What does it take to overcome temptation?
In Matthew 4, Jesus enters the wilderness and faces the devil’s temptations immediately after His baptism. In the wilderness, Jesus shows us how to resist temptation, stand firm in our identity, rightly understand Scripture, and refuse the shortcuts sin offers.
The wilderness may be one of the worst places to be—but it can also become one of the best places for spiritual formation. It is where God exposes what is in us, teaches us dependence, and prepares us to become people who can crush the serpent rather than be ruled by it.
In this message, Ethan Bricker explores three common ways temptation works:
• Scratch the Itch — when legitimate desires become opportunities for sin.
• Is God’s Will Flexible to Mine? — when we manipulate Scripture or demand that God accommodate our desires.
• Sexy Splendor vs. Matchless Beauty — when the enemy offers shortcuts to things that can only truly be received through God.
The way forward is simple, but not easy: flee to the Scriptures and flee to the presence of God.
Jesus has given us what we need to overcome. We may not overcome perfectly every time, but in Christ, God has still called us overcomers.
Go crush serpents this week—and teach others to do the same.
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