When you are tempted!
We often underestimate the power of Satan.
March 20
Then the Devil took him up and revealed to him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
Luke 4:5
Share this Devotional
When you are tempted!
Jesus has been in the wilderness for forty days without food. It is said that forty days is the limit that a human can go without food. Jesus was very hungry. You can be sure that He was also very weak physically at this time. It is at Jesus’ greatest physical weakness that the hater of men’s souls, the Devil, shows up to tempt Him. After failing to tempt Jesus in the area of His greatest physical need, Satan goes on to try Him in another area.
The devil revealed to Jesus all the kingdoms in the world. He then offered all those kingdoms to Jesus if he would bow in worship to Satan. We can tell by Jesus’ response that the kingdoms of the world were Satan’s to offer. Jesus simply quoted the Scriptures and ignored the offer.
What struck me about this verse is the power of Satan as it is described here. Satan was able to show Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. I can’t imagine what that means exactly. In an instant, the Devil was able to show Jesus every kingdom that exists on the planet, which he then offered to Jesus.
We often underestimate the power of Satan. He is so much greater than any of us can possibly imagine. No person has ever lived that is a match for the power of Satan. He could easily annihilate anyone that he chose to come against. He could easily make life on this earth intolerable. The only thing that stops him from doing that is the only power in the universe that is greater than his; and that is the power of God. The Holy Spirit restrains Satan from unleashing his full fury upon the human race. We should be so thankful to God that He doesn’t allow Satan to have his way on the earth. As bad as it might seem today, it could be a lot worse.
What would happen today if Satan showed up on your doorstep with an offer of all the kingdoms of the earth for worshipping him? Would you be strong enough to resist an offer like that? How about if he offered great riches or fame or power over others? We should praise God that He doesn’t allow Satan to come and make offers like that to us. Most of us are not strong enough to resist.
God does allow Satan to tempt us, but He does not allow him to tempt us with things that we cannot resist. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that there is nothing that Satan could offer you that would cause you to worship him. Everyone has a price, and Satan is so subtle in his approach that you wouldn’t even suspect that it was him. Jesus knew Satan intimately. Satan couldn’t disguise himself from his Creator. We don’t know the Devil and he is good at disguising himself from us. Our only protection is a close proximity to Jesus and His Word. The closer we are to Jesus and the better we know our Bibles, the less likely we are to be tempted by Satan. Jesus, help us to stay close.