In Trials and Temptations
Dearest Father, Thank You that in trials and temptations, we can fight with every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. As written in the Verse before the Gospel today.
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Today's Readings
First Reading: Deuteronomy 26: 4-10
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 91: 1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15
Second Reading: Romans 10: 8-13
Verse Before the Gospel: Matthew 4: 4b
Gospel: Luke 4: 1-13
Reading 1, Deuteronomy 26:4-10
Deuteronomy 26:4-10 GNBDK
[4] “The priest will take the basket from you and place it before the altar of the LORD your God.
[5] Then, in the LORD's presence you will recite these words: ‘My ancestor was a wandering Aramean, who took his family to Egypt to live. They were few in number when they went there, but they became a large and powerful nation.
[6] The Egyptians treated us harshly and forced us to work as slaves.
[7] Then we cried out for help to the LORD, the God of our ancestors. He heard us and saw our suffering, hardship, and misery.
[8] By his great power and strength he rescued us from Egypt. He worked miracles and wonders, and caused terrifying things to happen.
[9] He brought us here and gave us this rich and fertile land.
[10] So now I bring to the LORD the first part of the harvest that he has given me.’ “Then set the basket down in the LORD's presence and worship there.
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15
R. (cf. 15b) Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, say to the LORD, “My refuge and fortress, my God in whom I trust.”
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
No evil shall befall you, nor shall affliction come near your tent, For to his angels he has given command about you, that they guard you in all your ways.
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
Upon their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the asp and the viper; you shall trample down the lion and the dragon.
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
Because he clings to me, I will deliver him; I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in distress; I will deliver him and glorify him.
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
Reading 2, Romans 10:8-13
Romans 10:8-13 GNBDK
[8] What it says is this: “God's message is near you, on your lips and in your heart” — that is, the message of faith that we preach.
[9] If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from death, you will be saved.
[10] For it is by our faith that we are put right with God; it is by our confession that we are saved.
[11] The scripture says, “Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.”
[12] This includes everyone, because there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles; God is the same Lord of all and richly blesses all who call to him.
[13] As the scripture says, “Everyone who calls out to the Lord for help will be saved.”
Verse Before the Gospel
Matthew 4:4b
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
Gospel, Luke 4:1-13
Luke 4:1-13 GNBDK
[1] Jesus returned from the Jordan full of the Holy Spirit and was led by the Spirit into the desert,
[2] where he was tempted by the Devil for forty days. In all that time he ate nothing, so that he was hungry when it was over.
[3] The Devil said to him, “If you are God's Son, order this stone to turn into bread.”
[4] But Jesus answered, “The scripture says, ‘Human beings cannot live on bread alone.’ ”
[5] Then the Devil took him up and showed him in a second all the kingdoms of the world.
[6] “I will give you all this power and all this wealth,” the Devil told him. “It has all been handed over to me, and I can give it to anyone I choose.
[7] All this will be yours, then, if you worship me.”
[8] Jesus answered, “The scripture says, ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve only him!’ ”
[9] Then the Devil took him to Jerusalem and set him on the highest point of the Temple, and said to him, “If you are God's Son, throw yourself down from here.
[10] For the scripture says, ‘God will order his angels to take good care of you.’
[11] It also says, ‘They will hold you up with their hands so that not even your feet will be hurt on the stones.’ ”
[12] But Jesus answered, “The scripture says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
[13] When the Devil finished tempting Jesus in every way, he left him for a while.
Dearest Father,
Thank You that in trials and temptations, we can fight with every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. As written in the Verse before the Gospel today.
Matthew 4:4b
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
Jesus, as fully Man, on the brink of His ministry launch was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert where He was tempted by the devil.
Every person, even the Son of God made Man, under this earth-curse system will always come under trials and testings, tempted by the devil, mostly in these three areas:
Provision
Promotion
Preservation
Will we trust God for our provision, to provide for our every need and even want, so we can have more than enough for every conceivable need and abundance for every good work?
