Luke 4:1-2

Luke 4:1-2 – Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days He was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them He was hungry.

       Here we see Jesus getting ready to begin His public ministry. He just visited John and was baptized. After He was brought out of the water He received an affirmation from His Father. Now He was ready to face whatever the devil could throw at Him.

       We only see a small portion of what was going on here. Jesus was in the desert for forty days. I’m sure he was praying and talking to God, and while that was going on the devil was trying to make Him fall.

       This was Jesus time for preparation for all that God had in store for Him to do. He knew that if He was going to live according to God’s plan He would have to put His flesh under and let His spirit reign inside Him. So He fasted. That is the quickest way to bring down your flesh.

       If you are looking for a breakthrough in your life maybe it is time to fast. Fasting weakens your flesh and allows your spirit to rise up within you. It makes it easier to connect with God. This may be what you need to move to the next level.

After Jesus went through this time in the desert He was ready to begin His public ministry. If you are getting ready to start a new chapter in your life this is a good way to do it. It allows you to get close to God and go into it with a clear head. 

You need to be aware, though, and be ready. When you are getting ready to do something that God has called you to, the devil will try to come at you, but you must stand firm. If he comes at you come back at him like Jesus did, with the Word of God. 

So I encourage you, if you are getting ready to begin a new stage of life that God has called you to, or you are looking to go to the next level with God, try fasting and praying.

Matthew 4:4

Matthew 4:4 - Jesus answered, “It is written ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every Word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Jesus was the same as we are now. He was 100% God and 100% man. He was different, of course, in the sense that He was God first, and then He came to earth in the flesh. Jesus was the firstborn.

We started in the flesh and then were reborn into God. But the point still remains that when Jesus came to earth He received the same sinful nature that we have. He had to; if not, He would not have been able to go through the same temptation as we did.

Jesus did, however,  come in the flesh and He did go through everything that we go through. He faced every temptation and every sin, but He stood His ground. Jesus never sinned.

So when we are facing temptation and sin we can first know that Christ went through the exact same thing, and then we can look to Him to find out how to say no.

Notice during Jesus time in the desert when satan was tempting Him how He handled it. Satan saw Jesus physical desires and wants and appealed to His flesh. He offered bread to a starving man; he offered immortality to a God who had taken a mortal body; and he offered kingdom authority to one who had stepped out of His kingdom.

Just as satan attacks you and me he also attacked Jesus; with the desires of the flesh. Jesus however turned it around and brought in the spiritual. When our flesh is weak, our spirit is made strong.

If you are facing temptation the best thing to do is look to the spiritual. Just as in this verse, if you are tempted with food, look to the Word to get spiritual nourishment. Through Christ and with God’s Spirit inside of us we have the ability to face temptation and stand firm.

Mark 14:38

Mark 14:38 - “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” As Jesus was nearing His final hour here on earth all He could do was pray. He wanted to get His Spirit in line with God, so that He would have the strength to pull off the greatest rescue plan ever. His disciples didn’t understand the importance of this moment. They did not know what was coming and how hard it was going to be. Jesus had already told them, but they did not fully understand. As Jesus left His disciples that night so He could be alone, He told them to stay alert and pray. Each time He returned to check on them He found them sleeping. Jesus gave them these instructions, “Watch and Pray, so that you will not fall into temptation.” Temptation was coming and Jesus wanted them to be ready. Soon they would be facing all kinds of troubles, hardships and persecutions and they would need help. Jesus knew their spirits needed strengthening, that is why He instructed them to pray. Prayer strengthens your spirit and gets it in line with God’s Spirit. When you pray you open a direct line of communication between God and yourself. It allows Him to come in and strengthen you. Think about it as a secret weapon, or a life-line to our Heavenly Father. Just as Jesus was telling His disciples to “Watch and Pray,” He tells us the same. Be aware of what is going on around you and pray so that you will not fall away to temptation. “Watch and Pray.”