If you’re empty the enemy can offer you all kinds of goodies, but if you’re filled up you’ll have no room to receive his advances. The devil is good at trick or treat. He’s got nothing new in his bag of tricks but he does know gullible saints. Childish adults who go around complaining against God with a sucker in their mouths. Pouting because they didn’t get what they wanted. But when a childlike adult walks in the fullness of the Spirit having faith and confidence in their Heavenly Father, Satan may tempt but they won’t bite.
How did Jesus handle Satan’s trick or treat? Let’s find out shall we?
“Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ” Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ” Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.”
Luke 4:1-14 NKJV
Before I continue, let me share with you the revelation the Holy Spirit gave me concerning Luke 4 based on Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:13; and corresponding scriptures 1 Corinthians 10:13 and James 1:12-14. I taught this to the Bible study last week and I pray your spiritual eyes will be opened as well. Jesus was not led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted. He went in the wilderness full of the Spirit to fast and pray in preparation for His three year ministry. He was not tempted for forty days, for He wasn’t hungry until when the fast was over. If you need to, stop and pray that the Holy Spirit will open your eyes and heart to go deeper into what we’ve learned about this event, then do so. Satan showed up at the end when Jesus was hungry. The proper understanding of Luke’s writing is, when they (the forty days of fasting) had ended, He was hungry. Then the devil said to Him, because He was hungry, command this stone to become bread.
Before I got to my study of Luke 4, the Holy Spirit had me repeat Matthew 6:13 three times out loud. At first I didn’t get why He was having me do this. I’ve said that prayer hundreds of times in my lifetime, why was He having me repeat that particular verse? Then He said now read Luke 4. Then it clicked. Why would Jesus tell us to ask the Father to “lead us not into temptation” if the Holy Spirit had done the same thing to Him? That would be contrary. Did you get that? If we’re to pray not to be led into temptation, why would God do that which we’re instructed to pray against? That’s when the light went on in my spirit. Jesus’ primary reason for going into the wilderness was what I alluded to earlier, the temptation was secondary to the purpose. Satan did not know Jesus, He knew Christ, the one he served in heaven before his rebellion. The testing was more about revelation than it was about temptation. Notice the lead in. “If you are the Son of God then command” He had foreknowledge of the power of the Son of God. But he had no clue about the son of man. Jesus wasn’t called Jesus in heaven, and when He was baptized God didn’t call Him Jesus, He said “this is MY Son!” So that’s why Satan used that terminology. If you are the SON of God. However, that’s not the message for today. Just thought I’d whet your appetite to dig a little deeper. We learn a lot in Bible study. If you ever want to join us, I’ll give the information at the end of this message.
When you’re full you can’t be tempted to eat another thing. Well let me speak for myself. You can’t even tempt me with dessert. Once I’m full it’s a wrap. But we’re not speaking of natural food here. We’re speaking to being full of the Holy Spirit. Jesus may have been hungry, but because He went into the fasting full of the Holy Spirit, He was able to recognize the counterfeit food being offered to Him. Satan wasn’t concerned with the natural hunger of Jesus, He was about derailing His earthly ministry. He started with the appetite but discovered that bread was the least concern of Jesus. When that failed he went for the thing that tripped Eve up. Desire, the pride of the eyes. “I’ll give you all of this stuff IF” there’s always a catch to what the devil is serving up. I like the way that the amplified Bible writes this second temptation.
“Therefore if You will do homage to and worship me [just once], it shall all be Yours.”
Luke 4:7 AMPC
Jesus catches Satan off guard, while he’s busy trying to get Jesus to out Himself as the Son of God, Jesus outs him. Get behind me Satan! Lol
He reminds Satan of why he was demoted in the first place. He wanted to sit in the place of God. So here he is I can just hear him as he changes his tone to one of bargaining and not commanding. “Just bow down and worship me this one time” I promise you I’ll give you everything I received by stealth from Adam. What a loser! But when you’re full of the Holy Spirit, the tempter can’t lure you in, not even if he uses something you’re desiring. You’ll wait to receive it from God legitimately and not by worshiping Satan.
James the brother of Jesus wrote “blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he comes through by remaining full of the Spirit, (emphasis mine) He will receive the crown of life.“ Satan moved on to misquoting scripture for his own personal advantage. No where in Psalms 91 does it say that we should jump off a cliff to test God’s ability to deliver Him. This is what He said and Satan omitted purposefully.
“Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, [Ps. 91:1, 14.] There shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent. For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service]. They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone. [Luke 4:10, 11; Heb. 1:14.]”
Psalm 91:9-12 AMPC
Where in those verses do you read that we should throw ourselves down off a cliff to prove God’s ability to protect us? Nowhere! Yet so many of God's people have fallen for the devil’s lies and have harmed themselves. Those preachers who instructed people to stop taking medications without proof of their healing were doing Satan’s work, tempting God. God is not the author of confusion. Do I believe in divine healing? YES! I’ve experienced it as well as my daughter. I believe more in divine health. Because that’s how you keep your healing. But if you’re on medication by all means take them by faith, not in the drug, but In Jesus Christ who took all our sickness and diseases while you wait for the manifestation.
I remember years ago a doctor prescribed a particular hormone replacement drug for me and the Holy Spirit told me it was poison and not to take it. I listened and the Lord healed me from hot flashes. We live in a decaying body. There are things we need to do in the natural to take care of it. But we do everything through and by faith. So many people died from diabetes listening to these fake healers walking in ignorance of God’s Word. Take your medicine until you receive manifestation of what you’ve believed for. Or if you believe you are healed, go to the doctor and get retested for whatever you received healing from and then stop the drugs. But please don’t misquote or misapply scriptures for personal advantage like Satan did unless it’s for glorifying God. Those preachers wanted to look good. Come see how many people got healed under my ministry. When in fact they were doing what Satan wanted Jesus to do. Jump off a cliff to prove that He was the Son of God.
People of God, we have nothing to prove to anyone, especially not Satan. If we remain full of the Holy Spirit, there will be no room for failure in temptation. No matter what angle he uses we will come out victorious. Jesus showed us how: Stay full of the Spirit and the Word. Know what the Word says about every temptation, know what it says about every situation in your life. Don’t misquote, be accurate in your comeback. Jesus did just that and defeated Satan at his own game. I love how Luke concludes the temptation.
“Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.”
Luke 4:14-15 NKJV
He went into the wilderness full of the Spirit and came out in the power of the Spirit. Hallelujah! That’s what I call a testimony. He never lost what He went in with, He came out stronger. That’s why we should stay prayed up and worded up. We must be, being filled continuously, at all times with the Holy Spirit. We cannot defeat Satan any other way.
He’s a relentless devil, but so are we in our walk with Jesus. We don’t run from a fight, but we don’t go looking for one. Jesus didn’t go into the wilderness looking for a showdown with Satan to prove who He was. But He didn’t back down either.
James says we are blessed if we endure, coming out on the other side full of power. Jesus shook what is now Israel up for three years. He never lost the fullness of the power. He told Pilate at His mock trial, “No one takes My life! I lay it down willingly.” That’s power! The apostle Paul said “I’m ready to be poured out.” Let’s read it.
“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
II Timothy 4:6-7 NKJV
Doesn’t he sound like Jesus?
That’s what being continuously filled with the Holy Spirit looks and sounds like. We don’t run from challenges, we face them with the courage that being filled with the Spirit supplies. I shared Paul’s words for the skeptics who’s saying “well that was Jesus” yes, Jesus the son of man. Who died in the form of sinful (yet sinless) flesh. Satan would be out of a job if Christians would walk in the Spirit. He spends more time in church houses than he does in the world houses. Why’s that? Seeking those whom he may devour. Are you on his menu today? Or are you full? So full that there’s no room for the nonsense that trips us up. Are you hungry for natural bread, but so full of God that you can refuse Satan’s delicacies? Are your desires leading you to worship Satan to acquire or achieve them? Or are you full enough to pass on a “good” thing? Are you being tempted to prove you’re a child of God by tempting or forcing God’s hand to prove that His Word is working in your life? Or are you so full you can tell Satan or his agents that you have nothing to prove because you know the Truth?
When you’re full, you know. You’ll never hesitate in your response to a temptation. Waiting won’t make you susceptible to counterfeit manifestation of desires. You’ll always know who’s speaking and who’s delivering. Being filled allows us to discern voices. Being filled won’t prevent temptation but it will keep you from yielding to temptation. So make it your lifetime aim as a child of God. To stay filled with the Holy Spirit and walk in the power of the Spirit.
Join us on Wednesday’s at 7pm by conference call 267-807-9601 access code 512466.
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant
October 21, 2021