"Then Jesus was led (guided) by the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness (desert) to be tempted (tested and tried) by the devil." - Mat 4:1
Matthew 4:1-11 gives testimony of a time when Jesus was tempted by the devil. During the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert he came under spiritual attack on three occasions. The devil had the courage and audacity to try and tempt Jesus, the Son of God. If Satan could go into a battle that he knew he couldn't win, he most certainly will go into a battle against you, especially if you are a born-again Christian. Please do not be deceived into thinking that the devil will leave you alone.
So many Christians are confused by this, or choose to ignore the fact that they could be under spiritual attack. Perhaps you feel that spiritual warfare is not your cup of tea, and you would prefer not to go into the details thereof. Perhaps your pastor told you that your salvation is the beginning of a new and better life, but you still experience defeat (sometimes more than before you invited Jesus into your life). It is important to know that your salvation could be at risk if you ignore the devil's attempts to lead you away from God.
Jesus also experienced attacks from the devil
Yes, Jesus also came under Satan's attack. The Bible contains the living word of God, and there are many references in the New Testament that testifies to Jesus' superiority over the devil and his army of followers. Yes, Jesus is love, and Jesus did many miraculous things, but in particular, he came to defeat Satan's power so that we can live a life that is prosperous, happy, and free of oppression, sin, defeat, and eternal death.
"How God anointed and consecrated Jesus of Nazareth with the [Holy] Spirit and with strength and ability and power; how He went about doing good and, in particular, curing all who were harassed and oppressed by [the power of] the devil, for God was with Him" – Act 10:38
Jesus took it all the way to the cross, and I can imagine a moment of celebration in the enemy camp. That celebration certainly couldn't have lasted long, because Jesus was raised from the dead (the ultimate victory) by God, and He is very much alive today.
"But God raised Him [Jesus] up, liberating Him from the pangs of death, seeing that it was not possible for Him to continue to be controlled or retained by it." – Act 2:24
I am sure that if Satan knew then what he knows now, he would have done everything in his power to keep Jesus alive. You see, through the blood of Christ we have been given authority over the forces of darkness...
"The seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name!" – Luk 10:17
"Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon snakes and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy possesses;" -Luk 10:19
...and, more importantly, an everlasting life in the presence of God.
"For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trust in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life." – Joh 3:16
So, the next best thing that Satan can do now is to give it his best shot at dragging as many souls possible into the fiery abyss with him.
How did Jesus defend Himself against the devil's attacks?
- Jesus knows the Bible.
In Mat 4:1-11 the devil attempts to deceive Jesus into performing various acts (the devil even quotes scripture). Satan even attempted to convince Jesus to bow down and worship him. Every time within this specific scripture the devil is rendered defenceless when Jesus quotes scripture. This is proof and reason enough that we should have a good understanding of the Bible, and we should be able to quote the word of God. The word of God never fails, and the end-result is glorious.
"Then Jesus said to him, Begone, Satan! For it has been written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you server (Deut 6:13). Then the devil departed from Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him." – Mat 4:10-11
The Word of God (The Bible) is our spiritual sword. We have to practise and become proficient with this weapon. We cannot go into battle (everyday life) without it:
"And take the helmet of salvation and the sword that the Spirit wields, which is the Word of God." – Eph 6:17
"For the word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and joint and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart." - Heb 4:12
- Jesus is full of, and controlled by the Holy Spirit.
"And when He came up out of the water (when He was baptised), at once he [John] saw the heavens torn open and the [Holy] Spirit like a dove coming down [to enter] into Him." – Mar 1:10
"John gave further evidence, saying, I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and it dwelt on Him [never to depart]." – Joh 1:32
"Then Jesus, full of and controlled by the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led in [by] the [Holy] Spirit." – Luk 4:1
Being filled with the Holy Spirit gives a whole new meaning to having Jesus in your life. Being full of, and controlled by the Holy Spirit means that the Spirit of God is not only around you, but living inside your body. Having the Spirit of God living inside of you also means that you are blessed with the special endowments of super-natural energy given to us by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12).
"For He is not weak and feeble in dealing with you, but is a mighty power within you;" - 2 Cor 13:3
"...He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world" – 1 Joh 4:4
- Jesus has forgiveness in his heart
The ability to forgive others carries tremendous spiritual power, and Jesus knew this. Jesus not only forgives us for our sins, he also wipes it out and clears the penalty attached to our sins. It is therefore very important that we forgive those who sin against us, forget about it, and eliminate the urge to get back at, or plot revenge against the people who hurt us. I can't even begin to imagine what would have happened to us were it not for Jesus' forgiveness at calvary:
"And Jesus prayed, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." – Luk 23:34
If we carry grudges against others in our hearts we are sinning against God. Being unforgiving is a serious offense cursed by God.
