What do you do when faced with temptations?
Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-11). Each time he was tempted, Jesus answered opposing the devil and did not fall for the devil’s tricks. In each answer he gave, Jesus stuck without hesitation to spiritual principles from God’s word.
Why did Jesus need to go through temptation instead of going straight into his ministry?
For me, I think that if Jesus had not been tempted, he would not have been trained up. But because he had been tested yet he did not cave into those temptations, it shows that his life and focus is fully centred on God and because of it, he is fit to go into ministry.
I am reminded of Hebrews 4:15, which tells us about Jesus having went through these temptations and yet was found without sin. As such, he can sympathize with what we are going through, for these are temptations that we also deal with on a day-to-day basis. Jesus is the perfect example that we should follow because he victoriously conquered temptation and sin.
May we follow Jesus’s footsteps and use every opportunity to train up in God so that we may also be victorious against temptation and sin.
Summary by Evan