Armored Up

“’Get out of here, Satan,’ Jesus told him. ‘For the Scriptures say, You must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.’ Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.” - Matthew 4:10-11 
 
When it comes to facing temptations, Jesus gave us the perfect blueprint to follow. As we have seen over the past few days, Satan tempted Jesus on three different occasions. And here we are, over 2,000 years later, with Satan tempting us while using the same three appeals he used with Jesus.

But no matter what Satan’s strategy or what he tried to get Jesus to fall into, Jesus responded the same. It is not like a playbook where you have to remember “do this when Satan does this... but if he does that... then you have to do this...”  

Nope, it is actually super simple. Jesus used SCRIPTURE as His armor against Satan’s temptations. That’s right, each time Satan tempted Him, Jesus quoted Scripture to help Him stand strong in the midst of the temptation.
 
He did this on purpose. Jesus, throughout His life, gives us the blueprint for how we should live. Here is a man who lived 33 years on earth and was BLAMELESS. He never once sinned though He faced temptations just like you and me. And in Matthew 4, He gives us the blueprint.

After Satan’s final temptation, Jesus responded by saying, “’Get out of here, Satan,’ Jesus told him. ‘For the Scriptures say, You must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.’ Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.”
 
So the next time Satan tempts you, you do not have to feel hopeless. And you do not have to feel defenseless. SCRIPTURE is your armor as you go to war. That is why it is so important that we are reading God’s Word so that when temptation comes our way, we can recall the Scripture that stands against temptation.  

Will you be armored up the next time temptation presents itself?