“Led by the Spirit…to Be Tempted by the Devil”
It’s an interesting juxtaposition: the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness; in the wilderness, the devil tempted Jesus. It’s hard not to conclude that the Spirit led Jesus to the place where he would face temptations because somehow the temptations offered by the devil were necessary to Jesus’ development and maturation.
It’s also hard not to conclude that if that’s the way it was for Jesus in his life, it just might be the way it is for us in ours.
O God, lead us not to places in our lives that harbor temptation for us.
But if you must lead us to such places, whether they be outside or inside us, help us to deal with our temptations in a way that will be for our ultimate benefit and that will help lead to the clarification of our identity as your children and as Jesus’ followers.
If and when we must face the devil, remind us that we are empowered to face him by your Spirit that cares enough about our growth and progress to lead us to face him if that is what we need to do and that would not lead us into such a battle without also giving us the resources to win it.
Amen.
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1).
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