What's the Point? Finding Purpose in a Fallen World
Saturday Morning
Saturday
Morning
A few months after that
last retreat I was talking with the Lord about some of the things I shared and
He laid this on my heart, “The journey continues.”
At the time I really had no idea what that meant except I sensed it had something to do with digging deeper into how the Lord will strengthen and prepare us for the days ahead,
so when Nancy asked me to share this year I was excited to say yes. Excited and yet a bit apprehensive.
You know when someone
asks you to do something and you’re feeling kind of on top of things, you feel
I can do this. I got this.
Well, not so much for
me at the time. Ever had a really bad head cold? It’s like you’re living in a
grey, dense cloud that surrounds your brain. You can’t think and even when you
try to nothing makes sense.
Well, that was me
except I had a spiritual head cold. I felt isolated by my chronic pain, even
making it difficult to go to church.
But the worst part is I
felt dull to the sound of His voice. Ever
feel like that?
I had slowly turned
inward, even questioning what the point of all this struggle was.
I felt miserable but more than that I felt useless. But thanks be to God. He never leaves us without hope and is always ready to pull us out of the fog.
So what has the Lord
been teaching me through this difficult time? That the remedy for a spiritual
head cold is to:
·
Get plenty of rest in His peace,
·
Drink in plenty of the living water of
His Spirit so as not to become spiritually dehydrated. What does that mean?
It’s
when you become so dry that you feel on the verge of cracking apart when trials
come.
·
And lastly, to daily take in a big dose
of His Word.
As I began to focus on the above prescription and take my eyes off of myself, He began to clear away the haze and as He did, He placed three words on my heart for this weekend, kind of just popped in there one day as I was praying: ever had that happen?
Just a side note here.
Whenever the Lord places something on your heart, no matter how small or random,
don’t disregard it.
Write it down. Meditate
on it. and most importantly, measure it against Scripture.
The words were posture, position and purpose. I remember thinking, “Um.
What?”
But I wrote them down anyway
not knowing at the time how significant they really were.
So let’s get right into
it.
First, let’s look at posture. I know this might seem weird to
think about posture in a spiritual retreat but that was one of the words the
Lord laid on my heart, so here goes.
Posture means not only how
you carry yourself, your physical bearing it also means your attitude, a kind
of an internal posture.
The world is watching
us. What do they see as we go through our day?
How we handle problems,
interact with difficult people. How does what we do measure up with what we say
and what we believe?
Well, do you remember
when you were little your parents told you to stand up straight, don’t slouch?
There was something to
that because poor physical posture can lead to serious health problems.
Did you know there’s
something called tech neck?
Looking down at your phone or IPad for extended periods of
time can lead to a condition characterized by neck pain and stiffness.
This is because tilting your head forward to view a screen
puts extra strain on the neck and shoulder muscles.
Over time, this can cause muscle fatigue, pain, and
potentially lead to more serious issues like headaches, jaw pain, and even
spinal degeneration.
When I read about the dangers of staying in one posture for
extended periods of time,
I started thinking about how, as daughters
of the King, we’re not called to live our lives frozen in place like a statue.
In order to be
spiritually healthy, we’re told to
go about our days in a variety of external and internal postures that glorify
God. What are some of those?
How about as we walk? Deuteronomy 10:12 says to walk in all His ways; because walk means not only to
put one foot in front of the other, but to move with purpose, to lead, bring,
lead away, and to carry.
Is the way we carry ourselves reflective of how God would
have us walk through our days?
How about as you stand? Is your stance one of rigid
impatience, you know with your arms crossed in front of you, tapping your foot
or is your stance one that is straight and firm with a calm purpose.
Jer.6:16 says, “Stand at the crossroads and look.” Stand
literally means to not only take one’s stand, be in a standing attitude, but to
become a servant and to see.
Standing in grace allows us to pause and ask for the ancient
paths, to ask where the good way is, and as we walk in it, we will find rest
for our souls.
So how important is having a healthy spiritual posture for your relationship with the Lord? Very important.
Because if we’re not
mindful of our posture, we might fall into a negative frame of mind: a posture
of fear.
We’re living in
perilous times and without realizing it we might unintentionally pull in around
ourselves to perhaps cower instead of assuming let’s say a posture of praise,
lifting up our hands in
worship, allowing His blood that was shed for us to flow through us.
