It Is Written

Have you ever wondered why, when Christ was tempted in the wilderness, the angels didn’t come to minister to Jesus until after Satan left? I think that would have been a pretty exciting supernatural battle. The answer is simply because Jesus had what he needed to win the battle.

Suppose an intruder invaded your house. The intruder forces himself into your house and tries to take control of your home. Your entire family is terrified as the intruder battles for control. All of a sudden, you remember 911. If you can just get to the phone, you know that help is near. You manage to get to the phone and make the call.

Moments later, two police officers arrive and enter the battle to defeat the intruder and win your home back. The intruder proves to be extremely strong, and the two officers find themselves unable to subdue him. They make a call of their own, and several other officers arrive. Soon the battle is over and the intruder is taken away and locked up. Calling 911 proved to be the answer to your problem. Because you called 911, the victory became yours.

As Christ-followers, we possess a 911 number to dial when we find ourselves under attack from Satan and his minions. Our 911 number is “it is written.” That’s the same “number” Jesus dialed when he found himself attacked by Satan. In Matthew chapter four in the Bible, the battle is recorded for us. Satan went on the attack, trying to tempt Jesus when he was tired, hungry and most vulnerable. That is what he does.

The event played out this way: Jesus was in the desert after fasting 40 days and nights.

The Bible says, “The tempter came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’ Jesus answered, ‘It is written, Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Jesus was tempted two more times after that and every time his answer was the same: “It is written.”

When we are attacked and challenged, our response is to be the same as Jesus – “It is written.”

You see, Satan can handle you, but he cannot handle the Word of God. When we respond with the Word of God, it is as though we have a direct line to the power of the Holy Spirit and the very Throne Room of God.

The problem is when we try to fight the battle ourselves. We are no match. In the same way, Satan is no match for the power of God. When the intruder forces his way into your life, don’t try to win the battle yourself - make the call. When we call upon God’s Word, we are reminded that God has spoken and he didn’t stutter. Memorizing the number is pretty important when you need it.

Learn more at www.newlifeonline.com or follow Steve Lingenfelter on Twitter, @stevOLL.