Follow Jesus' Lead

Luke 4:1-13

There are so many lessons to be learned from these few scriptures.  So many lessons straight from Jesus’ experiences with Satan.  First of all, we see that the devil will tempt us, will attack us, no matter who we are.  We see that he will offer us many things; he may even give us many things in order to capture our mind and soul.  But we also see how to stand strong in the face of Satan---we follow Jesus’ lead by fighting the tactics of Satan with the Word of God.  We see Jesus do this with each attack.  So no matter what promises of this world are offered to you, never waiver from the Truth!  Jesus knows Satan’s weak spot; he knows that he cannot withstand the Word of God---why?   Because it is the truth and nothing about Satan is truth, he is the father of lies, and lies only, we can never find any truth in him, and we can never find true satisfaction in him.  Jesus is the only way to the truth, He is the only one that can completely satisfy our soul, our mind, and our heart…and He will.

All this makes me think about the movie Courageous.  My family and I watched it Friday night and we were all blown away by such a powerful message.  Jesus has not called us to be a weak vessel that can’t withstand the trials of this life, no, he has called us to be strong and courageous, but there is a catch.  We cannot be strong and courageous within ourselves; we have to depend upon Jesus to give us that true strength and courage to stand and stand strong.  We may seem weak on the outside, but when we allow Jesus to use us and follow his lead there is nothing impossible for us.  Lately I have been getting so frustrated with how so many people behave, actually disappointed is a better word for how I have been feeling, and I let that take away from my joy, but I realize now that even that is a tactic of Satan.  He knows what causes me stress, he knows what pushes my buttons and you can bet he tries every chance he gets…but I am here to tell you that he will never get me!  I not only know who Jesus is, I know him personally and I love him more than I can ever express in words.  I know that I will stumble, but I also know who will be there to lift me up.