I won’t blog every day about my journey back into quiet time and devotion…I respect your inbox. 🙂 However, in light of yesterday’s post and commitment, today’s quiet time was so apropos.

This morning I was in Matthew, the end of chapter 3 and the first eleven verses of chapter 4.  The Lord knew I needed to be there, at the beginning of this journey towards self-discipline and daily quiet times. John the Baptist baptizes Jesus and the Holy Spirit descends at the end of chapter 3.  From there, Jesus heads into the wilderness to fast for forty days.

Satan comes to him at the end of the forty days and tempts him, first with food, then with miracles, and then with power. In each case, Jesus responds with verses straight out of the Old Testament.  And on the third instance, Satan left.

All it took to resist the devil was three small verses.  Yet those verses represent a lifestyle of being in the Word. How much easier will it be for me to resist the temptation to be resentful or anxious or envious if I’ve enveloped myself in the Bible each morning? I don’t know the degree, but I do know that my sensitivity to the Spirit will increase.

1 Peter 5:10 says “after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

This battle against temptation and sin is not fought by myself. God, HIMSELF, perfects and strengthens me.  My example to follow is Christ…he was tempted and he turned to the Word of God.

The Lord is faithful to encourage me in my walk with Him. May His name be praised and His wonders be told.