Will we trust God to promote us in His time and in His way, and lead us to what He wants us to do and to the people He has called us to serve in a way that pleases Him?
Will we trust God to preserve us and our loved ones, and all that belongs to us even when faced with the threat of death?
How do we stand strong through all these trials and temptations and do what is right in the sight of God?
By faith and confession. Believing the Word of God, in Christ, and confessing His word spoken into our spirit by the Holy Spirit. As the
Romans 10:8-13 GNBDK
[8] What it says is this: “God's message is near you, on your lips and in your heart” — that is, the message of faith that we preach.
[9] If you confess that Jesus is Lord and believe that God raised him from death, you will be saved.
[10] For it is by our faith that we are put right with God; it is by our confession that we are saved.
[11] The scripture says, “Whoever believes in him will not be disappointed.”
Let's follow the example of Jesus. Shown to us in the Gospel today.
When tempted by the devil, 3x, He simply countered by saying, “The Scripture says,”
No struggle, no fighting, no drama.
He simply stood His ground with quiet confidence in the word of God.
And when the devil tried to fool Jesus by saying, “For the scripture says” too, He simply countered with another scripture.
Because that's what the enemy does. He takes what is of God and turns it into a counterfeit version to lead us astray.
Take for example, manifestation. That's a trait originally shown by God when He created the universe from out of His consciousness.
He imagined light, spoke light into being by commanding, “Let there be light,” and then there was light. He created the whole of the universe this way. Just speaking everything into existence.
That's manifestation. Creating something from Divine consciousness into reality. The way all things are created in this world.
Look around you, everything in this world was first created in imagination, in consciousness. Then when it was received by the mind, it was spoken and created into reality.
God did that in us by giving us His desires for us and revealing them to us in a preview through our imagination, and then inspiring us to work out God's will in every circumstance leading to its creation and manifestation.
Philippians 2:13 NASB2020
[13] for it is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure.
It's the divine dance of creation where God leads and we follow.
But the devil in his new-age version usurped that. He attributes manifestation as coming purely from the universe, aligning ourselves with the vibration of the universe, attracting what we think and feel about the most, devoid of any input from God, getting God out of the equation altogether.
How did Jesus do it? How was He not fooled, as fully Man, by the devil with a temptation prefaced with the word of God in Scriptures?
Luke 4:9-10 GNBDK
[9] Then the Devil took him to Jerusalem and set him on the highest point of the Temple, and said to him, “If you are God's Son, throw yourself down from here. [10] For the scripture says, ‘God will order his angels to take good care of you.’
By the Holy Spirit within Him giving Him wisdom and clear insight into the devil's veiled tricks.
Luke 4:1 GNBDK
[1] Jesus returned from the Jordan full of the Holy Spirit and was led by the Spirit into the desert
The Holy Spirit in Him, who makes Him fully God even as He is also fully Man, gives Him this clarity to see through His enemy.
We, who believe in Jesus, and have received Him as personal Lord and Savior, have the same power in us like Jesus has - the Holy Spirit giving life to the word of God.
John 6:63 GNBDK
[63] What gives life is God's Spirit; human power is of no use at all. The words I have spoken to you bring God's life-giving Spirit.
I think that's what made me so hesitant to ask and claim for massive riches before, like dreaming to be a millionaire, and now a trillionaire, because I'm scared to be led astray into working for the riches of the world, the one under Satan's control.
But now I realized, by revelation of the Holy Spirit, that riches - massive riches - is our birthright as children and heirs of God.
That all of the riches of the world was originally created by God for Man to control and subdue and have dominion over.
But Satan usurped it from Adam and Eve, that's why he can legally say it was handed over to him and now he owns it all and can give it to whoever he chooses.
Luke 4:6 GNBDK
[6] “I will give you all this power and all this wealth,” the Devil told him. “It has all been handed over to me, and I can give it to anyone I choose.
