Day 15

Day Fifteen

Matthew 4: 5-7 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, "if you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written; He shall give His angels charge over you, (Psalm 91:11), and, in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone (Psalm 91:12)." 7 Jesus said to him, "It is written again, "You shall not tempt the Lord your God," (Deut. 6:16).
Once again the devil puts his twist on things to make it look like God is saying its ok to do what is in reality a foolish thing. In Psalm 91 the writer is saying that those who dwell in the presence of God, those who follow Him He will protect. But what He is not saying is that the Lord will protect those who jump in sin and then ask to be protected from the consequences. I am curious just how often the enemy has taken scripture out of context and gotten us to be side railed waiting for God to bail us out of a place He never intended for us to be in. As scary a thought as it is, and though I know in my own life it has happened on far too many occasions, thanks be to the Lord that He doesn't walk away and leave us. We must learn to be wary, to wait and be patient, to seek the Lord diligently and to test the things we hear and feel long before jumping into the fire. Here of course satan was just playing his foolish game hoping to catch Jesus unaware and vulnerable in His flesh. Do you think if he would be brazen enough to attempt this with the Son of God that he would likewise attempt it with you? Let us also look at how Jesus battled the enemy; first of all He used the Word, but not just any passage, He used one that was most appropriate. Deuteronomy 6 is a chapter intended to instruct the Israelites to warn them of dangers and temptations and remind them of their God when they cross over to possess the promised land. Jesus was about to fulfill the promise made long ago of the Messiah; He was about to establish His rule over the entire Earth, Heaven, and Hell. The tempting of the Lord in verse sixteen is in direct correlation and speaks of a warning not to follow the gods of the land, but rather that we serve a jealous God whom we should not tempt. Yes it does us all well to know our scriptures, because as you can see when used out of text they can be dangerous to us, as well as those we influence. However when used properly and in text, the scriptures can and will be a powerful tool for all; are you spending time in them so that you might know them?
Daily Prayer: Father help us to see the distractions of the enemy afar off, may we recognize his schemes and plans for what they are and not be caught unaware, that we might be able to prepare ourselves with the weapons of our warfare. Amen
"Confusion is a pit with no bottom unworthy to be even peered upon"
Gene Burroughs Servant