wilderness

Jesus, He Went His Own Way, Luke 4

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Jesus, He Went His OWN Way, and the devil went away (for a while). Jesus stood strong against temptation by the devil in the wilderness, which is where the Spirit led Him, to pray and fast, which was to fulfill prophecy. Jesus prevailed by speaking His OWN Way of Scripture into His direction. Jesus quoted truth: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’, and ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’, and ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’… Quoted from the truth. Jesus also rebuked the wrong use of Scripture when the Devil tempted Him. We too must remember that the evil one twists truth, but Jesus lays our way and His Way STRAIGHT… 

Follow Jesus really closely and don’t let the devil distract. Let Jesus Keep Us On Track.

Like Jesus, in hunger, reach for the daily bread of His Word over the worldly wilderness of wanting. 

And keep walking…

Amen 

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Luke 4:1-13 NKJV

Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.

And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ”

Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”

And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.  For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,

To keep you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ”

Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.

AIM – Angels in Ministry – Even in the Wilderness, Mark 1 and the Psalms

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Fast Fast – we like everything FAST! And yet we yearn to slow down…

We also think too fast and comprehend too slowly – we are human.

We need a moment!

Even Jesus went to the wilderness – more for just a moment – He went 40 days at times – such a long time…  Actually He wanted to go, did not hesitate – and he went to rest NOT like a spa but to be apart from the world but in the mind of His SPIRIT – Jesus went to pray, to fast, to be tempted like us humans, and to demonstrate worship in the way He knew was the best way – to completely TRUST – by being completely in God’s Hands.

And God sent angels.

God ministered to Jesus (like to us) with extra hands of angels. God told Jesus (and those there at John the Baptist’s scene) that He was Pleased with His Son. Then Jesus took the time out to go to the wilderness. Mark’s gospel is the shortest but to the point:  And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

Jesus already knew that the Spirit led Him there – required Him to Trust – would be there WITH HIM. 

Angels are everywhere – the wilderness is wild but not barren.

My cat sits sometimes looking at the wall – I wonder of her wondering – but I think she is looking at angels who are telling her to sit – to wait – to rest. I can’t even imagine the angels who are attending me attending us – except that they are – and that they are for all of us for God’s Spirit in us sake. Angels are working all the angles in our lives – especially the spiritual battles that we are not even paying attention to. “Angels are all around us” – we say this phrase but do we know the scriptures? I went to google and “AI” found angel scriptures. Really “AI” is algorithms for the searching, then let us say “AIM”, I will make a new acronym, to be “Angels in Ministry” – and for us to be in the receiving. The AIM of life in this wilderness of earth is for us to be in the receiving – in the trust – in the living of our lives. 

All around us is God’s AIM – that is God’s Angels in Ministry.

Let us accept their help.

Amen

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Mark 1:9-13 NKJV

 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him.

MORE AIM – Angels in Ministry:

Psalm 91:11-12: “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone”.
Psalm 34:7: “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them”.
Hebrews 1:14: “Are not all of them ministering spirits sent out to serve, for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?”
Matthew 18:10: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.”
Exodus 23:20: “See, I am sending an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.”