Right now, lift up your
arms as if you are worshiping. How does that feel? All throughout Scripture
we’re told to lift up holy hands in prayer.
Did you know that when
you do this, blood will flow to your heart and any swelling you have will
literally go down; your breathing will get deeper; your lymphatic system will
begin to work better.
This is really
important because the lymphatic system is part of the immune system.
This simple movement of
raising your hands carries even more significance in the spiritual realm.
Lifting your hands to
God was never just a simple gesture. It was an intentional sign of surrender.
As we lift our hands in
praise to our Heavenly Father we are surrendering, we are saying, “Take me I’m
yours. Do as you will.”
Isn’t it amazing how God
weaves together the physical with the spiritual?
So are you stiff today?
Been sitting in one place too long? Are you exhausted? Been running around too
much?
Been looking down at
all your worldly troubles and not up to see His miraculous plan in motion?
So what can we do if we
find ourselves stiff and exhausted?
I looked up some
recommendations if you develop tech neck from
looking down for long periods of time and found that there are spiritual
benefits.
T The first thing they recommend when
you get tech neck is to:
· Adjust your posture:
In Mark 11, it says: ““That's why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging
from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you'll get
God's everything. And when you assume the posture of prayer, remember that it's not all
asking. If you have anything against someone, forgive—only then will your heavenly
Father be inclined to also wipe your slate clean of sins."
Assuming a posture of prayer doesn’t necessarily refer to whether you’re on your knees
or on your face before God.
It refers to being open to God and being pliable to His leading. It means you’re ready to
receive and ready to let go.
Next,
· T Take breaks: Spiritually speaking, we need to take time out of our busy days to be
with the Lord. Meditate on His Word. Sit
in His presence. Wait on Him.
In(Philippians 2:6–7) “...though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself...”
The Son postures
Himself in obedience and love toward the Father and in self-giving toward the
world.
In our spiritual lives,
posture reflects how we approach God and others: with humility, trust, and a
heart inclined to serve.
What is the posture of your heart?
I
had to ask myself before I moved on to the next word, what I have learned about
my spiritual posture.
To be completely honest, I realized that my posture of choice had been one where I felt most comfortable, not the one that stretched me and strengthened me the most.
No wonder I often felt frozen in place, repeating the same things, the same doubts, the same fears over and over again
It’s like being stuck in a rut, unable to move forward.
Rut. You don’t hear that word very often
anymore unless it refers to ruts in the road.
But do any of you remember playing records on a record player? Remember how annoying it was when your favorite record got stuck in one place?
What happens when the record skips?
It gets into a rut on the vinyl and doesn’t move forward, just stays in the same place and worse it distorts the sound.
I looked up ways to fix a rut in a record and found spiritual applications.
It says to first clean the record, then you can apply a variety of measures to correct the problem.
It gave a few suggestions such as using a needle to realign the grooves. Says you need a magnifying glass because ruts are usually hard to see.
How to realign a spiritual rut?
First, we need to ask the Lord to
cleanse our hearts and minds.
Then we need to allow the Holy Spirit to perform a kind of spiritual surgery on us to go deep into our grooved and rutted lives to correct the problem because very often we don’t see where we’re stuck.
Remember, ruts can be hard to see.
We need to be willing to confess, to repent when needed, and allow Him to clean out what has caused us to get stuck in the first place.
The site said the best approach for dealing with a record with a deep rut is to prevent it in the first place through proper handling and storage techniques.
How do we prevent emotional or behavioral ruts from interrupting the smooth sounds of the Lord speaking through our lives?
Through proper and daily careful handling of our spiritual lives.
Be careful with your spirit. What do you expose yourself to?
How about storage? What do you store in your heart? Your mind? Could those unhealthy things—those feelings of worthlessness, those judgments forged in anger, what we put away in our hearts and minds and souls keep us from living a life without distortion?
So what have I learned since doing this
study on posture?
First, that I need to take seriously my
need to go to the Lord for readjustment.
I go to a chiropractor to get adjusted to keep my back healthy.
In the same way, I need to daily have the Lord adjust my spiritual posture so I can know how to walk in grace, how to run to His throne, and to how to stand straight and firm without becoming stiff and stagnant.
And most importantly I need to learn whenever I’m suffering from spiritual tech neck, when I’m stalled from looking down at my problems, to pray and look up to Jesus who is the embodiment of a posture of willingness, trust and obedience.
