Remember His Faithfulness

Often, after the mountaintop, there is the valley. Often, after the blessing comes the challenge. The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness took place after He was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptizer. God the Father said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17 NKJV).

The next verse tells us, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1 NKJV). After the blessing came the temptation. We should not be surprised when those things happen.

Jesus said in the parable of the sower, “Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them” (Matthew 13:3–4 NKJV). This reminds us that the Devil attacks when we’re trying to reach people.

When you seek to share the gospel with someone, expect satanic opposition, because you’re entering into a time of spiritual warfare. Mark’s gospel tells us about a desperate father who had a demon-possessed son. He said to Jesus, “Have mercy on us and help us, if you can” (Mark 9:22 NLT).

Jesus had a very strong reaction to this. He said, “‘What do you mean, “If I can”?’ Jesus asked. ‘Anything is possible if a person believes’” (verse 23 NLT).

Effectively Jesus was saying, “Of course I can handle this. Don’t forget that I’ve walked on water, healed a blind man, and raised someone from the dead. You need to have faith right now.”

When we’re facing trouble in our lives, it’s a good idea to remember God’s faithfulness to us in the past. We may be tempted to think that God has forgotten about us or abandoned us, but He hasn’t. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever.