Jesus had just spent 40 days in the desert. During this time, He had fasted and not eaten any food. His physical body was exhausted and weak. He was more than ready to eat and regain His strength. Isn't it interesting that the devil picked just that time to tempt Him to do something that He would have a very hard time resisting? After all, He was the Son of God. He had the power to create a five course banquet in the middle of the desert if He so wished! But instead, He resisted this temptation by using the Word of God as His weapon.
I've found that the times I am emotionally and physically exhausted is when I am tempted the most. It's not the times when I feel strong and ready to take on the world. It's the times where I face personal tragedy or trials, when it seems that I am in a dry desert place and feel drained by life both physically and emotionally. Then, I find myself making a choice: do I trust God and what His Word says even though I don’t understand why I am going through this trial? Or, do I give into the temptation to become depressed, angry and resentful that I am walking through a situation that doesn’t make sense or seem fair and right to me? A situation such as when my mom was diagnosed with cancer two years ago and we faced the very real possibility that she might not make it. I remember the terror that gripped my heart as I heard her diagnosis and the subsequent months of worry and stress before she finally went into remission. Or, when we first moved to Atlanta and struggled for months and months to find a church, make friends and simply "fit", and nothing seemed to work. I remember how the intense feelings of loneliness and rejection almost crushed me. Or, a few years ago when my husband lost his job and was unemployed for 10 very long months. The financial and emotional strain of that time brought our marriage very close to the breaking point.
During these times I often wondered, “Where is God”? “Is he here at all”? “Does He see me”? And I asked “Why me, God”? In these times, I was so tempted to give into feelings of hopelessness, fear, or anger - sometimes I did. Many times I felt like I was drowning with no life preserver in sight. It was also in these times that God’s Word became the one thing I could hold onto - my light in the most dark and desperate places. In so many situations, it was His Word that gave me the only hope I had. When I felt like giving up, I could hear His still small voice reminding me that He was there, He had not left. And when I felt like He was silent, it never failed that I could go to His Word and there would be a specific scripture or passage that would speak directly to me.
It is so important to spend time with God daily and hide His Word in your heart. Read it, pray it, memorize it, and speak it over your situation. It is our weapon against the hopelessness, despair or anger that can come when life seems overwhelming. Even though Jesus felt physically weak and exhausted, He was able to resist the temptation of the enemy by using the Word. God’s Word has the answer and gives you power to overcome whatever the enemy may throw your way!
Thank you, God, for your precious Word and that it is our weapon to resist temptation.
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