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The next word the Lord gave me was
position.
What does position mean for us today?
Position not only refers to where
we are or where we need to be:
As 2 Chronicles 20:17 says,
“You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves,
stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you…”
…but position also tells us who we are as Christians:
Ephesians 2:6 tells us that we are already citizens of this spiritual Kingdom and are seated with Him in heavenly places.
I know there are times we don’t feel like we’re seated in heavenly places. In all honesty, there are times we feel we’re far from it.
But the truth is we’re daughters of the King of Kings who have been raised up and out of whatever tries to hold us down.
It is our position in Christ that allows us to not just live and thrive in this temporary, physical world but in the spiritual world as well.
When we’re born of the Spirit, born again, God has given us a gift that goes beyond the natural. We are able to draw supernatural wisdom, prophetic words, and gifts of the Spirit into our lives.
We are spiritual beings designed to live from the unseen depths of God and His Kingdom.
But how do we discover the joy of living in those unseen depths?
By going someplace we’ve maybe never gone before with the Lord—out into the deep.
What does going out into the deep with God mean?
It means that we get to a point where it’s not business as usual. That we go from religion to relationship, from keeping everything on the surface with God to allowing Him into our inner man, into our soul where we often hide our deepest fears, thoughts and doubts.
Eph. 3:16-19: “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Being filled with the fullness of God. Isn’t that something you desire in your life?
Before we knew the Lord, the only world we knew consisted of what we could touch and see and feel-the physical world.
But now we have been made a new creature in Christ who can live and thrive in both in the natural world and the spiritual world.
Now, I want you to imagine you hear the Lord calling you to go deeper in your Christian walk, to maybe a place you haven’t thought much about.
God desires you to allow Him to take you to a position of intimacy where the things of this world fall away, a place where it’s just you and Him.
Unfortunately, some people prefer to stay on the surface of their Christian lives and not dive into the deep with God. They prefer to rely on what they do by their own strength, keeping God at a respectable distance.
To them it’s safer that way. They might compartmentalize God…He goes into the religious box, and I can still live my life the way I want to.
But the Spirit’s voice will always call us on to a place of unnatural depth because it is there we must totally depend on the supernatural sustaining power of God to understand the things of the Spirit,
and it is only in that state of total dependence will we be able to form a complete
and intimate relationship with the Father, living a full life in that glorious position as a child of the King. What can’t survive in the deep with God? Your old man. Your carnal self.
In Eph. 4 we’re told:
“Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it!
And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned
life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as
God accurately reproduces his character in you.”
A life renewed from the inside out, reproducing God’s character in us.
As we put off our old man and put on the new self, we are also able to assume another posture--one of adoration that enables us to go beyond our circumstances.
Worshipping when we are in pain, worshipping when we lose loved ones, lose jobs, lose those things that we all too often lean on for security. Praying, meditating, listening and worshipping gives us the strength to remain vibrant and fruitful even when the pressures and challenges of the natural world try to make us ineffective.
Do you ever get confused or unsettled? If so, run to your Father for understanding and peace.
Jesus warned us that in this world we will have confusion and trials but what are we to do? We are to rest and trust because He has overcome the world.
Always remember that this
position is not earned; it’s bestowed.
To know your position
is to live from the deep assurance that you’re already accepted, chosen, and
loved by the Father.
So what have I learned about my position in the Lord?
First, that I all too often forget who I am in Him. I’ve learned that my forgetfulness is a sin because it minimizes the cost of what it took to place me in the position as a daughter of the King.
I am learning that when I begin to feel out of sorts, feeling just too weak to be of any value to the Lord that I need to stop trying to spiritually thrive on my own and lean into God’s strength and allow the Spirit to breathe His life back into me. Kind of a holy CPR.
I am learning that my position is something that should be protected because where does the enemy seem to attack us the most? He tries to undermine who we are with devious reminders of what we were before.
All too often the enemy of my soul tries to distort this blessed position telling me I am worthless. I am nothing.
When these words begin to drift into your mind what should you do?
Remember who you are, that the price Jesus paid places you in a heavenly position that corrects the distorted picture that enemy tries to paint.
I am, we are, beloved daughters who, because of Jesus’ position, are privileged to be able to stand with Him on that day.
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And the last word the Lord shared with me? Purpose. This is a big one.
What is my purpose? Why am I here? These are questions we’ve all asked at one time or another.
