Matthew 4:2-4

And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

What do you do when temptation comes your way? When someone insults you? When you are one click away from pornography? When your kids are pushing your buttons? When you are the recipient of injustice?

Jesus’s temptation in the desert teaches us some very valuable lessons. First, temptation is a normal part of the Christian life. If it can happen to our Savior (Hebrews 4), then it will happen to us, too. Secondly, God doesn’t bring temptation our way. Satan does (James 1). Thirdly, Satan only has three temptations in his arsenal: The lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life (1 John 2). Finally, we resist temptation by using the Word of God (Psalm 119).

If you have studied the Word of God and hidden it in your heart, then you are “locked & loaded” when it comes to identifying temptation and defeating it. You know its coming and you have the means to fight and win. If you remain ignorant of these facts, you will not give temptation the serious attention it requires and will fall prey to it’s lies on a regular basis. Jesus knew it was coming and was ready to stand His ground…and He did. We can do the same.