Even Jesus was not immune to attacks from the enemy! Jesus himself had an encounter with Satan which is recorded for us in Matthew 4: 1-11.
This passage tells us a few things about Jesus:
- He was led by the Spirit
- He fasted for 40 days and nights and then became hungry
- He was attacked by Satan
- He resisted each attack by countering with Scripture
- The angels ministered to him
We also learn a few things about Satan:
- He came to Jesus to tempt Him
- He made three attempts, all of which were unsuccessful
- He left Jesus
Satan came to Jesus in a time of weakness. He misused scripture and he offered something that wasn’t his to give. Imagine the irony of offering kingdoms to the King of kings! He tempted Jesus physically, spiritually and emotionally. He persisted with Jesus and he will persist with us.
But Jesus showed us how to deal with the attacks of our enemy. He did not give any room in His mind to even consider the temptations of Satan. He knew the scripture and used it to refute Satan’s bogus offers. Finally Satan gave up and left him alone. If you continue to struggle with the same temptation over and over, and it seems that the enemy will not leave you alone, you need to honestly assess your reaction to his temptations. Are you considering giving in? If so, the enemy will continue to attack in hopes that he can wear you down.
Practically, what do we learn from Jesus’ encounter with Satan?
- We must be aware when we are weak physically, spiritually or emotionally. Those are the times we can expect an attack. We need to guard ourselves and do whatever is in our power to take care of ourselves in each of those areas so that we don’t become easy prey.
- Know thyself! We must know the areas where we are prone to stumble and take extra care to guard ourselves in those areas.
- Know scripture so well that we recognize when the enemy is misusing it for his own purposes.
- Recognize when the devil is playing to our pride and egos. What counterfeit power or position is he offering you?
- Call Satan out on it. Sometimes it helps to verbally state aloud that we recognize that the enemy is trying to attack and that we are not going to fall for it.
The passage ends by saying that Satan left Jesus and that the angels came to minister to Him. In our situations as well, James 4:7 says that when we submit to God and resist the devil, he will leave us alone.
