Sparring With Satan

Luke 4:1-2,13
"Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where He was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry..... When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left Him until the next opportunity came."

In these passages of scripture, Jesus is on a 40 day fast and He is literally starving to death. Towards the end of His fast, when the growls of hunger pains have long quieted themselves because they have fallen on deaf ears and Jesus is at His physically weakest point, Satan pulls out the big guns. He tempts Jesus to turn rocks into bread, to seek earthly power and glory in exchange for His soul and to test God's faithfulness (vs. 3-12) Using scripture as His sword, Jesus effectively wards the Tempter off.

Temptation is a very real part of a Christian's life. Satan is hard at work every single day, concocting devious plans to destroy our imperishable faith. This shouldn't come as a surprise to those who claim Jesus as their Lord. We should EXPECT to spar with the devil on a regular basis. With this in mind, we need to be smart and sharpen up.

Anger is something I struggle with most. I am most tempted to become angry at my children when I am hungry and tired. If I have delayed eating by a few hours and have chosen not to take a break, it's as though I have removed my helmet. The enemy now recognizes that I am vulnerable and closes in. Now all it takes is one whining child and I am irate. I then respond harshly and my child's heart is injured by my sharp tone. Regret slowly seeps in, leading to a feeling of hopelessness that I will ever have a grip on my emotions. I begin to question my relationship with God and wonder if I am even a Christian. And so it goes, day in and day out. You would think I would wise up and go about my day differently but sadly I rarely do. It is on me to eat when I am hungry and to rest when I am tired. Period. If I am to be at my spiritual best, I must do my part to protect myself.

What about you? What leaves you vulnerable to Satan's attack? Perhaps it's not spending enough quality time with God. The bible refers to the Word of God as a sword (Eph6:17). It's our responsibility to pick it up and know how to handle it. Who goes into battle without a weapon? Do not be mistaken, our lives are lived in the middle of a battlefield. Maybe lust or impurity is an issue. If you are married, simply being intimate with your spouse on a consistent basis can build a wall of security around the both of you (1Cor.7:5). For those who are single, vigilantly guard what you allow your eyes to see. They are the gateway to our hearts (Mt7:22-23)

In the Garden of Gethsemene, Jesus said it best, "For the spirit is willing but the body is weak!" (Mt26:41) His disciples vowed to never fail Him but because they were tired, they could not support Him in His hour of need. Our physical bodies play a big part in our spiritual well being. We need to be proactive and take care of ourselves. There is so much at stake.

I realize these solutions are not clever or sophisticated. They are BASIC. We still may not win every battle but at least our wounds will no longer be self-inflicted.