MONDAYS WITH KERRI
We walk in our identity as the Signet Ring on the hand of God when we follow Jesus’ example. He came so we could know The One who sets us free from the lies, shame and fear we struggle with. Therefore, it is critical that we commit to not making the same mistake Eve made in the Garden. We must not change, add to, or subtract from the Word of God. We must believe and do exactly what Jesus did if we are to claim His victory in our own lives. John suggests this at the end of Revelation chapter 22 when he gives us this warning in verses 18-19.
And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the prophetic words of this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. And if anyone removes any of the words of this prophetic book, God will remove that person's share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.
Yes, we are at war, but the story doesn’t end with how The Betrayer seeks to destroy us. The real story is how Jesus came to restore the brokenness that sin caused in our relationship with God. He came to repair the relationship we were created for. He came so we could always know and live in The Truth that we are His Beloved. The Son of God was so specific in His example to us that He allowed Himself to be subjected to the same temptation Eve encountered. Two Gardens, the same test...but were Eve failed; Jesus came to show us exactly what to do when we are tempted to believe that we are The Betrayed.
In Matthew 4:1-11 we read,
Then Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted there by the Devil. For forty days and forty nights he ate nothing and became very hungry. Then the Devil came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, change these stones into loaves of bread.’ But Jesus told him, ‘No! The Scriptures say, 'People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God.' Then the Devil took him to Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, jump off!’ For the Scriptures say, ‘He orders his angels to protect you. And they will hold you with their hands to keep you from striking your foot on a stone.’ Jesus responded, The Scriptures also say, ‘Do not test the Lord your God.’ Next the Devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him the nations of the world and all their glory. ‘I will give it all to you,’ he said, ‘if you will only kneel down and worship me.’ ‘Get out of here, Satan,’ Jesus told him. ‘For the Scriptures say, 'you must worship the Lord your God; serve only him.' Then the Devil went away, and angels came and cared for Jesus.
It is important to note that the most insidious attacks of the enemy are also his most subtle. Three times he came against Jesus with a tactic he used successfully on Eve. He tempts Him with doubt. Twice (verses three and six) he says, “If you are the Son of God,” as if trying to make Jesus question His identity. The Betrayer sought to sabotage Jesus’ identity in the same way he attempts to steal ours. However, Jesus did not have an identity crisis. Not once while He was here on Earth did He doubt or question who He was. All throughout the New Testament Jesus proclaims who He is, and yet the enemy still chose to attack his identity, hoping to create doubt in His mind. Here are just some of the names Jesus called Himself: Light, Gate, Truth, Way, Bread, Messiah, Son of God, Son of man, Who I claimed to be, Gate for the sheep, Good shepherd, In the Father, Resurrection, Life, True vine.
The enemy’s strategies, intended to make Jesus doubt His identity, were unsuccessful because He knew and claimed who He was constantly. Jesus operated in perfect love, so the fear the enemy intended to manipulate Him with had no power. Jesus had no doubt He was the Son of the Most High God. This confidence kept Him in a place of knowing He had nothing to prove. So, when the enemy tells Him to make bread, jump off a building, and worship him, Jesus is unfazed. It was this same assurance that caused Him to tell Peter to put down his sword when the soldiers came for Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus had nothing to prove, He knew that He was His Father’s Signet Ring to the world. So must we.
The war against us will always be focused on sabotaging our identity as His Beloved because Satan craves the power and dominion that will never be his. So, in his rage, he seeks to convince all of God’s children that they are The Betrayed; it is the ultimate revenge plot. In verse nine he shows that he is the same fallen creation we find in Ezekiel. He offers Jesus the kingdoms of this world if He will only kneel and worship him. This is what our enemy has always craved. He was thrown from Heaven for the same pride he is manifesting here. He hates El Elyon, the all-powerful one; he wants to undermine Him and His Son because he wants to be the most powerful, beautiful, and authoritative being. So, as the enemy comes against us, (and he will), with the same tactics, we must learn to claim that we are His Beloved as Jesus did. We must do what He did to have the same victory He had. If we change, add, or subtract from His example, we will have the same results that Eve did in the Garden of Eden.
//Questions//
It is Satan’s ultimate revenge plot against God to make you believe God has betrayed you, doesn’t love you, and has forgotten you. With the help of the Holy Spirit, do you see any plot that Satan may have waged against you?
Can you see from Jesus’ example how to combat these lies?
//Action Steps//
Write down the words and actions Jesus took to combat Satan in the garden experience from Matthew 4.
Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you replace the lies with the truth from God’s Word. Write it down, verbally say NO to those lies and ask God to give you a support system to help you hold to this new transformational truth.
Choose a friend or family member to you share this journey with. Ask them to give you encouragement and support to hold fast to the truth in God’s Word. Write the name here.
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