Jesus and God’s Word

God the Father opens the heavens and speaks to Jesus, declaring his love, affirming Jesus as his Son, and expressing that he is well pleased with him. What a moment in Jesus’ life. Immediately afterwards, Scripture tells us that the Spirit of God led Jesus into the wilderness. Why? What for? What would be waiting for him there? Take a look.

Questions from your reading

• What is Jesus experiencing physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually during the forty days in the wilderness?
• What do you believe was the Father’s purpose in leading Jesus into this wilderness experience?
• Why do we often need to go through wilderness experiences? See Deuteronomy 8.
• What other questions do you still have?

Reflecting on your reading

Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan himself. After forty days of testing and hunger, the enemy comes again. Jesus is weak, tired, and very hungry. Pay close attention to what Satan says:

“If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” (Matt. 4:3)

This temptation is a direct attack on the truth of God’s words. At his baptism, the Father had just affirmed Jesus’ identity: “You are my Son.” Satan’s tactic is to call into question what God has clearly said. This strategy isn’t new—he used the same approach in the Garden of Eden:

“Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Gen. 3:1)

Satan is cunning. He plants doubt in order to distort the truth. When we begin to question what God has said, it destabilises our confidence and identity.

Satan wanted Jesus to doubt what the Father had just declared. He offered temporary satisfaction—something to ease the hunger of the moment—yet these temptations aim to steal the Word of God from our hearts and undermine our new identity in Christ. If he can get us to doubt God's voice, he can immobilise us, and eventually, draw us into disobedience.

But notice how Jesus responds: he quotes Scripture.

“...man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from out of the mouth of the Lord.” (Deut. 8:3)

Jesus fights the enemy with truth. He resists temptation by standing firm in the Word of God. The same weapon is available to us. The key to overcoming temptation is not willpower—it’s the Word.

Also, notice that this wasn’t the last time Jesus was tempted. Luke tells us:

“When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.” (Luke 4:13)

Temptation is a daily reality. Scripture reading and meditation is like a spiritual bath—it purifies and strengthens us (see Psa. 119:9). When temptation knocks, will you be ready like Jesus was? When the enemy questions your identity in Christ, will you respond with truth?

Make a habit of memorising Scripture. It’s your sword in the battle (Eph. 6:17). The writer of Hebrews presses the point:

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12)

Let the Word take root—and start fighting back.

Applying what you’ve read

The key to overcoming temptation is to live by every word God gives. Have you felt the enemy’s attack recently? His goal is always the same: to make you doubt what God has said. That doubt leads to unbelief and eventually to disobedience.

Don’t fall into the trap—follow Jesus’ example and immerse yourself in God’s Word.

The second root that must be established in the life of a Christ-follower is the Word of God.

Spend time today committing these identity-anchoring verses to memory: 1 John 3:1 and Hebrews 11:6. Then, have a conversation with a friend about temptation and how to overcome it together.