Warriors Arise: June 22, 2021
Matthew 4:5-7 (NKJV) Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” 7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’
You may wonder, "Why is Veridee taking so long to go through Jesus being tempted by the tempter"? There are a couple of reasons.
We generally do not acknowledge the fact that Jesus was 100% man. We think He eluded sin because of His deity. However, when He came from heaven as a baby, He laid His deity aside and became fully man. He demonstrated defeating the enemy only comes through knowing God, living by His Word, and being empowered by the Holy Spirit. John 15:26 (NKJV) “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
Since Jesus defeated the tempter with Scripture so can we. Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV) For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Jesus succeeded; therefore, so can I. Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Jesus defeated the enemy when He rose from the dead. This made a way for every human being to have the voice to live a victorious life, free from death and sin. For Christians, we do not feel the sting of death. Heaven is on the other side of the blink. As a Christian, if we apply what Jesus did, we can turn away from sin, tell the tempter to go, and walk in the fulfillment of our destiny.
The tempter, satan, challenges each one of us with the same lie behind this challenge. He even used Scripture to support his challenge. But Jesus would not fall prey to the enemy's temptation. Jesus knew His angels would not allow harm to come to Him. Jesus did not question God's ability nor love. He knew God would make sure nothing would happen to Him that was not a part of the plan. He did not have to test God to have Him prove His love for Him.
This challenge is rooted in whether Jesus believes God will do what God said He would do. However, Jesus was so grounded in the Father's love for Him that to do what the tempter asked would have been to question God's ability or His love. Jesus was confident in God's ability and He was secure in God's love for Him. He would not fall prey to this temptations. It is also why He comes in with a sledge hammer response, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’
We do not always get the outcome we want. Even Jesus, being fully human asked for God to remove "this" cup from Him. It was painfully real what He would go through in the 12 hours leading to His death. He was probably remembering the prophecies of old. He has seen suffering and knows the pain. He is feeling the weight of the sin of the world begin to compress His being. His heart is grieving beyond what is humanly possible which is why is body is already in distress and He has drops of blood coming out His pours. But in the end, He tells His Father, "Not My will but Thine be done."
It really is ok for us to ask God to remove the cup that has been served to us. However, when we know God has positioned us to go through such great adversity there is always great reward, when we step forward keeping our focus on the Father, knowing His power will support us and His love will sustain us.
Father, Your love is amazing. When I feel like I can't go any further, You step in and touch my heart. You speak to my mind and I look to You. I am filled with courage to continue. You do not leave me in the midst of chaos. You lead me out. I am never alone for You go before me, walk beside me and are my rear guard. You put a hedge of protection all around me. You strengthen me with Your love and speak words of wisdom to guide my thoughts. Adversity comes to us all and You are there to empower me to go through. You are my strength, courage and steady when the storms thunder in my ears. You are the One who pours Your love upon me and I am secure in Jesus' name amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy Hand
My hope is for Believers in Jesus Christ to join together each day to pray, to push back the enemy as we release God’s power here on earth against the coronavirus, riots, and lies. The prayers will be listed each day as Warriors Arise. I will put a date with it so we can keep them straight. If you have any questions please feel free to make a comment or private message me. If you would like this to come to your email directly please go to verideehand.com and subscribe.
Comments