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THEN AS MAN, PROVE YOUR FAITH

Now Satan must be anxious to try Jesus' faith since He is committed to live the flesh to the Cross. He used God's word and challenge Jesus. Essentially, this is what he said, "Fine, fine, if you really believe that God's word is so important, then show me your faith as the Son of God. Go, jump off the pinnacle of the temple as God has said that He shall give His angels charge over you and in their hands they shall hold you up lest you dash your foot against a stone. See, God will protect you as He says. Show me, jump and prove to me that you truly believe God's word."

We are always faced with such temptations. The woman was tempted this way and she failed. Don't laugh, we too can fail God if we are not careful. Satan is working hard to cause us to doubt God's word, especially when we acknowledge that we will live by His word.

If Jesus did that to prove that He was the Son of God, then it would tantamount to tempting God and doubting God's word, the very thing that He said was all important to life. Hence, Jesus replied saying, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'"

How many people have tried to prove that when you believe in Jesus you will go to heaven? Has anyone tried to die and then prove that he is in heaven? None. But yet we believe because God said so and that's it. It is God whom we believe and what He says is true. There is no reason to doubt Him and no reason to try Him like that.

Don't try it. It is hazardous to health. When God tells us to prove Him once (Malachi 3:10), most of us do not even dare. God says to prove Him by bringing all the tithes into the storehouse and He will open the windows of heaven and pour out for us such blessing that there will not be enough room to receive it. But we just dare not.

Jesus shows us not to doubt God's word which we need to live. Don't tempt God and don't yield to Satan's temptations to fail God. Know God's word for the sake of our lives for we depend on it. We must be at peace with ourselves because God is with us and in us. He will lead us and show us in His time what is needed to be done. There is no need to doubt God and let us not fail here.

This temptation was designed to put us against God by having to prove God's word, thereby, creating doubts in it. Do we doubt God's word? Do we know God's word, really? Or are we just trying to live by the best of what we think?

WELL, YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL IF YOU...

Finally, still not giving up, Satan showed the kingdoms of the world and their glory saying that he will give them all to Jesus if He fell down to worship him. Then Jesus will have all the riches to give to the poor who will follow Him. Wouldn't that be right? No!

Satan did not own what he promised to give. But had Jesus fell down to worship Satan, man would be doomed. Jesus will have given up God. What Jesus said in the first two temptations would be totally meaningless. Bowing down to Satan will tantamount to giving everything up.

Immediately, Jesus says, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.'" Our life is dependent on God's word and God is the only one we serve and worship. He is our source of life, He is our Creator and He is our Savior.

Will we give up our source of life for the glory of this world? Again, what will it profit us if we gained the world but lost our soul? Make this a constant reminder to ourselves daily. Are we prepared to give our lives up for wealth, power, position, fame, etc.?

This temptation was designed to remove the position of God in our lives by replacing Him with the devil. Are we giving up our lives for what we cannot have? Are we compromising ourselves to gain the world? Are we replacing God and Jesus with the things of this world?