christ that goes into a desert to win back from the Tempter, by his perfect obedience, the ones that belong to him, his Church. This is the gospel worth believing, worth trusting and worthy of our resting in!
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