When you’re in the wilderness -- when you feel beaten up and beaten down, abandoned, alone, helpless, tempted, tested, and tried -- take heart. There is a way out. Follow Jesus. In his wilderness time of tempting, testing, and trials, being beaten and battered by the devil and doubt, he is our example to follow and our hope to hold onto. He passes to us the knowledge of power and the know-how to use this power against our enemy. This "Inspirations" message will be the first in a two-part examination of this power and how to use it.
Know you are not alone. "Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil." Did the Spirit then say, "I’ll leave you alone. Work it out yourself. Good luck. See ya in forty days." God did not abandon Jesus, and God does not abandon us in our own wilderness times. We have God’s promise. Jesus promises to be with us "even to the end of the age." And Paul, from his own wilderness experiences, assures us that nothing can separate us from God’s love to us through Jesus Christ. God is not a fair-weather friend. God does not promise us no wildernesses but to go through our wildernesses with us. We also have one another. Jesus sent his disciple-emissaries out in pairs. Paul was never without companions. I would not have survived my own wildernesses without the support and companionship of Christian friends. When you find yourself in the wilderness, who ya gonna call? Call upon God in prayer and call one of your Christian sisters or brothers on the phone. You are not alone. That’s the first lie the devil will want you to believe. Don’t believe it for one second.
Know who you are. The devil rarely tries a frontal assault right off. He prefers a sneak attack. The serpent didn’t say to Eve, "Here. Eat this fruit." But, "Did God really say that?" How did the devil open his attack on Jesus? "If you are the Son of God." The devil tries to sow doubt to undermine our sense of self -- our identities. Jesus remained certain of his identity. He knew himself to be God’s Beloved Son, in whom God takes great pleasure. Satan’s stratagem didn’t work on Jesus, and it won’t work on us. No if, ands or buts, you are God’s beloved son or daughter, in whom God takes great pleasure. God has created you according to God’s purpose; you have a destiny. Who you are is not determined by how others see you or treat you or define you or by what you have. No power can take your identity from you. German reformer Martin Luther often felt under assault by the devil. At such times, he would say, " I am baptized. I am a child of God." When the forces of sin, evil, and death are against you, take refuge in your identity as God’s beloved child.
