“And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.”

Luke 4:1-2

The devil tempted Jesus for forty days as He fasted in the wilderness. Then, he tempted our Lord with three major temptations. While the temptations are diverse, they each have a common theme — Will Jesus trust His Heavenly Father for all His needs?

The same is true for us. Regardless of the particular temptation, we need to trust our Father to provide for our needs. And the best way to remember that God will provide for us is to do exactly what Jesus did. When faced with trial, He turned to the word of God for answers and direction.

Temptation, large or small, can be very difficult to overcome. However, the path to victory, regardless of the particular temptation, is learning to trust God for your every need.

If you are like me, you handled the past few months in a variety of ways. At first, the idea of a killer virus may have frightened you. Or, you may have been cavalier from the beginning and determined to not be afraid of anything. I hope that I can learn from the way I handled the stress and confusion, both good and bad. I encourage you (and myself) to reflect on the months during the pandemic, and examine when you trusted God and when you did not. Don’t let it discourage you if you became overly fearful. Learn from the experience. God brought you through it!

Jesus faced temptation and trial with the word of God. I have certainly learned that more Bible study and application of scripture in my life would make for a more faithful front to the enemy. May God bless us to cherish His word in times of peace so that we can wield the sword of the spirit in times of spiritual warfare!