Throw Yourself Down !
A Discourse On Trials, Tests, & Temptations
Matthew 4:6, Luke 4:9 There are many lessons to be learned by men and women of God who live in this world. Jesus is our perfect example. At the height of His ministry, He experienced what could be assessed as an unnecessary experience. It was a front and center confrontation with Satan himself. Jesus faced a trial, a test, and a temptation. Part of our training for Eternity is unfolded in trials, tests, and temptations. I call this trio the “Three T’s”. Recorded in scripture is a clear, uncluttered example of how trials, tests, and temptations must be must be viewed and managed by Believers.
First of all, I will discuss how we find ourselves faced with trials, tests, and temptations. In Matthew chapter 4, Jesus was led and guided by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness or place of testing. Even though Satan met Him at this place of testing, Satan was not responsible for Him being brought to this place. God is the One who allows us to walk through places of trials, tests, and temptations. Satan may show up to distress, disorder, and grand-stand, but he has no power over the lives of Believers who do not surrender to him. Therefore, we cannot give blame or credit to Satan for our God-ordained episodes of preparation for Eternity.
Joseph was certainly tested when he arrived in Egypt, but God was responsible for him being there Genesis (45:7-8). Satan tried to distress, disorder, and grand-stand with Joseph’s life, but in the end God raised him to the prominence which He had ordained for him in Egypt. The three T’s (trials, tests, temptations) could not pry victory from the hand of Joseph or Jesus. Victory cannot be taken from Believers by trials, tests, and temptations. We must view them as episodes in preparation for Eternity. Jesus said the three T’s (trials, tests, & temptations) would come but to be of good cheer because He had already overcome them for us. What an absolute promise!
At every point in the temptation that Jesus endured, His relationship (son ship) with the Father was challenged. Satan will also challenge our claim to be sons of God, fit for Eternity. He wants us to believe that our relationship with Father makes us immune to trials, tests, and temptations. We cannot correlate son ship with immunity from the everyday situations we face in life. We are mistaken if we believe that if we serve and walk upright, that we will never face trials, tests, and temptations. Jesus, our perfect example faced them and we will also. The good news is that we have been given authority over the instruments of destruction and nothing will by any means harm us (Luke 10:19).
Jesus shows us how to overcome every trial, test, temptation, and lie that Satan will ever offer for our approval. Satan wanted to insult and drive home the lie that if Jesus were truly the Son of God, He would never find Himself in an adverse situation. He wanted to stress the point that Jesus could take the obvious and easy way out of situations. Satan did not know that he himself was going to be repeatedly cast down and defeated. He was defeated by the written, spoken, and manifest word of God. The living word manifested in the person of Jesus Christ. This word of God is our stronghold today. The word of God applied to every trial, test, and temptation assures us of the God-ordained victory every time. Any elicit alignment with Satan and his works bring death. So he launched his attack on three levels, body, soul, and spirit.
The first attack (Matthew 4:2-4) was the most obvious and it was against the physical body of Jesus. He had been fasting for 40 days and was physically weakened by the lack of food. Jesus could have commanded the stones to become bread, but that was not the issue. The issue was to honor and follow the word of God and to not take orders, hints, or suggestions from Satan. This is our challenge today. Read, observe, and submit to God’s word, resist Satan, and he will flee (James 4:7).
The second attack (Matthew 4:5-7) was launched against the soul of Jesus. Satan was here appealing to the pride of life issue. Jesus was on a high pinnacle and the order from Satan was to throw Himself down because He would not suffer harm because He was the son of God. This was a definite temptation. Jesus understood that obeying this act would have caused Him to tempt God’s protection of His life. The issue here was to not submit to anything that would foolishly engage God’s attention.
This brings us to a point where Believers need to be vigilant in places of success. Many of God’s gifted and anointed ones are taken to perceived “high pinnacles” of success in this world’s system. They achieve in God great things in the work of the ministry. Their challenge from Satan is to “Throw yourself down”. Satan says to them, “You can do foolish and sinful things with your life and God will not let you fall to the ground. You are successful, enjoy it, God will forgive and look the other way”. This is an attack in the area of the soul. The antidote for wrong choices, wrong lifestyles, and wrong thinking is to choose to do what God’s word says. Do not tempt or “play with” God. His grace is not given for willful sinning against Him.
The third and final attack (Matthew 4:8-10) Jesus suffered was in the area of His spirit. Satan offered Him kingdoms, worship of peoples, glory, honor, and splendor. He appealed to the desire of the spirit of man to worship. But man was created to worship God, not Satan, and not himself. Worship God and Him alone. He will have no other God’s before Him. Again the word of God was and is the answer to every trial, test, and temptation.
Satan orchestrated an attack against the spirit, soul, and body of Jesus Christ. He uses this same attack against Believers today. Christ is our perfect example. He defeated Satan by the word of God quoted from scripture and the Living Word which was who He is. The word of God is powerful from the lips of those who have surrendered and made Jesus Lord of their lives. When we speak His word, it is as though He has spoken it. His word brings life, and health, and healing to man (spirit, soul, and body).
The only time Believers should throw themselves down is at the feet of Jesus! Bow to no trial, no test, and no temptation. Let the power of the word of God spoken from your lips bring the manifest promises of God. You will be tested spirit, soul, and body. However, you will overcome by the word of your testimony and the blood of the Jesus Christ! (Revelation 12:11)
God’s Heart For
You
Isaiah 30:18 “And therefore
the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking,
and longing] to be gracious to you and therefore
He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on
you and show loving-kindness to you. For the
Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy,
fortunate, to be envied) are all those who
[earnestly] wait for Him, who expect
and look and long for Him[for
**His victory, His favor,**
His love, His peace,
His joy, and His
matchless, unbroken
companionship.”
YES!
