WINNING THE MIND GAME
Matthew 4:1-4 NKJV
4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."
4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' "
Have you ever wondered why the Holy Spirit would lead Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil? I know I have. I don't want the Holy Spirit to lead me into a place of temptation. But in looking at this account in Matthew, I now realize, with the help of the Holy Spirit, why this happened to Jesus. He was led by the Spirit because He needed to defeat Satan and his attacks.
Jesus had to defeat Satan in the area of His flesh by resisting the temptation to use His divine power to get physical food. And this was after Jesus had fasted for forty days. He had to be literally starving. Jesus had to defeat Satan in the area of seeking earthly honor and glory when He was offered the kingdoms of the world. This would have been a shortcut for Jesus. Being the king without the cross. But that would have left us without a Savior. Jesus had to defeat Satan in the area of attracting attention and glory to Himself by jumping off the temple. Jesus would have to disobey God to do this. So the wilderness temptations for Jesus boiled down to obey God and His ways or yield to the enemy. And Jesus won every battle. Jesus faced the temptations we face and came out on top. He did this for us. Now we don't have to be led into difficult situations in order to be tempted. Living in this dark world, we will face temptations. And because Jesus was victorious, we can be victorious, but we'll need to utilize the method Jesus used to win our battles.
Most of us will never face Satan the way Jesus did. But there is a spiritual realm, and there are spirits that will try to tempt and influence us. We are not under their authority, and we do not have to yield to their suggestions and promptings. But we need to recognize the voice of the enemy and resist him in the very same way Jesus did. It is written.
Each time Jesus was tempted, He responded with "It is written" and quoted a verse. Not only did Jesus quote the verse, but He stopped the temptation right there. It is written was the successful strategy Jesus used against Satan. That is good news for us. Jesus used the same weapon we have access to. We can respond to thoughts, suggestions, and promptings that come to our mind with it is written and then have a verse or two that we use to resist. For example, if a thought comes to you about holding a grudge against someone who has done you wrong. Or maybe paying them back for the wrong. You can entertain that thought and get worked up about what has been done to you. Or you can quote that you are kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving. That is Ephesians 4:32. That is using it is written. Choosing to yield to it is written instead of the negative feelings and thoughts that come our way, is how we win the mind games. Satan does not come to us in a red suit with horns and a pitchfork. He attacks with thoughts, feelings, and suggestions that pull us away from what God has said. But when we act on the negatives, we empower them in our lives. Conversely, when we resist and act on God's Word, we get stronger in that area.
We can win the mind games the enemy uses against us. But we need to utilize the weapon God has given us in order to win. It is written worked for Jesus. Jesus did not defeat Satan by relying on being the Son of God, but by relying on God's Word. We can do the same.
PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, that You have not left me helpless against the mind games of the devil. You have given me Your word, and Your word is enough for me to win.