Heralds Digest

  “ And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” Luke 4 : 3 - 4 KJV One of the fundamental lessons on how to resist temptation as taught by the Master Jesus Christ is the appreciation of loneliness. Beyond the lustful company with bread to arrest hunger, Satan apparently loathed or detested the satisfaction of Jesus with the word of God. Socialization and companionship with people are good, only if accommodated to sustain believers’ fellowship with God. Unfortunately, the basic source of temptation comes from the place of our preferences for bread or any means of socialization and companionship that can guarantee ceaseless production of bread. When Moses got angered by the people’s murmuring for meat in the wilderness, it wasn’t from the place of their sin against God…but rather from his personal dissatisfaction fo...

  “ 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.’ ”” Luke 4 : 3 - 4 NKJV The temptation of Jesus Christ on the need for vicious validation shows that the devil’s principle of temptation is always the same: an invitation to validate…” what God has already said or declared ”. Empirical validation is a natural phenomenon for human theory, prognosis, and assertions, without which all actions are referred to as voyages into self-destruction or self-defeat. But the words of God are settled or already validated in heaven. Every attempt or temptation to validate the clear revelation from the Lord is, in the words of Jesus, “ It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God’ ” (Luke 4 : 12 ), a temptation. And while Chapter 3 just recorded overwhelming declaration in the presence of the Trinity and the public “ You are My be...

  ” But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God .’ Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ Whether in respect of power or communication lines, life lines discharge the flow of current or voice signals from a source to the receiver. No matter the physical attractiveness of the lines or the decoration around the cables, dead lines will carry no current or voice signals. The word of God is the only source of life, i.e. the current or the voice signals, to mankind; all other urges, cravings or attractions to human physical needs are mere decorations, or even sources of temptation, without life. While Jesus responded to the devil that ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God‘ , it is important to note that the converse is also true. Those who lived only by bread (or the craving for meat) in the wilderness attracted their permissive meat with the wrath of God (Numbers 11:33-34). Therefore, wise people are always wary of a...

  “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭ 4:13 ‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://www.bible.com/114/luk.4.13.nkjv A diligent heart will probably ask how one can schedule the period of temptation against surprises in his work, social, and family life, if possible. After all, proper planning enables adequate preparation. Unfortunately, temptation always comes knocking on doors without invitation. It is a universal and non-racial currency that gets expended without the need for any prior consent. If Jesus the Author of our salvation and Satan the architect of all temptation are engaged in an unending schedule of temptation, no one can truly be free from temptation until the architect gets arrested. As we can learn from the experience of Jesus, everything brings temptation in life (needs, affluence, ambition, position, indolence, spirituality, etc). However, the failure to schedule the temptation time in life is not a problem. When we loo...

“Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭4:13‬ ‭NKJV‬‬ https://bible.com/114/luk.4.13.nkjv The experience of Jesus Christ with the devil, especially when He was under the influence of the Holy Spirit, instructs everyone that temptation works more by interference rather than by inspiration. Had there been contentment where the devil wait for anyone to willingly sellout for satanic inspiration, the kingdom of darkness would have been fully decimated by divine interference and the inspiration by the Spirit of the Lord. Whereas, Jesus’ fellowship in the Spirit was interrupted by an urgent need to respond to the body’s need of food, frenzy, and fame. It implies that, believers need not wait for temptation with food at the restaurant; frenzy at the casino; and fame on a dedicated day for worldly contest. Every opportunity to trample on the need of the soul at the expense of the need of the body is a temptation time. Unfortuna...