Prayer: May the Words of my Mouth and the thoughts of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord God, my rock and my redeemer.

^1-3 Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it. Jesus prepared for the Test by fasting forty days and forty nights. That left him, of course, in a state of extreme hunger, which the Devil took advantage of in the first test: "Since you are God's Son, speak the word that will turn these stones into loaves of bread."

⁴Jesus answered by quoting Deuteronomy: "It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God's mouth."

^5-6For the second test the Devil took him to the Holy City. He sat him on top of the Temple and said, "Since you are God's Son, jump." The Devil goaded him by quoting Psalm 91: "He has placed you in the care of angels. They will catch you so that you won't so much as stub your toe on a stone."

⁷Jesus countered with another citation from Deuteronomy: "Don't you dare test the Lord your God."

^8-9For the third test, the Devil took him to the peak of a huge mountain. He gestured expansively, pointing out all the earth's kingdoms, how glorious they all were. Then he said, "They're yours—lock, stock, and barrel. Just go down on your knees and worship me, and they're yours."

¹⁰Jesus' refusal was curt: "Beat it, Satan!" He backed his rebuke with a third quotation from Deuteronomy: "Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness."

¹¹The Test was over. The Devil left. And in his place, angels! Angels came and took care of Jesus' needs. (Matthew 4:1-11, The Message)

What are the things that tempt you? Every time I walk by the bakery section at Kroger, I'm tempted. See, I have a terrible sweet tooth. And I love baked goods. Those "Colossal Cupcakes" that are in the bakery window at Kroger would be my downfall. Every time that I run into the grocery store, I desperately want to buy those cupcakes.

Now, sweets aren't the only thing that tempts me. In fact, on the temptation scale, that's pretty mundane. I'm often tempted to think about myself as more important than I am or better than those around me. I'm often tempted to turn away from the poor and needy, figuring that if I don't see them that they must not really be there. I'm often tempted to decide that I can control my own life, and on the altar of my life, I place myself and I worship me.

That was the temptation facing Jesus in this passage...he was tempted to be powerful, to be relevant, but more importantly, Jesus was tempted to worship the Evil One, NOT God. For me, that becomes the kicker...we are tempted to worship things that can't even hold a candle to the goodness of God. We are tempted to fall at the altar of grades or popularity or importance or work or sports. We are tempted to make those things the most important part of our life, to worship those things rather than the God who has created and redeemed and made us whole.

So, how does Jesus beat that temptation? He know the Scriptures. Jesus has grown up and learned the Word of God, so when he is tempted, he can quote Scriptures that remind him of the power of God. Jesus has allowed his mind to by fully washed by the Word of God so that when the temptation to worship something other than God shows us, Jesus knows the TRUTH.

Have you immersed yourself in the Scriptures? What tempts you? Remember, the question about temptation is not IF it will come, but WHEN it will come. Are you ready, armed with the Word of God in your MEMORY so that you can stand firm?

Remind yourself of the God we worship through this song. Ask yourself what you are worshipping today.