God Leads Us into the Desert
"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil" (Matt 4:1).
There is a common teaching going around today that says if you do all the right things in your Christian life, you will be blessed and never experience problems in your life. This teaching is heresy. The Bible says that we will encounter many problems during this lifetime. Just read Peter's epistle.
Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Why would God lead His Son into the desert to be tempted? Why would God lead you and me into the desert?
The desert is a place to learn something about ourselves. It is the place where we determine if we will truly live by every Word of God, not by bread alone. When Satan tempted Jesus in the desert, Jesus responded to every temptation by citing what the Word of God said about that temptation.
This is also the way you and I must respond to the temptations that are brought our way. We must have the Word of God written into our hearts in order to know how to respond to given situations. The Bible says, "the truth shall make you free." It is knowing and doing the will of God that allows us to live free from the temptation of evil.
The desert is often the place of silence. However, it is also a place where the devil will speak loudest because you are in a place of weakness and the comforts of your normal life are not to be found. It is a place where God is often silent but can also be a place where God speaks loudest. The word desert comes from the Hebrew word "dahbaar" which means "to speak."
If God has placed you in the desert, meditate on the Word of God so that you will withstand the temptation that comes in the desert place.
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2, by Os Hillman
10-03-2009 Prime Time With God [cgimail@churchgrowth.org] website: www.churchgrowth.org
