God will often give us a word which challenges us, seeking to implement change in our lives. He gives us both direction, and directives. God will give us information, that leads to revelation, that should result in a transformation! And when that begins to happen, I believe the enemy begins to get "nervous," sensing that something awesome is about to take place. Whenever God does something in you, the devil raises the level of his activity against you. When God speaks to you, Satan strikes at you. When God fills you, the devil fights you!
And, at times, there seems to be an unusual sphere of warfare going on. There are times when things begin to attack us that never have before, and affect us in ways we would never think possible. I can’t even put it into words, except to say, that, the magnitude of the move of God that He is wanting to bless His children with, has caused the devil to attack, fight, and battle us at a different level. SATAN CAN’T STOP GOD, so he comes to keep us from being able to be a part of what God is doing.
Whenever God begins to lead you into something greater, the devil will do anything and everything to keep it from happening. He doesn’t want you to access more of God, or reach the higher place in God’s will and purpose for your life. And so, the battle intensifies. As someone has said, "New levels, new devils."
God’s Word is powerful, and cannot directly be stopped. But many times we fail to realize that many things that God has said is conditional. An example would be 2 Chronicles 7:14. That whole passage and promise hinges on the word, "IF." There are conditions to meet in order to get the word to come to pass, and if they’re not met, it can make void, or nullify the word God has spoken. So, there are things we must do to facilitate the move of God, promised through His Word.
And this text in Matthew 4 helps us understand that when God has spoken a word, that word will be tested. Actually, it’s not as much the word being tested, as it is our faith in and commitment to that word. It reveals the warfare that ensues whenever we’re on the verge of progress, or increase, or of launching into new areas. After Jesus was baptized, the Spirit descended on Him as a dove, lighting upon Him. Then, a voice resounds from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
The goal and aim of all believers’ lives is to please God. We would love to hear such a word. But it caused a showdown in the desert, between good and evil, between Jesus and Satan, and it will cause the same in us. Satan wants to test, try, and seek to devour all those who are pleasing God in any way, at any level. Jesus had the tetimony of Enoch, "that he pleased God," but His commitment is about to be tested.
Satan came at Jesus in three different areas. The Father was pleased with Jesus up to this point. But if Jesus failed in any of these areas, that divine testimony would have been voided and nullified. So we can look at this passage and learn how to stand strong in time of battle, and gain much help by having the three areas we’re fought over revealed.
Every Spiritual battle is over something, and I believe that this is insightful as to THE THREE REASONS FOR EVERY SPIRITUAL BATTLE. So, what is the war over?
1. THE WAR IS OVER THE WORD OF GOD. Jesus had just heard a fresh word at the end of chapter three. This wwas the first time in His life and ministry that this had been said, so you could say it was a REVELATION. Something concealed was now revealed. And after this revelation, came a great intensifying in Spiritual warfare. That’s one reason battles come. THEY COME ACCORDING TO THE LEVEL OF REVELATION KNOWLEDGE WE OBTAIN.
Whenever God reveals something to you that you previously did not know, or He gives you a freshly proclaimed promise, Satan will come to battle you over that word! When the Word becomes alive in you, and revelation is imparted unto you, Satan will begin to war with you over God’s Word. John 1:14 says, "And the Word became flesh......and we beheld his glory...." Any time the Word becomes flesh in you, and it becomes a reality, Satan knows you’re a step closer to seeing the glory of God, or to seeing a promise fulfilled in your life.
Mark 4 teaches us that the Word is a seed. The Word of God comes in seed form. And when the Word is sown, Satan is perched, ready to devour the seed, to keep it from taking root, from producing, and from bearing any fruit to the glory of God. *And let me say that it is usually over a revelatory Word that the battle comes. many people who know the Word of God in PRINCIPLE, but not in PRACTICE, will not fight the battles that others do. It’s when the Word becomes FLESH!
And many people are living on the level of INFORMATION, and not REVELATION. And when revelation knowledge comes, Satan will intensify His attack, trying to get you to go to other sources to sustain you and help you. He’s coming after the Word! But you have to look back and say, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God!"
But we can also see.............
2. THE WAR IS OVER THE WILL OF GOD. In v. 5-7, this was not a suicidal temptation. there were many people at the temple at that time. jesus could have popularized Himself through an awesome display, in the angels bearing Him up. But that was not God’s will and purpose. It was God’s will that He take on the nature of a servant, not a celebrity. (I know several preachers who need to remember that.) And though this twemptation was over more, it was partly over the WILL OF GOD.
Many of the battles that we find ourselves in are over the same thing. Satan will come and try to force us out of focus, trying to cause the will of God to become fuzzy, and unclear, so he can get us sidetracked. Satan doesn’t want you to get to your God-ordained destiny. he doesn’t want to see God’s plan for your life materialize and be fulfilled. Therefore, he will attack you at a greater level, and try to hinder you progress in accomplishing God’s plans. Satan will offer you an alternative to God’s will. But you must stand strong and stay focused on what God has spoken to you to do!
Then, finally we come to............
3. THE WAR IS OVER OUR WORSHIP OF GOD. Matthew 4:8-10 teaches us this principle. Satan came blatantly at Jesus, showing Him all the world’s kingdoms, and their glory. And though the devil comes at us for the same purpose, he often comes in a subtle fashion. The devil has NEVER said to me, "Fall down and worship me." But he HAS tried to deviate and destroy my commitment to God. he has tried to fill my life with other things, and with other people, that would occupy time that I could and should be spending with God!
And so, in that sense, the devil has fought me - and probably you - over the area of WORSHIP! Many times we can find ourselves withdrawing from the physical act of worship for various reasons. But the number one way Satan does that is by getting us preoccupied and misfocused on other things. He begins to attack us by making things in this world appealing and luring, as he tries to lull us to sleep, getting us to focus on the wrong things, the wrong areas, and the wrong people.
But jesus stood up and said, "I’m not getting distracted. It is written, ’You shall worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve!’" Satan will attempt to diminish the intensity of our love for God, and the passion with which we express it. But Jesus showed us the three areas in which Spiritual battles comes, and by example, taught us that we can overcome, standing strong in our commitment to the Lord.
We must maintain our faith, trust, and commitment to the WORD of God, the WILL of God, and our WORSHIP of God. For if you can maintain those three areas, you will go a long way in winning the war, long before it gets started. For, THAT’S WHAT THE WAR IS OVER!
