Prepared Before the Battle

 

Scripture:

“Yeshua, full of the Ruach HaKodesh, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness… When the Adversary had finished tempting him in every way, he left him until the next opportunity.”

— Luke 4:1, 13 (CJB)

 

Reflection:

Something profound stands out in the temptation of Jesus. He was full of the Holy Spirit—and then He was led into the wilderness. Forty days of fasting. Forty days of isolation. And when He was physically weakest, the enemy came.

 

The devil didn’t come with force. He came with whispers. With shortcuts. With twisted truth. And how did Jesus respond? Not with power displays. Not with angels. Not with arguments.

 

He responded with the Word of God.

 

Jesus—fully God, fully man—fought temptation the same way we are called to fight it: by knowing Scripture and speaking truth. He didn’t negotiate. He didn’t explain Himself. He stood firm on what was written.

 

That convicts me deeply. Because when temptation comes—and it will come—the question isn’t if we believe in God. The question is: Do we know His Word well enough to stand on it?

 

I know what addiction feels like. I know what it’s like when temptation hits hard and fast. In those moments, I don’t rely on my strength—I stop and pray. I remind myself who I am in Messiah. I lean into the truth that through Him, I have self-discipline, not defeat.

 

But that strength is rooted in knowing the Word.

 

Encouragement:

Brother, sister—what temptation are you facing today? What still lingers in your heart? If we don’t know the Word, we won’t recognize the lies. And if we don’t recognize the lies, we won’t be ready for the battle.

 

Scripture isn’t just something we read—it’s something we live, store, and draw from when the wilderness comes. Every day we wake up, we step onto a battlefield. And the most important preparation we can make is to be grounded in the Word of God.

 

“Store my words in your heart, so that you won’t sin against me.”

— Psalm 119:11 (CJB)

 

Stay rooted. Stay ready. You are never fighting alone.

 

—

Rev Carlos Figueroa

TheFreeBible.Org