No Shortcut Savior
He was victorious
The devil said to [Jesus], “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.’” — Luke 4:6-8
Jesus was no shortcut Savior. In this passage, the devil hurled a temptation at Jesus, and the devil’s goal was to try and convince Christ to bypass the Cross, but Jesus’ mission was ultimately the will of the Father for His Son.
Whenever we experience temptation, Satan has the same goal in mind: to keep us from doing the will of the Father.
However, our enemy’s weaponry has not changed throughout the ages: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Satan used all three temptations on Jesus, yet He didn’t take the enemy’s bait. And Jesus gives us His power to resist temptation just as He did.
Remember, most temptations are a shortcut that Satan wants you to take. We can find strength, though, in the Word and in the indwelling Christ. As we abide in Christ and stay grounded in the truth of the Word, we will not be interested in shortcuts. After all, we are on a journey with Jesus! Also, because He didn’t take a shortcut in order to avoid the cross, we have a living Savior who is always with us, even in the very moment of temptation. Because Jesus was victorious, we too can be victorious.
Lord, I thank You for my victory over temptation through the power You provide me. Your indwelling presence and Your Word keep me victorious. You are so good. I praise You, and I thank You for sharing with me Your victory over sin and death. Amen.
