The following verses are really just shocking! Matthew 4:5,8 each makes the statement that the devil takes Jesus up! But the Holy Spirit didn’t “take” Jesus; He led Him. How did the devil take Jesus anywhere? In His mind? Maybe. But, the Holy Spirit physically led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. I am thankful Jesus’ example is recorded in the Bible because now I know how to submit to God who does NOT force Himself on anyone and how to resist the devil and make him flee (James 4:7). God doesn’t want to control people; He wants to bless us beyond our wildest dreams! The Creator, or Father, delights in us delighting in Him. He really is good y’all and nothing contrary to that statement can hold water.

The Spirit leads; the devil takes!

The following verses are imperative in understanding why the Bible says that the devil is the god of this world and why so many sincere Christians get stuck in the “God is in control” rut.

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Matthew 4:1-11

The Devil is out to Destroy

Just like in the Book of Job, we tend to give the devil more power than he actually has. After Jesus’ birth, an angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him to take Jesus to Egypt until further notice. That is why we don’t hear about the devil coming after Jesus until God announces in an audible voice from heaven that Jesus is His beloved Son!

And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.

Matthew 2:13

Satan is a Liar and Cheater

See how the enemy works? He doesn’t fight fair! Satan was trying to kill baby Jesus. Just like abortion today, he was willing to kill off as many babies as necessary. He doesn’t mind at all trying to kill, steal, and destroy even our children. He is evil! We need to know his tricks and schemes and FIGHT! The devil doesn’t try to invite us to submit to him. He uses lies, deception, guilt, fear, manipulation, condemnation, etc. to trick or force us into doing his will. When we recognize and contrast the enemy’s ways with God’s ways, we can be aware of who it is we are really submitting ourselves to and make any necessary changes. God gives and gives! The devil takes!

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.

Matthew 2:16

No matter what spin the enemy puts on destroying innocent babies, he is out to steal, kill, and destroy human beings who are made in the image of God.

Practice Self Control

We see the same kind of forced control in our own governments today. People who won’t even practice their God-given right to the self-control of their own bodies and their own lives want to dictate and then enforce what other individuals should or shouldn’t be allowed to do! I have seen leaders in the church using criticism to bully others into doing what they think is right based on their personal circumstances instead of God’s Word! They are teaching their followers to act based on fear instead of teaching them to stand on the Rock! Let’s be led by the Spirit not allowing the devil to take us up and tempt us with fear.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

1 Peter 5:8

Why did the enemy stop trying to kill Jesus?

The devil didn’t even know where Jesus was until God announced Him with an audible voice from heaven! I included Matthew 3:16 below too because it is so important to realize that Jesus didn’t start His ministry until after He received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Matthew 3:16-17

At this point, the enemy was again aware of Jesus being the Son of God that he had put in Herod’s heart to kill as a baby.

Walk in Power

God leveled the playing field by instructing Joseph to keep Jesus hidden until He was an adult and had grown in knowledge and favor with God and with man. He also had the power from on high by being baptized with the Holy Spirit. Jesus was able to resist the devil and make him flee because Jesus knew what is written. He also chose to obey God and to obey what was written.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

Luke 2:52

Jesus didn’t force John the Baptist to baptize Him but asked him to allow it. John chose to submit to Jesus even though John said that he wasn’t worthy to baptize Him.

But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

Matthew 3:14-15

Don’t be deceived. God is not forcing Himself or His ways or thoughts on any human being. We must seek Him and His kingdom and choose to know Him and to obey! If we are not actively making this choice and being discipled, then we are submitting to and even worshipping the wrong god!

The Temptations

Notice that Jesus didn’t say, “Well, God knows my heart and how hungry I am!” when Satan told Jesus to turn the stones into bread. No. Jesus told the devil what is written. Then the devil takes Jesus up onto a pinnacle of the temple and questions Jesus’ identity. This reminds me of the enemy slinging symptoms of death and disease at God’s children and then saying, “Well, I thought that you were healed by Jesus’ stripes!” If the enemy can get us into a place where we are trying to prove God’s Word, we begin fighting a losing battle. It is not up to us to prove God; only to believe Him! That is walking by faith and not by sight.

