September 30 2024

Monday September 30

Temptation Prepares Us for Ministry

Luke 4:1-4

1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.

3 And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread." 4 But Jesus answered him, saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.' ".

For the next several days we will be studying Luke 4 and the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. Today we are going to talk about how temptations prepare us for service and ministry. Yesterday we saw how we can and must be prepared for temptation. Jesus was prepared for His temptation in the wilderness. In chapter 3, He was obedient in baptism, He was praying, He was anointed by the Spirit, He knew He has the approval of the Father who spoke out of heaven, and now in Luke 4:1, He was filled with the Holy Spirit.

There is no way that we can avoid temptation! Whenever we become a follower of Jesus Christ we become an enemy of Satan. And when we determine to serve Jesus we become a target for the devil. Satan tempts us to bring out the worst in us, but God can use these difficult experiences to put the best into us. Temptation is Satan's weapon to defeat us, but it can become God's tool to build us.

We must remember that temptation itself is not sin. The solicitation by the devil for us to sin or to do evil is not sin. It is only when we yield or surrender to the temptation that it becomes sin. James tells us about this in James 1:13-16, “Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.”

Mark’s Gospel says that Jesus was “driven by the Spirit into the wilderness” (Mark 1:12). Luke says He was “led by the Spirit into the wilderness”.  To be filled with the Holy Spirit means that we have yielded our will and our lives to the control and authority of the Holy Spirit. We recognize that, “our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in us, whom we have from God, and we are not your own? For we were bought at a price; therefore we glorify God in our body and in our spirit, which are God's” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). In other words, like Oswald Chambers puts it: “We have given up the only right we have, and that is the right to give up the right of ourselves to God”.

We have determined to present our body to God as a living sacrifice like Romans 12:1-2 says: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

Temptation in itself is not sin as we said. You can’t help it when the bird flies over your head, but when it begins to make a nest in your hair you can do something about it. James also tells us in James 1:2-4, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various temptations, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” The temptation here has to do with trials and tribulations and the difficulties that we encounter in life.

Trials and temptations actually are tools that the Lord uses to prepare us for ministry and a life of service! And what the devil means for evil, God can use for good (Genesis 50:20). Paul states this same truth in Romans 5:2-5, “Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

We must be prepared for the trials of life and the temptations of the devil by being filled with the Spirit and led by the Spirit, but we must also realize that temptations prepared us for more service, greater and more effective ministry.

Yes, my friend, as we learn from Jesus’ example, we can be an overcomer and enjoy victory every day through the power of ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives!

God bless!