Matthew 4:5

Devotional by Ellyn Wilkoff
(as written to her grandson)

This week’s devotional is a cautionary tale about listening to Satan’s lies. We must be careful to know and listen to God’s voice even as many other voices surround us and try to draw us away from Him.

3/16/23

Dear Glenn,

This is the hardest prayer-story Nana has tried to write. It is a sad story but it is a warning to challenge us to lean into Jesus’ character and expose the lies of Satan.

Once again in the wilderness setting of Matthew 4, Satan comes to Jesus. Satan pretends Jesus is a teenager and gives Jesus a TikTok challenge – “Kill yourself by jumping off the highest place in Jerusalem, the temple.” vs. 5

This boy, Erik – because of curiosity or because of a dare – took his own breath away to the point of death. His mom wants to tell other families about this in order to save them from the grief of losing a son.

Everyone was sad when Jesus died. He died for us and he knew that his Father would raise him to life eternal. Jesus did not die to fulfill Satan’s challenge.

I am praying that our God will teach us about and save us from lies that Satan tells that lead us to destructive choices. We have been given a gift. 1 Corinthians 6:19  says: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;  20  you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

The costly gift of Jesus’ death on the cross should inform our character and be the proof that we need to honor God in our thoughts first and then in our bodies. If we ever have thoughts that don’t teach us more about the Hope we together have in Jesus, we need to tell our thoughts to Jesus and someone we trust. We all need help to receive truth so that we can be at peace with our thoughts and again be able to receive our savior Jesus’ love. He is the mighty God that we can rely on without testing Him (Deuteronomy 6:16).

This is a lot to think about today. May this be a topic of conversation which is revisited as you grow.

Much Love,

Nana