Daily devotion

Desert Temptations

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Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:1

The great temptation that we face is to seek help and hope and honor from men instead of being satisfied with what God Alone provides.

A desert is an empty and dry place where little survives and what grows there is gnarled or covered with thorns. But the Spirit led Jesus there and He will certainly give to us seasons to be there also. It is not a place we would have chosen but it is necessary, because there we learn to depend on daily bread baked in our quiet time with Him, rather than the seemingly spectacular loaves that the world’s advertisers insist we must buy.

There on the rocky paths He sends His angels to guard us along a plain pathway. That protection covers us as we brave necessary dangers of obedience not the thrill of showing off our freedoms and rights for everyone to see.

He doesn’t require us to gain worldly fame instead He simply gives us fruitfulness as we obey His command to love those around us.

If we want to find God’s joy and peace and love then we need to look for them where Jesus did. Only there, out in the wilderness can God faithfully show us His way. In that place Jesus was satisfied that the Father was completely pleased when He trusted in His word. If Jesus had to live in humble surrender rather than by insisting on His rights then how much more should we?

Our Helper In Prayer

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The Spirit of God not only maintains this hope within us, but helps us in our present limitations. For example, we do not know how to pray worthily as sons of God, but his Spirit within us is actually praying for us in those agonizing longings which never find words. And God who knows the heart’s secrets understands, of course, the Spirit’s intention as he prays for those who love God. Romans 8:26-27 Philipps Version

Last week we looked at being able to pray with confidence because Jesus taught us and encouraged us to come. This morning we are looking at how we can have confidence because Jesus went far beyond simply instructing and commanding us to pray. He does more than stand by and listen to our requests. The Bible tells us that at those times (For me often) when we don’t know how to pray, that He sends His Spirit as our Helper to give us hope, direction and understanding in prayer. In fact, God knows us so well that He and provides both daily bread, and the ability to realize when we need it. He pours out both mercy as well as the spirit repentance leading us to cry out for it. He is not only able to protect us from the devil, but He also puts into our hearts the hope that when we run to Him, He will be our helper and fortress in battle. This week’s video features these three classics about prayer: Sweet Hour of Prayer – Garden of Prayer and Let Us Have a Little Talk With Jesus. What a wonderful God and an amazing Savior we serve. He alone is worthy of our praise and is waiting to have a little talk with us today!

The God of Every Day Prayers

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Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Matthew 6:9‭-‬10‭, ‬12‭-‬13 ESV

Forgive us our debts, give us our food and lead us not into temptation are things Jesus taught us to pray every day. I don’t know about you but for me having to constantly ask for God’s help in these areas makes me feel frustrated and weak. But God is not at all frustrated or angry when we sincerely pray. Instead He taught us to pray these things because He is a God who is ready to forgive us every morning, delights in providing for us every day and who knows we need His protection on our journey!