Day 35 – Second Temptation
“Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” Luke 4:5-8
The second temptation is aimed at the mind, luring worship away from God. We are constantly tempted in the modern times in which we live. We are easily distracted by the luxuries of life, and we start to worship our ideals, careers, bodies, image, and even other people. Satan’s goal is to redirect your focus of worship to anything that is not God. As he says in verse 6, the world is his, from which he draws worship to feed his pride, and he will give you the world at the cost of your eternity.
Jesus counters this temptation by quoting from Deuteronomy 6:13, “You must fear the Lord your God and serve Him. When you take an oath, you must use only His name.” and 10:20, “You must fear the Lord your God and worship Him and cling to Him. Your oaths must be in His name alone.”
Pray with me: Father, thank You for teaching us through this temptation to always guard our minds, to capture every thought that is not in line with Your Word in the Name of Jesus. Give us the scriptural tools and discernment to withstand these types of temptations. Amen. ©
Love, Pastor Iriza
