Power Over Temptation | Today with Dr. Mark Jobe

“We live in a society that is biblically illiterate. While we have more access to God’s Word than ever before, we do not know what it says.”

Have you ever been tempted? Maybe it started out as a simple thought. You tried to resist, but your good intentions fell by the wayside. How can we resist temptation?

In Matthew 4:1–11, we learn from Jesus’ example. One chapter earlier, He was baptized by John and launched His public ministry. As Jesus came out of the water, the Spirit of God descended on Him and a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). Soon after, Jesus retreated to the wilderness where He fasted for 40 days and nights.

It was there that Satan approached Jesus, saying, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread” (4:4). God had declared, “This is my Son.” Here Satan asked Jesus to prove it. While Jesus was physically weak, He was spiritually strong. To each temptation, He responded the same way: “It is written.” Why? Because the Word of God has authority over the spiritual realm.

We live in a society that is biblically illiterate. While we have more access to God’s Word than ever before, we do not know what it says. So, when we are tempted, we are weak. If you are going to walk a victorious Christian life you need to know what the Word of God has to say. In his book, How to Eat Your Bible, author Nate Pickowicz says his father gave him a study Bible which he placed on a shelf in his office: “While there wasn’t a sign above it that read, ‘Break Glass and Use in the Event of an Emergency,’ I treated the Bible that way.” It wasn’t until a moment of personal crisis that he picked up that Bible and turned to the first page. Nate says, “It would change my life forever.”

If you want victory over temptation, you cannot neglect the power of God’s Word. Notice that Jesus did not say, “Well, I feel...” He did not say, “Culture tells us” or “My friends said.” Instead, He responded with the unchanging Word of God. An important part of spiritual strength is to make a regular practice of consuming Scripture. You need to get into the Bible every day. Study it, meditate on it, memorize it. Then, when faced with temptation, you can say, “It is written...” There is power in the Word of God!

BY Dr. Mark Jobe, President

Dr. Mark Jobe is the president of Moody Bible Institute. He has served as the lead pastor of New Life Community Church, one church that meets at 27 locations. Mark earned a diploma from Moody Bible Institute in 1984, a master’s degree from Moody Theological Seminary, and a doctorate in transformational leadership from Bakke Graduate University. He is the author of What Now?: How to Move into Your Next Season (Moody Publishers) and can be heard on Bold Steps, a daily program on Moody Radio. He and his wife, Dee, have three adult children and four grandchildren.