Jesus was not bothered at all. He knows who these riches are from (God, His Father) and to whom this was for (Man) and He is on a mission to reclaim it for Man.
He did. He won the victory and freed Man from the curse of sin and death including poverty.
Galatians 3:13 GNBDK
[13] But by becoming a curse for us Christ has redeemed us from the curse that the Law brings; for the scripture says, “Anyone who is hanged on a tree is under God's curse.”
With His death on the that cross, He gave us freedom and power to become children and heirs of God.
Galatians 4:7 GNBDK
[7] So then, you are no longer a slave but a son or daughter. And since that is what you are, God will give you all that he has for his heirs.
Now that we're children and heirs of God (our Divine Identification, Pillar 1 of the RichLife Playbook), we have the same mission as Jesus to reclaim our territories for the expansion of God's Kingdom.
And with that, God gave us the Spirit in our hearts crying out Father, my Father!
Galatians 4:6 GNBDK
[6] To show that you are his sons and daughters, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who cries out, “Father, my Father.”
Now we have the same Power that Jesus has to fight every trial and temptation.
The Holy Spirit in us Who gives life and Who leads us in the way we should go, wherever, whether it be to mountain peaks or valleys, or deserts like He led Jesus for the fulfillment of God's promises.
Now we only have to remain in Him and let His words remain in us.
For when we do, the Holy Spirit can use His words within us to battle and reclaim what's ours and make us strong in trials and temptations regarding provision, preservation, and promotion.
We only have to believe and confess it.
Romans 10:10 GNBDK
[10] For it is by our faith that we are put right with God; it is by our confession that we are saved.
In trials of promotion:
When I was being led by the Holy Spirit to a new territory to claim for a new job that will give me more income and flexible hours to spend more time with my family, He gave me this word from Scriptures:
Exodus 14:14-15 GNBDK
[14] The LORD will fight for you, and there is no need for you to do anything.” [15] The LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out for help? Tell the people to move forward.
So I moved forward, obeying the Holy Spirit’s inspiration to send out 10 resumes a night to this online job site He led me to.
Not long after, I was accepted to 2 online jobs that gave me income 4x more than what I had before and flexibility in time and location that allowed me to spend time with my family while working.
In trials of preservation:
When my condo got foreclosed, the Holy Spirit gave me this word from Scriptures:
Job 22:28 AMP
[28] You will also decide and decree a thing, and it will be established for you; And the light [of God’s favor] will shine upon your ways.
So I decided and decreed that my condo will not be foreclosed and will be returned to me quickly, easily, and effortlessly. And it was. The light of God's favor truly did shine upon my ways.
In trials of provision:
When I was drowning in debts, the Holy Spirit gave me this word from Scriptures:
Colossians 2:14 GNBDK
[14] He cancelled the unfavourable record of our debts with its binding rules and did away with it completely by nailing it to the cross.
I believed and confessed it over my debts and still believe and confess it each and every time temptations to be anxious over how I’ll pay my debts assail me.
One creditor I owe a remaining 4k to recently just gave me 50% off from my debts. So 2k got written off and I'm able to pay 2k and write off this debt just like that. And then I paid off another creditor again this month. That's 2 down and 4 more to go.
In every trial and temptation for provision, promotion, and preservation, we have the Holy Spirit and the Word of God within us as a weapon for and against every arrow of the enemy.
These days, here are some of my trials I'm fighting with the word of God:
Promotion:
Will I trust God to help me establish my online business, my SpeakChrist RichLife Club, that will help me inspire and encourage 1 billion people to live the RichLife in Christ everyday, and help me earn recurring, residual profits that will give me financial freedom to be blessed and bless others?
I'm believing and confessing this word that I received from God when I prayed about this dream:
Deuteronomy 1:11 NASB2020
[11] May the Lord, the God of your fathers increase you a thousand times more than you are, and bless you, just as He has promised you!
My confession:
Thank You, Father, You've increased me a thousand-fold more than I am and blessed me just as You have promised me!
