Temptation

I can't say how many times I have read the story of Jesus being led into the wilderness and his temptation. Last night I read it, and I saw something I completely have missed before and it definitely shed light on the things I face. Coupled with my daughter's insight into my problem with patience (See patience blog), I found new revelation in the story.

Up to this point I have always thought that Jesus was led out into the wilderness, he fasted for forty days and then the devil came out to tempt him. I viewed Jesus being frail and starving from not eating, being tested by Satan. Last night I realized, we just have a brief view of what Jesus faced. Luke 4:1-2 clearly states that Jesus was tempted for 40 days. Maybe those final temptations were at the end of the 30 days, maybe they were during, I don;t know. But Jesus remained strong despite the testing. That is the point.

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

Jesus was tempted by the devil for forty days, during that time he was fasting, but he was tempted the entire time. So many times we face tests and trials and when God has not delivered us by the end of the week we are just ready to give up on it. Maybe we need to see it through. Maybe we need to suffer through the temptation, continue to be led by the Spirit, standing on God's word, maybe do a little fasting, and we will see the victory a lot sooner! If you keep reading in verse 14 you read that Jesus left there full of the POWER of the HOLY SPIRIT! If we want to walk in power we have to go through the temptation.