Why is it so important to understand your purpose?
I saw a video where someone asked ChatGPT this question: if you were the devil how would you destroy men in the 21st century? Chat responded with: I’d start by removing their sense of purpose.
John Eldridge said that
as Christians, even though we live in a love story it is set in a world at war.
And because of this,
there are times when something can roll in like a poison,
perhaps a feeling of
being disheartened, even a feeling of contempt for our callings.
When this happens we
have to be careful not to make an agreement with those feelings. “You’re right.
I can’t … I don’t know how to…then it’s a short trip to “I won’t…”
It’s a kind of death to
your flourishing.
If this is happening to
you, you need to ask, “What is poisoning my purpose?”
This is important
because we need to be faithful to the purposes God has given us.
But what are those?
First let’s go broad. As
a collective church we are to glorify God, worship our Father. To testify. To
share. To love and reach out to a hurting world.
But when I thought about my individual purpose I felt a bit lost.
Over the years our
lives change. What we were able to do ten-twenty years ago we’re longer able to
do.
But God has been
showing me that His purpose for me is not defined or restricted by my age or my
physical capabilities.
When our hearts are
right with God, we are smack dab in the middle of His purpose for us.
Know what He showed me about
my purpose?
Last week it was giving
an 87 year old a ride to the eye doctor and emotionally supporting her as she
received a needle in her eye.
These past few years
it’s been to use my creativity to honor God.
To daily commune with
my Savior, to read His Word and be ready to share.
Do we think about these
everyday things as a purpose?
When you became a
Christian you were invited to participate in God’s ongoing work of love,
justice, and renewal.
Because your purpose is
not merely functional (what we do) but deeply relational (who we are) we live
out a holy purpose, not as some spiritual to do list but a day to day
relationship driven by intimacy and love.
From the book, Living Stones, the author wrote: “What
purpose does God have for my life? What does he have for yours?
As much as we would
each like to think that it is to do grandiose things for His kingdom in all
likelihood God has a shorter list for us. Maybe only one thing.
The real challenge is
to not let my own spiritual ambitions no matter how lofty or well-intentioned
blind me to the one purpose God might have in my life. When life nicks us up,
we can take one of two attitudes.
We can either be so
overwhelmed with grief that we are no longer of any use in the kingdom or we
can use our dents and dings as aides in making the remaining part of our
journey straighter and truer than a life without blemishes could hope to be.
A life lived inside of
God’s will is free from risk because our end is secured.
There needs to be no
fear in living out and pursuing God’s will for your life. He’s got it.”
One day I was watching
a Joni Erekson video at a time when I was entertaining my pain way too much.
I was so taken with and
convicted by what she said, that I wrote it down. I’d like to share some of this
with you.
She said, “After nearly
55 years in a wheelchair there is one Bible verse that really describes me. 2
Cor. 6:10: sorrowful yet always rejoicing.
That’s right, even in
my most happy moments believe me there was always an accompanying sorrow. Part of my inside
sadness is related to my constant pain.
She continued, “The
other part is more sweet and even joyful. Given the way that that same pain
has stretched my soul’s capacity for Jesus is the way Christians who suffer
live. Come on and admit it.
Even in your most glad
moments the mingling of sorrow never goes away. And to be honest I would never
wish it away because that coexistence of sorrow and joy is one of the best ways
I can describe my nearness to Jesus.
Being sorrowful yet
always rejoicing is for me a kind of litmus test telling me this joy that you
are experiencing it’s not frivolous.
It’s not superficial so
be grateful, be glad in that. And to be sorrowful yet always rejoicing makes
your faith and mind wonderfully conspicuous to others.”
Have you ever thought about your pain stretching your soul so that your faith becomes wonderfully conspicuous to others?
Know what the Lord said to me when I prayed about my purpose? I think He may be saying the same things to some of you, too.
He said, “You coming to
me, you loving me, you desiring to share me with others, you worshipping, you
leaning in deep even when everything hurts—you are my living purpose.”
“You living out your relationship with Me is
the overall purpose I have for you. Yes, there are specifics to purpose—some
teach, some evangelize, some take in orphans. Leave the specifics to me to
reveal to you at the appropriate time.
Do not run after
purpose. You will find it in me when you seek Me with your whole heart, your
whole mind, and your whole soul. You might be surprised at what I show you, and
what I open up for you.”
