THE CHRISTMAS STORY ~ DAY 4: After His baptism, Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. Some say that Jesus went there deliberately to engage Satan in this conflict, it seems more reasonable that He went there to commune with the Father so that He would be clear regarding His calling. For 40 days Jesus fasted as He drew near to the Father. And He was tempted by Satan.

We sometimes think that Jesus' temptations were not real because they were not exactly like the temptations we face daily. There was never a sinful pull or sinful memory inside of Jesus, like we tend to have. In many ways, Jesus' temptations were more real and more severe. Often times for us, the pressure of temptation only relents when we give in. Jesus never did. He had to withstand a much greater pressure of temptation than you or I ever will.

In His temptation Jesus answers Satan with the same resource that is available to us: the Word of God used by a Spirit-filled believer. When we are faced with temptations, look to the Word of God as our sword. There is no temptation so strong that we can’t handle with Jesus by our side.