Who Is In Control?

SCRIPTURE: Luke :3-13
³ The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone.’”

⁵ The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. ⁶ And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. ⁷ So if you worship me, it will all be yours.”

⁸ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”

⁹ The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. ¹⁰ For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
¹¹ they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

¹² Jesus answered, “It says: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

¹³ When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

OBSERVATION: I have heard this passage taught and have taught it myself many times, and I have always heard it divided into the different temptations and discussed. The first area of temptation was physical needs and appetites, the second was desires of the mind and heart (power, riches, fame), the third was in the area of identity. All true. But what struck me as I was thinking about this just a few days ago was that there is a common thread through all the temptations that I had never really noticed before. It is the issue of control. Was Jesus going to control his own destiny in any way or was he going to surrender control to God, his Father, in everything.

APPLICATION: I think this is still the central question that all of us humans struggle with. It is the crux of what being a Christian is all about. Who has control of my life? I have the right to take control or to give it to anyone or anything else. It is a daily decision to give control of my life to God. And I can learn from this passage how to be successful in doing that. Jesus used one weapon to defeat Satan's deceptions and enticements. He used the Word of God. That is a primary weapon that I need to be skilled in using. Jesus went before us and did everything to give us all we need to defeat the devil in our own lives. He overcame the worst the devil could do---kill him; and he lives to help us overcome our adversary. Hallelujah!!

PRAYER: Thank you, Lord, for going before us in everything an for doing all that is necessary for us to gain victory over all the wiles of the enemy! Teach me to rely on every promise in your Word and to pray in the Spirit, using all the defensive and offensive tools you have given me to defeat my adversary. I give you control of my life. In Jesus' Name, Amen.