But as we seek the Lord, there can be times when we become doubtful, times we’re afraid to step out into the purposes the Lord has for us because we are either fearful of falling short or fearful of the cost.
In Lynne Rienstra’s book Sacred Refuge she speaks to this and
encourages us. She wrote, “Jesus may be saying something like this to you…”
“Beloved I know your heart. I see the fear that has crept unnoticed into your mind. It steals your peace and causes you to hole up in your own small world as a safe place to ride out the current cultural storm.
But I tell you now, it is time to leave behind your fears and insecurities. All you see is your inadequacy, but I have designed you as a life-giver.
This is your original purpose, now fully redeemed and empowered by me. I have created you to shelter and protect others.
Your deepest desire, though you hardly dare admit it, is to arise as a life-giving change maker in these darkening days. I know your knees are knocking. I see your hand shaking as you take up the sword of the Spirit, daughter.
You are fighting the voice that attacks you even now: “Who do you think you are? Are you really ready to take on this fight? Go back to your distracted and drowsy existence before things get ugly.
Here is your response to the lies that voice speaks. Remember exactly who you are in me. Rehearse it: “I am a blood-bought child of the King of kings. As his beloved daughter, I now put on the whole armor of God. “
So how does posture, position and purpose affect our everyday life with the Lord?
My son shared some things with me that bear sharing with you. He said,
“This framework of posture, position and purpose is a living echo of the Trinity reverberating through your soul. It is how heaven breathes through a human life.
Let this revelation
dismantle shallow religion. Let it crack the shell of performance. It’s not
about what we do. It’s about who we are because of who He is.
Let it awaken you to
the terrifying beauty of being a participant in the inner life of God. You are
not just following God—you are indwelt by Him.
You do not simply
observe the Trinity—you are being drawn into their holy orbit, caught in the
gravity of perfect love.
When your posture mirrors the Son’s humility, you are no longer striving for control—you are liberated into divine surrender.
When you live from your
position in the Father’s love, you are no longer an orphan scrambling for
worth—you are anchored in eternal belonging.
And when your purpose
aligns with the Spirit’s mission, you are no longer wandering—you are ignited
with heavenly fire.”
After all is said and done what have I learned? That I need to exchange my rut-stained past for the steady, smooth sound of a life set free to walk, to run, and to stand in His grace.
I’ve learned that I can
stop believing and living like I am damaged goods and live like the redeemed,
renewed daughter that He died to make me.
And I’ve learned that
He has equipped me to live triumphantly in this natural world and the spiritual world, drawing breath
from the depth of His grand love.
Each morning, ask not “What do I need to do?” but rather,
“Father, remind me who
I am.” (your Position)
“Jesus, shape my heart
again.” (your Posture)
“Holy Spirit, set me
loose in your purpose.”
Let’s pray.
Saturday Night
We’re doing something a
bit different this evening with the small groups. Instead of having some
questions to discuss in your groups before prayer, we’re going to focus on the
prayer.
Nancy asked me to do just
a small teaching to help prepare us for prayer.
I was a bit stumped at
first about how to do this. When I prayed for direction, I found myself coming
back again and again to the question, “What’s the point?” Can you tell I was
having a bit of a crisis that day?
But I realized that if
we’re not confident that there’s actually an answer to that question, not just
about the retreat topic but to most everything else, it’s really hard to look
ahead with confidence .
So I’d like to briefly share
with you how God answered the question “What the point?” for me. I pray you
will be inspired to discover the point for yourselves as you go into prayer
this evening.
So—what is the point of
looking at posture?
The point is there’s a
reason we’re called to stand straight and firm, out of a strength that comes
from His strength, not to stand rigid
in our own fleshly power that refuses to bend with the wind of His Spirit.
The point is that we’re
called to willingly walk in His ways, open to possibility, at His pace, not out of a proud habit that
sets our own pace.
The point is we’re
called to assume a posture of prayer, not a religious pose that seeks to
elevate a religious spirit but a meek posture that bows before the throne.
And, most of all, we’re
called to mirror our Savior’s posture of humility and obedience, bending to our
Father’s will.
And so what’s the point
of looking at position?
The point is that we
desperately need to learn what it means to come to the throne with humble
assurance.
As we approach God with
a humble heart, we are assured He will accept us, hear us, and hold us close.
1 Corinthians 8:1-3
says, “We sometimes tend to think we know all we need to know to answer these
kinds of questions—but sometimes our humble hearts can help us more than our
proud minds. We never really know enough until we recognize that God alone
knows it all.”
