Jesus was the First born of the New Creation and the reflection of God. Jesus is our Example and showed us how to walk in obedience to God on earth. But what does obedience to God mean? What does the Bible say about obedience to God? When are you obedient to God?
Jesus was baptized and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness
And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days He did eat nothing: and when they were ended, He afterward hungered. 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.
And the devil, taking Him up into an high mountain, shewed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto Him, All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If Thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be Thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind Me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.
And he brought Him to Jerusalem, and set Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto Him, If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee (Luke 4:1-14)
Jesus was circumcised when He was 8 days old. But when Jesus was about 30 years old, He was baptised in water by John the Baptist. Jesus symbolically laid down His flesh in the water. After He was baptised, He prayed to the Father, and received the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:21). While Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.
Jesus’ obedience to God in the wilderness
While Jesus fasted in the wilderness, He was tempted by the devil, for 40 days and nights. The devil tempted Him constantly, but Jesus didn’t give in to his temptations. Jesus stayed loyal, faithful and obedient to God. Those 40 days, were like a school of the Holy Spirit, to put off the flesh and let the Holy Spirit reign in His life.
The wilderness period was necessary to lay down His flesh. The flesh; the body and soul is the territory of the devil. Because he works in the soul and body of a person, not in the spirit. The devil thought, that when Jesus became weak in the flesh, that he could tempt Jesus and trap Him into sin, by disobedience to God.
The devil thought: “I have tempted another son of God (Adam), and I succeeded, so this is gonna be a piece of cake.” But he was wrong! His tactics didn’t work, and therefore it didn’t go as he had planned.
“If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread”
The devil tried to tempt Jesus by saying: “If thou be the Son of God….” If Jesus was led by His flesh, then this could have been a reason, to prove Himself and be led into sin.
How often does it happen, when someone challenges you to prove yourself, that you give into it? And that you prove and testify, that you really are what you say? But Jesus didn’t, He knew who He was, and He knew that His Father knew who He was, and that was sufficient. He didn’t need to prove Himself, to the devil, and to man.
The devil tempted Him to prove, that He was the Son of God, by commanding the stone to become bread. But Jesus answered him: “It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God”.
“All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them”
The devil took Jesus to a high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the Roman empire and said: “All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine”
In a split second, Jesus saw all the earthly kingdoms. Jesus knew, that the devil had indeed authority over these kingdoms, because the devil had taken the authority from Adam. He knew, that the devil could indeed give all these kingdoms to Him, because he had the power to do so. But Jesus came to the earth with a greater mission, He came to fulfil the will of God and to take ALL authority, that was originally given to Adam, back Gods way, and not the devils way.
Jesus was not tempted by riches, power, might, wealth etc. and He refused to bow down and worship the devil. Jesus answered: “Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve”
“If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence”
The devil brought Jesus to Jerusalem and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said: “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone”.
Jesus was tempted again, to prove that He was indeed the Son of God, but He didn’t give into this temptation.
The devil used the words of God, but he used it in a wrong manner, namely: for the flesh.
Jesus knew the Father. He knew the Word of God as no other. Therefore, Jesus answered: “It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God”
Jesus didn’t allow any doubt to enter His mind, and stayed in complete obedience to God. He never doubted the words of God. He knew the Father and the Father’s will.
The devil knew the words of God also, and tried to tempt Him, by using the words of God in a wrong manner. But his plan didn’t succeed and failed. He tried so hard to tempt Jesus in the flesh, and to make Him become disobedient to God, but he failed.
The devil’s temptations failed
The devil succeeded in tempting Adam, but he didn’t succeed in tempting Jesus. Jesus stayed in complete obedience to God and kept walking after the Spirit. He had the ability to sin, because He was born in the flesh, but He didn’t. Jesus stayed obedient to God. He had only one purpose on this earth, and that was to fulfill Gods plan for His life.
During the wilderness period, the devil tried everything to bring Jesus to the flesh, and let Him sin against the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t succeed. Jesus didn’t walk after the flesh and wasn’t ruled by His senses, feelings, emotions etc., but He walked after the Spirit. During His life, Jesus showed, how to walk in obedience to God.
After Jesus’ wilderness period, the work of the Spirit could begin!
The devil will never stop tempting the sons of God
In the Old Testament we find many examples of people, who were carnal, and were tempted by the devil, and became disobedient to God. They were led by their senses, feelings, emotions, etc. and walked according to the desires and lusts of their flesh.
The devil tried to tempt many men and women of God. Sometimes he succeeded and other times he didn’t. But he always tried, and he still tries.
Yes, the devil is defeated by the blood of Jesus and by His work. Jesus has the keys, but the devil still has the ability to tempt and to rule over people in the flesh.
The devil will always try, to tempt the sons and daughters of God. He shall never leave a son or daughter alone, but shall always try to tempt and seduce him/her. He operates in the flesh, because that’s his territory.
Therefore, he shall try to seduce a person, through lusts, desires, greed, fame, power, wealth, might, riches, thoughts, etc. He shall make them proud (haughty), so that they walk in pride and exalt themselves above others and above God.
How does he do that? By using other people, who will glorify, exalt and boast them. But the devil will not only try to boast them through compliments of people. He will also enter thoughts of pride into their mind.
The devil tried all these things with Jesus, but Jesus didn’t walk after the flesh, but after the Spirit. By walking after the Spirit and speaking the Word of Truth, Jesus defeated the devil.
Jesus showed how to walk in obedience to God
You, as a born again Christian, should also walk after the Spirit, just like Jesus did. Jesus showed you, how to walk in obedience to God. Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, therefore the Holy Spirit shall also lead you to ‘a wilderness place’ in your life. Because that’s the place, where you will be tested, moulded, and where you put off the old man.
When you enter a wildness period in your life, it is all about, how you go through this period. Do you walk in the Word, do you stay obedient to the Word and keep His commandments? Do you trust God, and just like Jesus, stay obedient to God? Or do you complain and murmur, and feel sorry for yourself, and will you look for help by people or by psychologists or psychiatrists etc.?
Do you know the Word? So that you can defeat the devil? Or don’t you know, what is really written in the Word? Because if you don’t know the Word, then it could be, that you become a victim of the devil, through false doctrines, which will lead you into disobedience to God and His Word.
Speak the Word of God
Jesus had studied the Word for 30 years. When He received the Holy Spirit, He was led into the wilderness. In the wilderness, Jesus could resist the devil and defeat the devil with the Word. Let us also take time to study the Word of God, so that we are able to resist all temptations of the devil. The only way to defeat him is with the Word.
The devil wants you to become disobedient to God. He will do everything he can to accomplish his mission. He can deceive you, if you don’t know the Word. That’s why it is so important to get to know the Word.
Just like Jesus knew His Father, we also ought to know Jesus; the Word, and live in obedience to God, our Father.
You will get to know Him, by spending time with Him, in the Word and in prayer.
Your weapon against the devil is the Word, but you should know how to handle and manage the Word. You can give a sword to someone, but that doesn’t make that person a soldier. Only someone, who can manage the sword is a soldier. The life of a soldier requires discipline and practice. This also applies to the spiritual soldiers of the Kingdom of God.
Therefore study the Word of God daily, and apply the words in your life. Only with the Word and by walking after the Spirit, you will be able to resist the devil. There is no other way. Live in obedience to God!
‘The salt of the earth’
