Our text for today is Matthew 4:1, which marks the beginning of Jesus’ temptations.
“Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”
I call two great lessons from this story:
First, notice it says, “Jesus was led by the Spirit.” That’s something to ponder. It wasn’t Satan’s trap that brought Him to this place of temptation. It was God’s training ground. It reminds us that some of life’s hardest moments aren’t signs we’re off course; they’re merely part of the curriculum of life.
Second, notice that Satan doesn’t start his temptation with a sword or a storm, he starts with a question: “If You are the Son of God…” That phrase slices deep. Just one chapter earlier, God’s voice from heaven declared, “This is My beloved Son.” Satan puts that truth under attack. Satan didn’t go after Jesus’ miracles or mission; he went after His identity.
Isn’t that what the enemy does to us also? After we hear God’s word affirm that we are His child, he whispers to us: “Are you really His child? Are you sure?”
But Jesus didn’t argue with Satan. He didn’t panic. He answered with Scripture. Three times He said, “It is written…” That’s how He stood firm.
What about you? Are you in a wilderness? Are you hearing those same doubts? Remember, being tested doesn’t mean you’ve failed—it means God is forming and making you stronger!
Like Jesus, we must let Scripture speak louder than the whispers of Satan.
I’m Lonnie Davis and these are thoughts worth thinking.