If we don’t understand
our position as daughters of the King, saved by His blood, we’re likely to look
to what we do to justify us, not to who we know.
If we don’t know what
the point is to understanding our position in Christ we will wilt under the
pressures of this world and misunderstand how to seek His refreshment and His
power.
And lastly, what’s the point of looking at purpose?
Because without
understanding how a godly purpose differs from an ungodly one, we’re like a
glove without a hand..
I saw a video on facebook that spoke about a
glove being made in the image of a hand. By itself the glove has no purpose.
But once a hand slips
into the glove it is now able to fulfill its purpose.
Without God filling us,
we are just like that lifeless, floppy glove.
Because when you’ve got
impossible decisions to make, when the bottom falls out of your relationships,
when you’re facing impossible odds with your health, your job, your finances,
or your family
You need to allow the
Lord to fill out your life with His will and His purposes.
He has given you
everything you need to be a hope and a light to the world.
Ask the Lord to show you how to use your gifts, how to take a step out and share with those around you.
No matter how hesitant
or how insecure we might be, the Lord desires you to share your gifts with
whoever He puts in your path.
So, what’s the point?
Did anyone ever see the
1971 cartoon The Point narrated by Ringo Starr?
The Point tells the
tale of a boy named Oblio, the lone round-headed person in a kingdom where
everything is pointy, including the citizens.
Oblio, and his dog
Arrow, are banished to the Pointless Forest and must find their way back to the
kingdom.
The tale starts with a song that begins with
asking some very important questions: “Are you sleeping? Can you hear me? Do you
know if I am by your side?”
“Are you sleeping?”
So are we sleeping? Eph.
5:14 says, “Wake up from your sleep, Climb out of your coffins; Christ will
show you the light! So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every
chance you get. These are desperate times!”
We cannot fall asleep
because our God never sleeps.
Psalms 121:3-4 “He
won't let you stumble, your Guardian God won't fall asleep. Not on your life!
Israel's Guardian will never doze or sleep.”
“Can you hear me?”
Can we hear the Lord
speaking to us through Scripture and through His Spirit? If not, who or what
are we listening to?
And the last question: “Do you know if I am by your side?”
Do we really know,
really believe He’s not just beside us but dwelling within us?
As we assume a godly
posture, a holy position and a sanctified purpose we give God the glory, we
give Him honor, and we give Him praise.
So as you go into your
prayer groups, be assured that there is an answer to the question, “What’s the
point?”
And as we lift our
voices up to the Lord let’s be reminded that He is the answer to all our
questions because when it comes down to it? He is the ultimate point of
everything.
Sunday Morning
This morning, I’d like to briefly continue looking at position,
posture and purpose. I know, I know. You’re thinking, isn’t she done yet?
But this time I want us to consider how they come to play out
in the desert temptations of Jesus. You might ask, “Really? Isn’t that a
stretch?”
Well, I thought the same thing until my son shared what the
Lord had spoken to him about how these three words were related to the
temptation of Jesus.
As we get ready to leave the retreat today it’s important to understand
this connection because all too often we’re sidelined by these same kinds of temptations
and need to be equipped to answer the enemy’s attacks in the coming days.
Because you see, the enemy’s tactics haven’t changed since
the garden. He’s still taking God’s Word and distorting it.
Did you ever wonder why each time Satan tempted Jesus he responded with Scripture?
Remember in Matthew 4 right after Jesus was baptized, he was led by the Spirit to a lonely, desolate, and uninhabited place to be tempted, to have His faith and virtue tested, and His character enticed to sin.
Isn’t it
just like the enemy to attack us when we’re alone and vulnerable?
The first temptation struck directly at and
challenged Jesus’ position as the beloved Son of God.
Barely had the Father's voice affirmed Jesus at the Jordan –
“This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” – than the tempter
arrived with the challenge,
“If you are the Son
of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
This wasn’t merely an appeal to physical hunger after forty
days of fasting;
It was a direct attempt to provoke Jesus into proving His
divine identity through what was essentially a display of self-sufficiency.
He was trying to undermine Jesus’ position of absolute trust
in His Father’s will.
How does the enemy strike at us, especially when we’re weak and vulnerable?
Ever have the enemy attack your position as a child of God as he whispers in your ear, “If you
are a daughter of the King, why don’t you just take matters into your own
hands?
