Matthew 4 is one that I have heard many times. It is when Jesus goes to the desert and is tempted by Satan himself. When I was younger, my family had these old VHS tapes where they would animate these short stories from the Bible. This was one of them, and for whatever reason, it was one that I would watch often.

The downside to watching that so much is that I never REALLY paid attention when I would read it or when my pastor or someone would speak about it. So it wasn’t until I was older that I noticed chapter 4 starts off with, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert…”

He was led by the Spirit, and here is the good news: If we are a child of God, then that same Spirit who led Jesus into the desert and helped him through the temptations, is also with us!

Spiritual warfare, as much as we don’t necessarily like talking about it in our current culture, is very much real. Just as Satan came to tempt Jesus, he and the evil of this world are constantly tempting us. Through every second of the day, we are tempted by evil because we live in a broken and fallen world, a world that is Satan’s dominion.

Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

If Jesus was tempted, then what makes us think that we won’t be? We will be, and because of that, we must be diligent in our prayer life and commitment to reading The Word.

Jesus didn’t argue with Satan when Satan was trying to convince Him to do all those things. Instead, Jesus quoted Scripture. In fact, so did Satan. That is why it is so important for us to know The Word, know the context in which it was written, know what God promises us, and to always turn back to it.

We will not always be tempted in “big” ways, however there are “smaller” ways in which we are tempted.

I struggle with depression. While it is most certainly a chemical imbalance where I need medicine to help me through it, the enemy also uses it as a way to trip me up. If I’m not careful, I can find myself in such a dark place that getting out of bed is hard, which then means that if I do get out of bed, I am not at my best at work. And sometimes I am extremely tempted to use that as an excuse not to go to church, not to help with KXP or MVMNT, or not to sit down with God and talk to Him.

But you want to know a secret? If I take a moment to talk to God and to meditate on scriptures that I have memorized for those tough days in those moments when I am feeling tempted, the battle becomes easier. Getting up and doing life no longer feels like such an impossible task, but something that I can overcome because I have the gift of the Holy Spirit with me.

Reflection:

• What verses can you memorize to help you in moments of weakness?
• What friends and family members can help you during times of temptation?
• If you don’t have any of those people to be vulnerable with, try joining a House Church if you haven’t or signing up to serve somewhere at church!

Family Application: Matthew 4

Author: Cooper Herrington

Our Bible story is about Jesus calling His first disciples. These disciples were a part of the twelve disciples who spent the most time with Jesus while He was on earth. Jesus was walking, and He saw two brothers. One brother was named Simon Peter, and the other brother was named Andrew. Simon Peter and Andrew were two ordinary guys. They weren’t the most powerful people or kings, they were fishermen. Most people probably would not have paid any special attention to Simon Peter and Andrew. Most people might have even given up on Simon Peter and Andrew. They probably thought these brothers couldn’t do anything but fish. Jesus had big plans for these brothers though. Jesus saw them and invited them to follow Him. Jesus invited these two ordinary brothers who could not do much on their own to follow Him. When the disciple said yes to Jesus’ invitation, He did more than they could have ever done without Him. Jesus did more than they could have even imagined possible.

God used Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John in an incredible way. These were the first people who Jesus invited to follow Him. Today, Jesus invites everyone to follow Him, all we have to do is accept the invitation. We choose if we want to accept the invitation Jesus is offering us, and then we follow Him, receive His love, and have a relationship with Him. When we accept the invitation to follow Jesus, He does more than we could ever do by ourselves.

• Prayer: God, thank You for sending Jesus to pay the price for our sins. God, thank You that Jesus died and came back to life three days later. God, thank You for inviting ordinary people to follow You and be used by You to do incredible things. Amen.