A RELENTLESS TEMPTER

“Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.” ~ Matthew 4:8

REFERENCE:

Matthew 4:1-11

Jesus retired to the desert after His baptism to spend time with His Father through prayer and fasting, and satan showed up there. This desert retreat was going to prepare Jesus for His earthly ministry; no surprise, satan showed up to render His ministry dead on arrival.

Our main verse begins with, ‘Again’, which shows the repetition of a thing. It means once more, another time, in addition, or always. It connotes consistency and frequency. Satan tempted Jesus once, but he came a second time, and again, he came for a third attempt. Luke renders the account in Luke 4:13, “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.” When satan was done tempting Jesus in the desert (being defeated by Jesus), he left Jesus for a while, only to seek an opportune moment to come again.

Satan is a relentless tempter – he comes again, and again, and again. There is no time he quits on any man because he once failed with him or the man has attained a high level of spirituality. Jesus’ temptation really never ended. Beyond the desert, Jesus was tempted in every way, but without sin, the bible says. Hence, satan keeps looking for openings or opportunities to make us fall.

Sometimes, he tempts us in the same area over and over; at other times, His tactic is different. For Jesus, he first called His Sonship to question, and again, he tried to distract and misdirect His worship. The same strategies will be deployed by satan against you at different times:

Sonship – Adam fell for this same temptation when satan questioned his sonship. Satan made Adam feel unloved by God and that he did not matter. Any voice that tells you that you are not God’s son or you need to perform to earn this sonship is not of God.

Worship – Satan tempts us here too. He distracts us in worship and leads our hearts to long-after-created things and not the Creator. The devil always seeks worship, but we must not give it to him. “If satan cannot corrupt your sonship, he will attempt to pollute your worship.”

A preacher once said, “I told myself a long time ago, if anyone is going to give up between me and the devil, it will be the devil. I am ready to outlast him.” If you do not make such a resolve, you may find yourself compromising on positions you have held for many years. It is why we hear a great man of God that has blessed people for many years fell from grace after 35 years of ministry. It is because satan comes again and again and strikes when he finds an opportune time. If the tempter is relentless in tempting, be relentless in resisting. Every time satan came, Jesus said, “It is written,” and finally said, “Away with you satan.”

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ADDITIONAL TEXTS:

Genesis 49:22-24, Psalm 118:12-14, and Luke 11:24-26

PRAYERS:

+ Lord, I receive the spirit of resilience; a backbone of steel that does not bend to compromise with the devil.

+ May I have the presence of mind to always rebuke and resist the devil anytime he shows up.