Stop waiting for God to meet your needs. Just do it yourself,
in your time, the way you want to. You can still your own hunger.”
The enemy tempts us to take control of our situations and
supply our own needs and sever reliance on the Father’s active provision.
If Jesus had taken it upon himself to turn stones into bread by His own initiative He would have chosen comfort and control over resting in His position of trust and submission to His Father’s will.
How did Jesus reply? “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God,”
These words powerfully showed that Jesus’ position as the Son of God was rooted, not in miraculous self-provision, not even in proving His divinity, which he could have easily done, but in unwavering obedience and absolute trust in the Father’s sustaining Word.
We are also called to this kind of obedience and trust.
When we’re tested, when we’re hungry, when we’re without
are we tempted to take matters into our own hands rather than
wait on the Lord to provide?
If we do, we’re choosing control and comfort over humble
submission.
And I don’t know about you, but I would much rather put my faith
in God’s hands instead of my own frail, and at times, unstable hands and trust
He’s more than able to provide.
The second Temptation: This temptation challenges posture and was aimed directly at Jesus’ posture – how He stood in the face of temptation.
Satan brought him to the pinnacle of the Temple, a place of public display and spiritual presumption, and dared Him to make a spectacular leap, even quoting Scripture back at Him:
“If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down… for it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
This was a temptation not to prove Jesus’ power as we might think, but to force God’s hand, demanding a miraculous display that would bypass the long, difficult path of faithful obedience and quiet submission that Jesus came to walk.
It would have bypassed the Cross.
This challenge sought to distort Jesus’ posture from one of
perfect confidence into one of demanding manipulation, testing God rather than
revering Him.
It suggested that true sonship entitled Him to immediate, public vindication and
protection without the need to patiently trust in the Father’s
chosen, often hidden, ways.
Do we ever find ourselves in a place where we want immediate vindication for something?
Have you ever felt the enemy say to you, “If you are a daughter of the King, go ahead make a spectacle to show the world…God would want you to…”
Or has he ever thrown a Scripture at you, taken it out of
context to fit what you want, not what God wants?
Are we familiar enough with the Word to be able to answer the
enemy’s lies with the truth of God’s Word?
Jesus answers with, “Again it is written: ‘Do not put the
Lord your God to the test,’”
His response demonstrated that a genuine child of God is defined by a posture of patient obedience, waiting for God to lead, rather than attempting to force His hand.
In these coming days as the attacks on Christians intensify be mindful of the temptation to take matters into our own hands as we demand vindication rather than trusting and waiting on God’s timing and methods.
“Vengeance is mine” says the Lord; it’s not ours.
Jesus’ posture of utter dependence would ultimately lead Him to the Cross, where perfect submission brought about ultimate victory. Oh, think about what it would have cost us if Jesus had not been obedient.
What is
the cost when we’re not obedient?
The last Temptation 3: challenges purpose
The final temptation was a grand assault on Jesus’ ultimate purpose:
What was that? His Messiahship and the establishment of God’s
Kingdom.
Displaying all the kingdoms of the world in their earthly glory, the enemy offered a tempting shortcut: immediate universal dominion, if only Jesus would bow down and worship him.
Satan is all about short cuts, isn’t he?
Satan wanted Jesus to compromise with evil and worldly power,
bypassing the Father's divinely appointed path of suffering and sacrificial love.
To accept this offer would have been to replace the purpose of bringing true, spiritual freedom with a lie, ultimately undermining the very nature of the God Jesus came to reveal.
Can you imagine how the demons trembled when Jesus spoke, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only,’”
Whenever we’re tempted to bypass God’s will of humble service to rather choose some grand spectacle of service, shout out the words, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
Jesus would establish His Kingdom, not through the devil’s
offer of worldly power, but through the Cross.
We have a Lord who understands how we’re tempted, but He’s given us examples of how to maintain a humble posture,
how to stand firm in a godly position and how to choose our
Father’s will for our lives and live out the purpose He has for us.
So as we go into a time of testimony remember it’s not a time to prove we have every answer to all of our questions, but
a time to share how the Lord might be bringing us up and out,
in and through whatever is currently before us.
And remember we have nothing to fear because as Mylon LeFever wrote in the song, Warrior::
“Come on home to the Father. Come on home to the Son. Come on
home the battles over. Christ has won.”
