Walk by the Spirit
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Romans 6:6,14
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Galatians 5:16
But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Matthew 4:1-13
1. Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2. And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry. 3. And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread." 4. But he answered, "It is written, `Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" 5. Then the devil took him to the holy city, and 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 will give his angels charge of you,' and `On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'" 7. Jesus said to him, "Again it is written, `You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'" 8. Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; 9. and he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." 10. Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan! for it is written, `You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'" 11. Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and ministered to him. 12. Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee; 13. and leaving Nazareth he went and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,
Roamed around through scripture again this morning! Started out in Ezekiel, and thought that was all a bit much for a Monday morning! Ended in Matthew, and then when I logged on to begin my morning routine, these 2 scripture were waiting for me through the “scripture e-mail” newsletter I subscribe to. Believe it or not, I often find that the scripture I ultimately feel led to share, is of the same theme – and sometimes the same scripture I receive through this e-mail service! It’s a wonderful affirmation, and encourages me that I’m on the right track!
Temptation. Sin. Gratifying the desires of the flesh. This theme is as old as time itself, isn’t it!? The bible begins with Adam and Eve and their temptation in the garden. By the time we arrive at the New Testament, Satan has had a long, long time to roam the earth, seeking out his victims. And there were many, some more willing than others! And still, even after Christ we are tempted. Even though we know the truth, and in spite of God’s grace, we continue to sin.
In Matthew, Satan tells Jesus, ‘If you are the Son of God” but my notes indicate that he means “Since.” He freely acknowledges that Jesus is God, but he recognizes that with the limitations of his humanity, he has a pretty good chance of working his ways on Jesus. After all, he’s hungry, tired, and faces a painful, difficult, agonizing future! Satan counts on that—or maybe he just hopes for a crack in the “full armor of God.” What he forgets is that while Jesus is physically weak and spent, he is spiritually fortified and empowered. After all he’s just spent 40 days with God—just the two of them—preparing for his life’s purpose.
Satan forgot that part! As mere humans we are powerless against the evil in this world. But when we immerse ourselves in scripture, when we study and question and seek, when we turn our lives over to God, through Jesus, we access great power, untiring strength, and immeasurable courage, relentless and mighty desire to spread the good news of the risen Christ. That’s how we defeat Satan! And he doesn’t like it when we tap into that! The cross is stronger than any weapon ever conceived of by man. The broken, beaten, brutalized body of Jesus upon that cross symbolizes every evil desire within us—and he paid the price and took the punishment for all of us. The Holy Spirit continues to roam the earth – two steps ahead of Satan every time!
It’s not easy to live in this world. It’s very easy to succumb to our human-ness. But we must remember that one who came to earth a long time ago, conquered even our most egregious sin and freed us to become like Him. God loves us that much. That He wants to become like the Son he sent to save us. And He won’t ever give up on us. He fulfilled that promise for all time on Easter morning.
In His image and likeness. That is not only a challenge and goal, but a blessing beyond description, imagining or comprehension.
I hope you spend your day walking by the spirit, basking in the light of Christ.
Mary
