Don't Bite

While reading our devotional the other day, something stuck with me about how when Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, He never took the bait. When Satan would quote a scripture to Jesus, but out of the wrong context, Jesus would say "it is written", and He would not fall prey to Satan's ploy to destroy His faith in His Father's word.

For example in Genesis when the serpent (who was evil in disguise) tricked Eve into eating the apple by making her think that maybe Adam had not heard God right and maybe it was ok to eat the apple. In other words he put doubt in her mind and in her heart. So you see, she took the bait, she bit, where Jesus did not bite, because He knew the word, and He would not let the devil trick Him out of His faith. His faith level was where it needed to be, so that He did not take the bait. In other words, he didn't bite.

Genesis 3 v 2-4.....and the woman said to the serpent, "we may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die'. Then the serpent said to the woman, "You shall not surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."........

Eve bit! For lack of knowledge.

Matthew 4 v 1-4...Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones become bread." But He answered and said, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."......

Jesus didn't bite! Because He knew the word of God. You see He could've turn the stones into bread to prove the devil wrong, but He didn't need to, He had enough faith to know that God was going to take care of Him, and the devil was just trying to make Him doubt.

That is why it is so important for us to know the word of God and know what He says, and that is why we read it for ourselves so that the Holy Spirit can interpret for us what God is saying so that when the tempter comes against us and tries to tell us, well you know your family history, everybody in your family has had this, or you can't do that, it is too hard and that is just too much work, or well you know what the statistics say about that, according to statistics it will never work, and on and on and on and on. You better have the word of God in your heart to speak back at the tempter and rebuke the negative things they say. The tempter comes in all forms of disguises, he could come from one of your family members, or friends who think they are telling you what you need to hear, but you know that doesn't line up with God's word. Don't just have the word in your head, because Satan had the word in his head, but not in his heart. You see when the word is in your heart that is faith, because you believed it and stored it in your heart. When you memorize scripture in your head, and you do not mix them with faith and put them in your heart, then all you have is a box of useless words. AMEN!
Neta