When Truth Went Toe-To-Toe With Temptation

Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4)

Temptation is all around us; when it is not looking for an open window to climb through, it comes directly to the front door and knocks. And it will be this way until that day when we are received into glory.

So how are we to deal with daily temptation? We are to keep in view the time when Truth went toe-to-toe with temptation . . . and won!

During our Lord’s wilderness testing, the devil came at Him with everything he had, and it was a time when our Lord had just completed forty days of fasting in the wilderness. Jesus was all alone and should have been at His weakest . . . at least physically speaking. So in an environment where the odds were stacked against Jesus, the devil learned firsthand the power of truth overcoming temptation.

There are many valuable lessons we can glean from the wilderness temptations of our Lord, but the most important is found in the way Jesus fought against the temptations the devil threw at Him. Jesus countered every temptation that was delivered with the truth of Scripture. And there you have it! Truth is the key that unlocks the door to victory over temptation. Jesus used the Word of God as His weapon of choice when confronted by temptation.

Can the same be said about us? The only way we will be able to use the truth of Scripture like Jesus did is to know the Word of truth like Jesus did. He did not have a concordance to scan out in the wilderness; He could not pull up any verses from His Bible app on His phone. Jesus was able to cite Scripture from memory. The Word of God flowed out of our Lord because the Word of God was in our Lord. Jesus studied the Scriptures and Jesus memorized the Scriptures; when He needed them most, they were on the tip of His tongue . . . and Truth overcame temptation.

It is my prayer that these words will encourage you to spend adequate time in your Bible—meditating on the Word of God and memorizing the Word of God. Then, the next time temptation attempts to slip in through your window or brazenly knocks at your door, you will be rightly equipped to go toe-to-toe against it. With the belt of truth buckled around your waist (Ephesians 6:14), you can triumph just like Jesus did!

This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!