Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign pastor Chuck Allen, back with another weekday podcast. And today I want to talk about Jesus's temptation following 40 days of fasting in the desert. Now, if you were listening in last Friday, I talked about kind of what happens. Post that today. I want to rewind the tape a little bit. And let's talk a little bit as we drop into this story found in the Gospels.
[00:00:31] Now in Matthew 4. One, the new living translation puts it this way then. Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. For 40 days and 40 nights, he fasted and become very hungry. Now, let's just stop there. Led by the Spirit into the wilderness.
[00:00:51] That's wild. The Spirit led him there.
[00:00:54] This wasn't punishment. It wasn't failure. It wasn't a diet. It was formation.
[00:01:00] Sometimes the desert, the dry season, the wilderness. It isn't a sign that you've messed up. It might actually mean God is preparing you for something greater. 40 days, 40 nights, empty stomach, dry mouth, lonely horizon. And it's in that place at his weakest that the temptations show up, just like us.
[00:01:20] Satan says, turn these stones into bread. Or he says, throw yourself off the temple or bow down, and I'll give you all the kingdoms of the world.
[00:01:29] Temptation has this way of saying, hey, you could shortcut this. You could take control. You could prove yourself right now.
[00:01:39] And don't we feel that? I mean, the voice that whispers, you should be further along by now, man. I mean, you should prove your worth. Look at all that you're accomplishing. Or you could fix this if you just bend the rules a little bit. But watch what Jesus does to every temptation. His response is rooted in scripture, rooted in trust.
[00:02:00] Not one time did he let the pressure define him. I mean, listen, y'. All. I mean, Satan goes all gangsta on Jesus. I mean, if he'll go gangster on Jesus, how much more is he going to come after us?
[00:02:14] I mean, just keep that in mind. But not one time did Jesus let the pressure define him. Not once did he let the enemy frame his identity.
[00:02:24] Instead, he rested in who God already said he was.
[00:02:28] Remember, this happens right after his baptism when God says, this is my dearly loved son who brings me great joy. So while the accuser tries to make Jesus earn it, prove it, grasp for it, Jesus simply stands on what's already true. And here's the encouragement for us today.
[00:02:47] Our wilderness doesn't disqualify us. It might actually clarify who we are, our hunger, our weakness, our questions. They don't make us less in God's eyes. They make us more dependent, more open, more ready to receive you see, while the enemy shouts at us, prove yourself the Father, God. The Father whispers, you're already mine.
[00:03:11] So if you're in a wilderness today, if you're feeling a little empty or tired or worn, know this. You are not forgotten. You are not failing. You might be exactly where the Spirit is forming you. And in that desert place, angels, just like with Jesus, are nearer than you know.
[00:03:33] So you may resist the voice that says you're only as good as what you achieve.
[00:03:39] You may cling to the truth that you are beloved before you do anything.
[00:03:44] And may your wilderness become not a graveyard, but a garden where God prepares you for all that's still ahead.
[00:03:52] That's the good news today, y'. All. Thanks, friends, for listening in. I'm really grateful for you, and right now I'm praying for you. So go live in peace. And thanks for joining me on today's weekday podcast.
