Until Another Time : Luke 4:13 : What Jesus Did! : HEARTLIGHT®

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Until Another Time - Luke 4:13

The devil finished tempting Jesus in every way and went away to wait until a better time. (ERV) Full Text

Key Thought

There is a haunting and ominous tone to Luke's summary of the Devil's departure. While Jesus may have won this encounter, Luke wants us to know that the evil one will be lurking nearby for an opportune moment. Defeated this time, the awful deceiver will choose his time and his methods carefully. We know that ultimately the greatest test will occur in the Garden of Gethsemane and on a hill we call Calvary. Of course, there will be skirmishes in between. Jesus would win them all. No demon, no evil, no power could stand against him. However, the evil schemer would not sit idly by while Jesus' ministry soared. He would use Jesus' own disciple, Judas, for his plan of betrayal, mockery, and death. He would crush Jesus' strongest and most vocal supporter, Peter. He would bewilder all the disciples and they would forsake their Rabbi and abandon him in his moment of need. Yes, the Devil is a dirty street-fighter who plays by his own rules with only one goal -- to destroy all that is good and godly. Please, dear Christian, never doubt the reality, the deviousness, or the ferocity of this opportunistic adversary. At the same time, realize that the one you worship has triumphed over the Devil and his minions and has promised us his Spirit to help us do the same.

Today's Prayer

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Glorious God, the great Almighty, give me confidence and courage because of Jesus' victory over the devil in every battle, big and small. Please help me share in the ultimate victory when the Lord Jesus returns in his glory. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Today's Verses in Context

Jesus returned from the Jordan River. He was full of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit led Jesus into the desert. There the devil tempted Jesus for 40 days. Jesus ate nothing during that time. When those days were finished, Jesus was very hungry. The devil said to Jesus, "If you are the Son of God, tell this rock to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written {in the Scriptures }: 'It is not just food that keeps people alive.'" Then the devil took Jesus and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. The devil said to Jesus, "I will make you king over all these places. You will have power over them and will get all the glory. It has all been given to me. I can give it to any person I want. I will give it all to you, if you will only worship me." Jesus answered, "It is written {in the Scriptures }: 'You must worship the Lord your God. Serve only him!'" Then the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem. The devil put Jesus on a very high place of the temple. He said to Jesus, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! It is written {in the Scriptures }: 'God will command his angels to take care of you.' It is also written: 'Their hands will catch you so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.'" Jesus answered, "But it also says {in the Scriptures }: 'You must not test (doubt) the Lord your God.'" The devil finished tempting Jesus in every way and went away to wait until a better time.

— Luke 4:1-13 (ERV)

The Good News that we tell people may be hidden. But it is hidden only to those people who are lost. The ruler of this world (the devil) has blinded the minds of people who don't believe. They cannot see the light (truth) of the Good News--the Good News about the glory of Christ. Christ is the One who is exactly like God.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (ERV)

We do live in the world. But we don't fight in the same way that the world fights. We fight with weapons that are different from the weapons the world uses. Our weapons have power from God. These weapons can destroy {the enemy's} strong places. We destroy {people's} arguments. And we destroy every proud thing that raises itself against the knowledge of God. And we capture (catch) every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (ERV)

So you people are not faithful to God! You should know that loving the world is the same as hating God. So if a person wants to be a part of the world, then he makes himself God's enemy. Do you think the Scriptures mean nothing? The Scriptures say, "The Spirit that {God} made to live in us wants us only for himself." But the grace (kindness) that God gives is greater. Like the Scripture says, "God is against proud people, but he gives grace (kindness) to people who are humble." So give yourselves to God. Be against the devil, and the devil will run away from you. Come near to God and God will come near to you. You are sinners. So clean sin out of your lives. You are trying to follow God and the world at the same time. Make your thinking pure.
James 4:4-8 (ERV)

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HEARTLIGHT^® Magazine is produced by Heartlight, Inc. HEARTLIGHT is a registered service mark of Heartlight, Inc. PO Box 7044, Abilene, TX, USA 79608-7044. Copyright © 1996-2009. Heartlight is supported by Westover Hills Church, Southern Hills Church, and loving Christians from around the world. Scripture quotations are taken from the Easy-to-Read Version copyright © 2001 by World Bible Translation Center. Used by permission. All rights reserved.