Matthew 4:3a The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God.”
“Inspiration is a powerful change agent waiting for you to harness it” – Elaina Marie.
“Inspirations” are thoughts that God plants in our mind whereas “temptations” are demonic implants from the devil. The divine discernment to decipher and delineate between inspiration and temptation is wisdom that comes from above. While inspiration is a powerful ‘change agent’, temptation is a ‘destructive driving force’.
Jesus had finished His 40 days of fasting and prayer and He was hungry. The enemy will always attack us when we are physically vulnerable and mentally exhausted. So, watch out! After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry (Matthew 4:2). The devil came up with what sounded like an excellent suggestion. He told Jesus, “there are no supermarkets or drive-through takeaways in the wilderness, so, why don’t you turn the stones into bread” (paraphrased). However, the intention behind the splendid suggestion was to make Jesus prove that He is the Son of God; “If you are the Son of God.”Jesus filled with wisdom and power, attacked the devil back with the Word of God, Jesus answered, “It is written” (Matthew 4:4). With the second temptation, the devil not only suggested Jesus to jump from the highest point of the temple, he also backed up his suggestion with the Bible verses from Psalm 91. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written (Matthew 4:6). When the first attempt to tempt failed, he tried the second time by quoting Bible verses to Jesus. The motive behind a suggestion and the intention behind the intuition will either inspire or lure us into temptation.
Inspiration is a powerful Change Agent:
1. Intention: Check the motive or the end goal of a thought or a suggestion. Jesus did not have to prove to the devil that He was the Son of God. The devil very well knew who Jesus was. Anything done to prove our power, potential or position is temptation. Power and potent must be used to bless others. Position is given to us to serve not to throw our weight around. Ask yourself “why” and “what” questions to understand the intention of the suggestions.
2. Intuition: Not every intuition is from God. Sometimes it could be backed up by a Bible verse yet, if the motive is to gratify a worldly want or to satisfy the craving of the flesh, it is a demonic intuition. If the intuition is to prove that we are better than others around us, it is not from God. Check the validity of the intuition.
3. Inspiration: The devil is very crafty. Actions that appear to be good but driven by envy or selfish ambition are demonic temptations not divine inspirations. Godly inspirations will not only bless us but will be beneficial to those around us; whereas temptations are self-centered, egocentric and destructive.
Inspiration is a divine change agent whereas temptations are dangerous destructive agents.
James 3:17a The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure.
Prayer: Dearest Lord Jesus, fill me with the spirit of wisdom and discernment to decode between godly inspiration and demonic temptation. May your agenda be mine. Amen
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