Provision:
Will I trust God to provide for me and my family as I focus and work more on this pursuit of proclaiming His Good News of the Kingdom by daily publishing my SpeakChrist Diaries even if it means less hours on my online jobs that bring me active income?
I'm believing and confessing this word that comes forth from the mouth of God:
Hebrews 6:14 NASB2020
[14] saying, “indeed I will greatly bless you and I will greatly multiply you.”
Thank You, Father, You've indeed greatly blessed me and greatly multiplied me.
Preservation:
Will I trust God to preserve my life, even under threat with Thoracic Aneurysm and an abdominal mass, to live a long and prosperous life for His greater glory and honor?
I'm believing and confessing this word that comes from the mouth of God:
Psalms 103:2-5 TPT
[2] Yahweh, you are my soul’s celebration. How could I ever forget the miracles of kindness you’ve done for me? [3] You kissed my heart with forgiveness, in spite of all I’ve done. You’ve healed me inside and out from every disease. [4] You’ve rescued me from hell and saved my life. You’ve crowned me with love and mercy. [5] You satisfy my every desire with good things. You’ve supercharged my life so that I soar again like a flying eagle in the sky!
That's my confession.
So I'm unbothered even as thoughts of lack and failure and death come to mind more times in a day than I’d really like. I remain in Christ and let His words remain in me.
I know as I remain in Him and His words remain in me, I can ask for whatever I want and it shall be done for me.
John 15:7 TPT
[7] But if you live in life-union with me and if my words live powerfully within you—then you can ask whatever you desire and it will be done.
We can stand firm like Jesus, unbothered in the trials and temptations of life, moving with quiet confidence, being led by the Holy Spirit of God (24-hour activation), believing and confessing the word of God (our Rock Foundation) in fulfilling our God-given mission (GodX vision).
Defeat the enemy, reclaim new territories for God, bring more people into God's Kingdom so that God's will on earth will be established as it is in heaven.
If you want to be a part of defeating the enemy and bringing more people into God's Kingdom while being led by the Holy Spirit and decreeing God's word over our lives, especially in trials and temptations for provision, promotion, and preservation, join me in our SpeakChrist RichLife Club. We'll do it together. St. Katharine Drexel, pray for us.
Live the RichLife in Christ today
The devil tempts you with provision, promotion, and preservation,
Will you stand firm?
Or will you crumble?
Free 🎁 gift for you.
In trials and temptations,
Do like Jesus did.
Believe and speak every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Matthew 4:4b
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
Now Your Turn
(Questions to ask yourself when scripture journaling)
What verses spoke to me strongly and powerfully from the scripture readings?
What is God saying to me in these verse or verses?
What does God want me to do today?
Journal prompts of the day
Are you being led by the Holy Spirit, even into the desert where you will be tempted by the enemy?
Are you receiving every word that comes from the mouth of God everyday?
Are you speaking every word that comes from the mouth of God everyday?
Your Actionable Steps to Do This Week:
Surrender to the Holy Spirit and obey His leadings and inspiration everyday.
Reflect on the word of God in prayer everyday.
Speak God's word over trials and temptations you're experiencing everyday.
Let us pray:
If you want to live the rich life in Christ every day - unbothered in trials and temptations, give your life to Jesus.
That’s the first step.
Say this prayer with me:
Dearest Father,
Father, forgive me of my sins. I receive Jesus as my Lord and Savior. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Thank You for making me now Your child and heir, with power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory, and blessing. Thank You that in Jesus, Father, I can stand firm in trials and tempations, believing and confessing every word that comes from Your mouth.
In Jesus’ Name.
This is it for now. Until next time.
To our health, wealth, and victory – our rich life in Christ, now and forever, GODSPEED!
P.S.
If you want to develop daily discipline and consistently achieve what God wants you to be, do, and have, without struggle - live the rich life in Christ. Join the RichLife Club now. We’ll do it together.