October 20th
HARNESSING THE POWER OF TEMPTATION (Continued)
Scripture Reading: Luke 4: 9-12
And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Psalm 119:89 LAMED. For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. The Word is forever established in heaven according to this verse. The only way the devil can get one to become unstable in the Word of God is to manipulate the Word. This is what happened in Eden and The Apostle Paul renders it where the mind becomes corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus through the subtilty of the devil_ (2 Corinthians 11:3). The idea behind the devil’s work is to discombobulate something that is otherwise very simple or single.
The above Scriptures show the devil attempting to make Jesus harm Himself by using a protective Scripture to counteract His actions. His motive is much more sinister. By committing suicide, Jesus would not have fulfilled His Divine Purpose. We understand that the devil was talking to Jesus or the Word made Flesh. The question is what are we to learn from these verses? Jesus’ Life is an Expression of the Word of God. So are we who are joined to the Lord as one Spirit. Why should Jesus have cast Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple when He had already made His descent from the highest place to forgive sin and bring everlasting life? He came to fulfill a purpose which is worship in the highest form.
To cast down means to throw or let go of a thing without caring where it falls. Jesus was very careful of the death He should die. John 12:23-33 captures powerful Words of Jesus, and it is highly encouraged that the reader takes time to hear it now. Briefly, verses 24-25 say that when the Greeks wanted to see Jesus he stated, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. Stay true to your divine purpose and harness the power of temptation!
Continued