Second Big Trial Before Us

On this day, we begin ever so conscious and with stubbornly convincing belief that we are safe with Jesus.  Here is a reminder of the First Big Trial and Jesus’ commanding response to the tempter.

Matthew 4: 1 – 4 NKJV. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread. Jesus answered, It is written: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Many things will have captured you completely, I am sure. However, this is one of those that has not left me, since it was stamped on my mind with the fear of Sovereign God. I am made to hear Jesus speaking to one who has come before Him, speaking the Word of God. When Jesus stated to the deceiver, most categorically, that we, His people, His children, are to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, two fire-red sparks rang out in me. One was that God’s Word can be spoken by imposters. The other is that we are to live only on the Word which comes from the lips of Jehovah, no other mouth.

Remember, we are not just with Jesus in the wilderness, but we all have died to sin, since God the Holy Spirit, has burnt away our impurities, making us free to face what lies ahead.  We are now with Jesus as He faces His Second Big trial or temptation.

Lord, grant me the mind to think like You,

So that in You, I will know victory too, 

May I know faith’s boldness to stand, strong,   

I will sing loud Your Victory song. Amen!

The Second Big Trial given, is found in Matthew 4: 5 – 7 NKJV. Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 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. Jesus said to him, It is written, You shall not tempt the LORD your God.  

As with the First Big trial, many tributaries of this one Sea Of Trial, are embedded in these verses. However, we are facing four of them and I shall refer to them as Trial A, B, C and D. We are asking our Holy Spirit to keep us ever conscious that we are not facing any deceiver alone, for our Risen, victorious Lord is with us.  We continue to remain, not just close, but stuck to Jesus, as it were.

Trial A - The devil took Jesus up into the holy city.  

This has never made any kind of impact upon me before, but in this time of trials, I am brought to a most obvious yet telling word. Suddenly, I see Jesus as being worked upon by both the devil and the Holy Ghost. This is what I mean. We have already been reminded that it was the Holy Spirit who led Jesus, not into a beautiful, ornate cathedral, but He led Jesus - the Way, the Truth and the Life - into the wilderness. Now, we are seeing that Satan, the evil spirit, takes Jesus, not into the wilderness but up into the Holy City – Jerusalem. This may seem most simplistic to many, but faith lets us understand a myriad of things here. Jesus, the Son of Man, is also the Son of God, for He is totally human and totally Divine. The devil can only take the human Jesus to where he wants Him, for the human mind is totally susceptible to temptations. Remember, no one can tempt God; and Jesus is God Incarnate.

So where are we? This trial is most deceiving, yet demanding, for too often we forget that the devil has the power to tempt us humans. We believe that only the Holy Spirit can lead us, but we need to understand that the evil devil can, not just lead us astray, but he can take us to good, not bad places. Just as the tempter did not take God’s Beloved Son to some filthy, licentious, degrading and totally idolatrous place, so too he looks at you and me, sons and daughters of the Father, born of the Spirit, and takes us to holy, divine, sacred places.

Where are you personally? It may be right in the Church, in some holy place that a trap awaits you. Never underestimate the cleverness of the wily devil. It is no sin for him to take you, in mind and spirit, to some holy place. Do not listen to anything he tells you. He can take you there, but he can’t keep you there. Go where he takes you, ever looking and depending on Jesus, knowing that this is a win for your Lord.

Hallelujah!