Believe God’s Word

The Bible plainly tells us that we will face persecution, temptations, trials, and tribulations. We must identify these things for what they are and believe God’s Word anyway! That is when God can pour out blessings and everything He has for us. With the world, seeing is believing. But with God, believing God leads to seeing God’s promises manifest with our physical eyes.

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

John 16:33

Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

Matthew 13:21

With Persecutions

But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.

Mark 10:30

“With persecutions” is a fact that God is warning us will come because we live in a fallen world under the control of the god of this world. Satan’s followers will bring the persecution simply because just like the world hated Jesus, they will hate us. In Matthew 13:21, above, Jesus is explaining the parable of the sower and says that tribulation and persecution arise because of the Word! The first ground Jesus explains is those who hear the Word but don’t understand it. Those are the only ones that the devil can come and steal the Word right out of their hearts. The ones who do understand but have not been discipled are attacked with tribulations and persecutions so that they will be offended and turn back.

Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

John 15:20

Even Christians will persecute each other.

But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

Galatians 5:15

Persecution is the Cross We Must Bear

If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple…

So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:26-27, 33

In God’s Sovereignty, man’s free will is the only thing God couldn’t or wouldn’t nail to the cross. God cannot lie (Hebrews 6:18). God cannot change (Numbers 23:19). Yes, there are things that God cannot do. God is love; therefore He can only love (Jeremiah 31:3). As I explain in the post, Get Behind Me Satan, sometimes telling the truth even when it hurts is the most loving thing we can do.

But, Hate My Family?

In The Will of God, there are several verses explaining that those who hear God’s Word and do it are God’s family. Jesus is explaining this because His own mother, Mary, yes, the virgin birth Mary, and Jesus’ siblings had come to “talk some sense” into Jesus. Many Christian disciples will be at least rejected if not completely persecuted by their own flesh and blood family! It hurts! Count the cost. Father, forgive them! It hurts; Jesus’ own family wanted Him to calm down too. It can be embarrassing for them. Move forward. They will come around…or they won’t!

Owe Nothing But Love

While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. That is God’s kind of giving without expecting anything in return kind of love. We can love just like that because He first loved us. Don’t let anything or anyone keep you from seeking first God’s kingdom! Just as Jesus says in Mark 10:30, God is sending His faithful family members to love and support you, and talk with you about Him constantly, a hundredfold, all over the world!!! These family members stick closer to us because we are on the same mission with Jesus to tell the world.

Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

Romans 13:8

God’s Amazing Love

I love Isaiah 41. God tells His people, Israel that even though they have acted lowly as a worm, that God will forgive them when they cry out to Him. He will destroy anyone who has risen up against them. And then He will turn the desert place into a lush forest with a river running through it for them to inhabit just to show His enemies and theirs that He is the one who created it all anyway! I love Him so much!!!

That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

Isaiah 41:20

Jesus Saved Even When We Were His Enemies

How awesome is our God!!! Let’s remember too that we were all God’s enemies at one time and that we have all sinned and fallen short of His glory. What we haven’t ALL done is accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. So before we get all gung-ho about judging and condemning other people, let’s remember that we are all made in His image, and He is crazy in love with the whole world (John 3:16). Hell is for demons not people and has to expand her mouth to receive those people that reject such a great salvation as the one God has provided for His beloved. It is God’s will that none should perish, but He cannot violate the free will He has given to people.

As for “hating” anyone who persecutes you, they have their own beliefs. The Bible says to him that knows better, it is sin. That means to me that if they don’t know any better, we should just pray for them and let them be. Remember, we are called to love others. That’s it! Man, that is freedom!!!

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

James 4:17

I have heard my mentors say, “Drive in your own lane!” Don’t judge someone else’s calling or mission. If you are like me, you have enough to keep you busy with your eyes on Jesus not what everybody else is doing. Hallelujah!

Learn to Mind Your Own Business and not be Broke!

And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

1 Thessalonians 4:11

God’s so cool y’all! I love Him and I love His Word! “Mind your business and do your own work so you won’t lack anything!” Are you lacking anything? Be quiet and work with your own hands! Hallelujah! Or keep lacking! It’s your choice! God gives choices. YouWillWantTo choose LIFE ETERNAL!