Divine Power

               Recently we shared the story of when Jesus was tempted. He had been in the desert, fasting for 40 days, when Satan came to him and tempted him. First, Satan told him to turn stones into bread, because he was hungry. Next Satan took him to the pinnacle of the temple, where he told Jesus to throw himself down because God would send His angels. Third, Satan took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world. Satan offered these kingdoms to Jesus if he would bow down to him.

               As we shared this story with the ZK, we talked about the common temptations. For many ZK men, alcohol is their greatest temptation.  For the women, it’s often gossip. We discussed how, for me, Satan isn’t going to try to tempt me with alcohol because that’s not my weakness. But it’s important to understand our personal weaknesses.

Honestly, I know that I am inclined to listen to Satan’s lies. That’s my weakness—the lies that try to convince me that I’m wasting my time in Pine Hill. The lies that my children are missing out on all the American experiences—sports, music lessons, Sunday School, etc. How do I defend myself against the temptation to believe these lies? 

               The greatest lesson from this story is how Jesus overcame the temptations that Satan was throwing at him. His greatest weapon was the Word of God! If Jesus used Scripture, shouldn’t we also? And if we plan to use this mighty weapon, we must first train with it. Read it! Study it! Talk about it. 

 “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.

 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have

divine power to destroy strongholds.

We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God,

and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”

2 Corinthians 10:3-5