Jesus said: "So also My heavenly Father will deal with every one of you if you do not freely forgive your brother from your heart his offense" – Mat 18:35
Imagine a spiritual chain that ties you to the person who sinned against you. If you fail to forgive and forget, you will also be spiritually and emotionally tied to the person. Forgiving and forgetting seems impossible at times, but by saying "I forgive you", you are in fact saying "Jesus, I want the healing to begin. Please take control of the situation so that Your perfect will can be done in our lives." There need to be repentance and forgiveness before there can be release of sins and demonic strongholds.
"John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness (desert), preaching a baptism [obligating] repentance (a change of one's mind for the better, heartily amending one's ways, with abhorrence of his past sins) in order to obtain forgiveness of and release from sins." – Mar 1:4
"And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him and let it drop (leave it, let it go), in order that you Father Who is in heaven may also forgive you your [own] failings and shortcomings and let them drop" – Mar 11:25
"Judge not [neither pronouncing judgement nor subjecting to censure], and you will not be judged; do not condemn and pronounce guilty, and you will not be condemned and pronounced guilty; acquit and forgive and release (give up resentment, let it drop), and you will be acquitted and forgiven and RELEASED." – Luk 6:37
It is therefore also clear that we cannot expect to purge our homes and lives from evil influences if we ignore the importance of forgiveness in Jesus' name. Forgiveness, or the ability to forgive, is a vital ingredient in being victorious in spiritual warfare.
"And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us [who has offended us or done us wrong]. And bring us not into temptation but rescue us from evil." - Luk 11:4
- Jesus does not negotiate with demons
Jesus has a very no non-sense approach when dealing with demons / evil spirits. He didn't care how or when they possessed someone, what their names were, or what their terms and conditions were. He acted very swiftly and firmly in dealing with them.
"And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly." – Mat 17:18
"And He said to her, Because of this saying, you may go your way; the demon has gone out of your daughter [permanently]. And she went home and found the child thrown on the couch, and the demon departed." – Mar 7:29-30
"But Jesus rebuked him [the demon], saying, Be silent (muzzeled, gagged), and come out of him! And when the demon had thrown the man down in their midst, he came out of him without injuring him in any possible way." – Luk 4:35
"And there was a woman there who for eighteen years had had an infirmity caused by a spirit (a demon of sickness). She was bent completely forward and utterly unable to straighten herself up or look upward. And when Jesus saw her, He called [her to Him] and said to her, Woman, you are released from you infirmity!" – Luk 13:11-12
There was one occasion where Jesus asked for a demon's name (Mark 5). There are various theories regarding the reason behind this. Three of these theories could explain the reason behind Jesus' action in this instance:
1. To emphasis the miracle that took place. The name of the demon was Legion. This particular man from Gerasenes was possessed by about 2000 demons. Jesus has the authority to drive out a multitude of demons with a single command. By asking for its name we now know that there is no limit to Jesus' power against the forces of darkness. You can only be WOWed by this.
2. Demonic manifestation of this magnitude would have placed the life of this man at risk. The physical destructive nature of the Legion could lead to a very long, painful battle, where the man would have been tormented. Why go through this if it can be done with a single, swift action.
3. The swine were destined to be sacrificial offers to the heathen gods. Jews do not raise pigs or eat pork. There was a temple dedicated to Zeus on the mountain near the tombs. These swine were being raised so that they could be slaughtered on a sacrificial altar of this Greek god idol. The evil spirits understood that these swine would be worshiped, and therefore wanted to be part of this opportunity to be worshiped. Jesus allowed the spirits to enter into the swine, but he would not allow them to accomplish their evil plan. These spirits didn't anticipate that the swine would run down the mountain and drown in the sea. So, in this instance it was not only about the spiritual deliverance of this man, but also a successful prevention of demons being worshiped by people.
Jesus never lost a single battle against Satan's attacks, and He will never lose any future battles. He has given the same authority and power to those who believe in Jesus and live according to the word of God. The spiritual gifts, authority over the devil and his army of followers, and the gift of eternal life is only for those who are true believers in, and followers of Jesus Christ.
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