Matthew 4:8-11
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and
attended him.
Ephesians 6:17-18
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Reflection
Things have not changed since Jesus’ temptation in the desert. There are still forces in this world that are working to keep us from worshipping what we should and that is our Lord Jesus Christ. So it is not easy to get ourselves away from these things that seek to grab our time and attention away from our central point, which is the worship of God in Jesus Christ. That is why we must stay rooted in God and wear the armor of God. John Wesley stresses that even if one has this armor, resisting the powers of darkness requires engaging in incessant prayer so as to exhibit continual dependence on God not just on the gifts He gives. It is hard work and sacrifice to worship in spirit and truth. For it involves letting go of our preferences in favor of God’s purpose and battling a world that gives us a myriad of other choices to be our personal gods. It is only through the power drawn from prayer and intimate
relationship with God that we can resist temptation and make God first in our lives. Take time to set aside when you will spend time with God in prayer tomorrow. Then take some time today.
