Jesus in the Wilderness
Listen to this story and hear how Jesus triumphed over Satan.
Before You ListenLet's Get Started
Theme: Doing What’s Right - God Sends A Savior
- Temptation is the desire to do something, especially something wrong. Can you think of a time when you were tempted to do something wrong?
- We can be tempted to eat food we know we shouldn’t or to take something that isn’t ours. People can also tempt us to do things that we know are wrong. As you listen to this episode, think about the things that Satan tempted Jesus to do and how Jesus responded to these temptations.
After you listen
Memory Verse
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
Quiz
A: Jesus’ Baptism
Reflect
At the moment of his baptism, Jesus experienced an incredible moment of calling; the Holy Spirit had descended upon him, and God the Father had proclaimed his love for his Son. After that, Jesus went into the desert to prepare for his ministry life. In the desert, Satan tempted Jesus to doubt himself and who he was. He tempted Jesus to abandon the love and calling from God. The devil tempted him with food, popularity, and power. He made it seem that everything would have been easier for Jesus if he’d just give in and take what Satan offered him. We know that he did not give in. Jesus relied on God’s word to stand up to these temptations.
We are tempted all the time as well. These temptations often urge us to take the easy way out of a hard situation. Why spend money on something we want when we can just take it? Why be nice to someone we don’t like when it’s easier to be mean to them instead? Why do our chores if we can get away with not doing them? Why? We know it is the right thing to do and what God wants for us. God will help us resist temptation if we ask him for it. And just like Jesus, we can rely on his word, the Bible, to give us the power to make wise choices and do the right thing.
Want to dig deeper and learn more about resisting temptation? Check out James 1:13-18, 1 Corinthians 10:13, and James 4:1-4. Learn more about Jesus’ baptism and temptation in the desert in Matthew 3 and Matthew 4.
Challenge
One of the best ways to stand up against temptation is to be prepared by knowing God’s word. Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Memorizing scripture is a great way to hide God’s word in your heart.
- Spend some time each day reading and memorizing God’s word. Start with the memory verse from this devotion, or check out other Bible stories for more verses to memorize.
- Here are some great verses to memorize: John 3:16, Deuteronomy 6:5, and, for a challenge, all six verses of Psalm 23.
