Message: Reading through Luke 4 I noticed that
everywhere Jesus went people were trying to figure out who he was and whether
he was legit or not. He was not recognized as the Messiah by most people even
though they had past scripture pointing in his direction. On the contrary, the
demons recognized him at literally every encounter. They knew exactly who he was
and Jesus had to silence them to keep them from blowing his cover prematurely.
I also noticed that when Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness the devil
knew exactly how to tempt him. He chose the things that appeared missing or weak
at each particular moment because he knew man’s tendency to choose poorly
during vulnerable moments. Jesus knew who he was before the temptation, so the
decision was already firm during the vulnerable time of his temptation.
Command: Know who we are and what lines are
non-negotiable before temptation hits. Don’t wait to decide in the moment.
Promise: God will not allow us to be overtaken
without providing a way out.
Warning: We need to know our God better than
our enemies, and we need to be aware that our enemies have studied us and
learned our weaknesses.
Application: Reading through this made me realize
how much of God we overlook in our daily lives, and it was more disturbing to
realize just how aware of God the devil is. If we aren’t paying attention we’ll
be caught off guard. I recognize in my own life that when I make a from
decision to do something, I am unmovable and I will not waiver. When I have
only half-heartedly committed to an idea or plan, I will cave under temptation
because I have already entertained the idea. I’m currently trying to get my
exercise and diet under control. I have allowed a few excuses to hang out, and
although they are somewhat reasonable excuses, I have already caved on both my
diet and exercise plans at different times because I entertained the excuses
and allowed my feelings in the moment to choose for me what I should do.
