We love to be on the winning side whether it be a ball game, a lawsuit, an election, or a war. What if I told you that I’m on the winning side of a cosmic war that is affecting more worlds than our own? What if I told you that I know personally the Commander who will win the final battle? What if I claimed that he’s helping me win daily personal battles?
This Hero of mine was on a three-year mission that started with his baptism by a controversial figure. Although his baptism was public, his next activity wasn’t in the public eye at all. All alone, he sequestered himself in an inhospitable environment. To say he was uncomfortable is an understatement. He ate no food, had no bed, no companions, no diversions, and was exposed to the desert’s hot days and cold nights. He shared the habitat of dangerous wild animals including lions, snakes, scorpions, and bears. In a weak condition, he faced opposition from the darkest force in the universe. He came out forty days later the Victor.
Evil personified tried his best to defeat him, but my Hero faced him head-on with defense from God’s book. The clever jabs about my hero’s identity never penetrated. (“If you are the Son of God”) The temptation to fulfill physical desires above doing God’s will fell on deaf ears. (“Turn these stones to bread and quit fasting.”) Nor did the suggestion to be an instant sensation, (“Jump off the highest point of the temple in the capitol city where crowds would admire“) Nor did the offer of becoming an instant ruler find a home in his pure heart.
Jesus resisted the Devil with three short quotes from the book of Deuteronomy.
Devil: Do a quick little miracle and quit this fast.
Jesus: We are not just not physical beings in need of food, but also spiritual beings in need of God.
“Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
‘People do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” He was quoting part of Deuteronomy 8:3 which says,
“he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna. . . He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”
Going hungry humbles us by reminding us of our human limitations and reminds us how dependent we are on God. Jesus saw the importance of fasting. I sure need to grow in the discipline of fasting.

Devil: Jump off and show off. Be spectacular and get an immediate following.
“If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,
“For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.”
Jesus: Don’t test God. Don’t question what God is doing. I will wait for God to show me to the people.
“Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’ This phrase was taken from Deuteronomy 6:16,
“You must not test the Lord your God as you did when you complained at Massah.”
It refers to the time the people complained about no water shortly after their escape through the sea and into the desert after leaving slavery in Egypt. God had allowed them to become thirsty before he provided the necessary water. In their need, they questioned God.
“they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?” Exodus 17:7.
We are often guilty of testing God by calling into question his care of us and his timing for providing. Even though God has provided for us since our birth, we still doubt his good intentions for us. We slap him in the face after all he’s done for us. By faulting him, we justify our complaining and taking things into our own hands. I need to nip complaining in the bud because it’s an affront to God.

Interestingly, Satan quoted Psalm 91:11-12 about God’s protection, but didn’t quote the very next verse:
“You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.”
Since Satan is called both a serpent and a lion, he deliberately avoided the prophecy of his own defeat!

Names of Satan in the Bible
Lion: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.” 1 Peter 5:8-9
This passage has always bothered me because the lion is the symbol of the tribe of Judah and of the Lord Jesus. Why would the lion also symbolize the devil? After some research on lion behavior, I realized that the females do most of the hunting for prey and they roar as they do so. I’d like to think (just my idea), that Peter was envisioning Satan as a lioness- no match for the dominant, more powerful male lion, but very adept at taking down prey.
“lionesses usually hunt in groups, and roaring is a common way to communicate with the other lions when coordinating or executing an attack.” *  The male lion also roars, but usually for different reasons and in a stationary position. His roar of dominance, warning, and communication can be heard up to five miles away.
Serpent: “…that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.” Revelation 12:9
“Then the Lord God said to the serpent. . .
‘And I will cause hostility between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike (or bruise) your head,
and you will strike his heel.’” Genesis 3:15
Jesus was headed to the cross to deliver two blows to the serpent’s head- his willing, atoning death for our sins and his return to life as proof of his claims.  At the consummation of world history, the God-man will deliver the final blow to the snake by consigning him to everlasting punishment.

Devil: Worship me and I’ll make you king of the world immediately.
Jesus: I worship and serve God alone. I choose to obey my Father.
“Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,
‘You must worship the Lord your God
and serve only him.’” Deut 6:13
Jesus will indeed be King one happy day. But he had the hard road of sacrifice to walk before his coronation.  Angels came to care for Jesus after the devil left in fulfillment of the prophecy of Psalm 91 that the devil had cited.

What Jesus’ victory over Satan’s temptations means for me:
~I’m on the winning side.
~Jesus is my perfect example and he’s helping me imitate him.
~Jesus trampled on Satan by obeying his Father, willingly dying to buy forgiveness for us, and coming back to life.
~Jesus used Scripture to combat evil suggestions.
~Jesus’ power is in me so I can resist Satan, too.
~Jesus understands my weakness and pain.
~Jesus is my hero!

*https://a-z-animals.com/blog/discover-the-reasons-why-lions-roar/

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