August 11 Battle Won

Luke 4:13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
 
THE battle was won, but the war wasn’t over. The devil was attacking the Son to defeat the Father’s saving plan for mankind. Satan knows God. He knows God’s righteousness and holiness. He knows God keeps his Word. Satan understands his own destruction is sure. But he works to do as much damage as he can while he can. During Jesus’ ministry, Satan will often tempt Jesus and work to keep the Jews’ minds closed to their Messiah’s grace, love and salvation. He will use such weapons as demonic activity, hostile crowds, unrepentant sinners and self-serving religious leaders.  
    In those “opportune times” as Luke calls these moments, Jesus could be vulnerable to disappointment and frustration. As fully man, experiencing the overwhelming conditions of illness, immorality, religious superiority and his own physical discomfort could have caused Jesus to say, “Enough. I’m not sacrificing my life for such a sinful people. I’m tired. I’m feeling my time is wasted here. I’m ready to go home.”
    That’s what Satan wanted. That’s what Jesus refused to do. Jesus fought each spiritual battle with a continued focus on God’s Word. He pursued the Father’s will and strength in times of prayer recorded to have lasted hours into the night. Jesus kept his teachings always true to the Word. Instead of being frustrated about mankind’s broken lives, he submitted to serve them with mercy and goodness. He worked the miracles to negate sin’s awful consequences. Jesus forgave the sins against him to show God’s power to transform and give life. He raised people from the dead, expunged demons and demonstrated “The Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)
    This, of course, is a true model for us. We can look around to see so many sad, sick and sinful people. Easily we can give up to say, “What’s the point? I just want to stay home.” It is difficult to minister, especially if you love people. You want them to be well. You long for them to live into the love God promised and demonstrated to them through Jesus. Being weary in ministry is easy to be.
    But we know our Lord calls us to action. The war is on, and we must get past ourselves and get into Jesus. The more we become as he is, the more we can withstand Satan’s ongoing assaults on our hearts, souls and minds. The more we become as Jesus is, the greater is our love and the deeper is our confidence that God wins the war.
    I think one of our sure lessons from Jesus resisting Satan’s temptation is this: Keep your eye on the Word of God. Whatever sin comes against you, you can defeat it with God’s Word. Be wise. Be true. Be constant. Jesus has shown you how. Follow him.
 
Prayer: Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your Spirit-empowered resistance of the devil. Thank you for showing us how to keep our eyes on you, the Living Word. In your name we pray, amen.