In Part 1 of the Temptations of Christ, we discussed how Jesus went to fast to prepare for His temptations. We saw that He entered into those temptations strong even though His tempter perceived Him as weak. The first temptation was an attack on Jesus’s authority and an attack on His flesh. The second temptation was once again an attack on His authority and his flesh! Again we see ...
In Matthew chapter 4, Jesus goes into wilderness. He is led by the Spirit into the wilderness “to be tempted by the Devil”. I think this first verse of the chapter is extremely important. It indicates that Jesus knew His purpose for entering into this season. Jesus, knowing He was to be tempted, fasts in the the wilderness for forty days and forty nights. Fasting is something that ...
One of my favorite parables that Jesus tells is the parable of the Sower. I think because the lesson has been so influential in my life, in particular on how I tell people about Jesus. The parable is told in Matthew 13: 3 - 9: 3 And he told them many things in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devo ...
My biggest focus right now spiritually is being mindful of what comes out of my mouth. This passage from James illustrates the importance of our words. I have nothing super profound to say about his passage. Only that I continue to read it and and it continues to help me keep the importance of what I say at the forefront of my mind. James 3: 2-12 2) For we all stumble in many wa ...
I think sometimes we fall into the trap that God is only God when “blessings flow”. In my last post, I discussed Job responding to his friends and telling them how wisdom is obtained. In the very next chapter (29), Job starts to belly ache a little bit. It made me think. There is SO much preaching and even advice out there that says “Give it to God and your life will be better”. Is ...
