6 Battle Plan Where do you turn when you need a foolproof plan? QUESTION 1 #BSFLdarkside BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 53
THE POINT We can follow Jesus example in defeating spiritual attacks. THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE On October 8, 1871, a fire broke out in Chicago that killed an estimated 300 people, left 100,000 others homeless, and destroyed more than 17,000 buildings. Over the years, Mrs. O Leary s cow took the heat for the Great Chicago Fire, but historians eventually removed the blame from this poor animal. One good thing came out of this tragedy. People became more aware of the need for fire safety. Since 1922, America has commemorated the date of the Great Chicago Fire by observing a National Fire Prevention Week. Schools perform fire drills with their students, and firefighters encourage families to identify ways to prevent a fire and to have a plan for what to do when a fire does occur. We face the threat of fire in another way. Satan, our enemy, seeks to harm us with the flaming arrows of the evil one (Ephesians 6:16). He continually seeks to tempt us and pull us away from God s gracious and loving desire for our lives. Satan may be crafty, but our Lord is greater, and He modeled for us a foolproof plan to avoid getting burned by spiritual attacks. 54 SESSION 6
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY? Matthew 4:1-4 (CSB) 1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 Then the tempter approached him and said, If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread. 4 He answered, It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. None of us is immune to temptation, and for some of us, certain things continually tempt us. When we read of the temptations Jesus faced, we might be inclined to assume temptation wasn t a struggle for Him because, after all, He s God and surely didn t face the temptations we face today. Jesus faced the same types of temptations we do today, and He likely faced them with a greater intensity. Earlier in his Gospel, Matthew tells us Jesus would come to save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21), but if Satan could tempt Jesus into sin, that plan would come to nothing. If Jesus could not overcome temptation, He would not succeed in His Father s mandate to redeem the world as the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). In Matthew 4, Satan had one purpose, but the Spirit of God had another. Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (v. 1). God does not tempt anyone (James 1:13), but He does test His people. We all have taken tests in school, so we know teachers don t give tests to get us to fail; they give tests to prove our ability, understanding, or merit. Jesus was sent by the Spirit to demonstrate His obedience to the Father and power against all of Satan s attacks. Satan came against Jesus with three temptations. The first temptation centered on Jesus physical needs. Anybody would be famished after 40 days of fasting! The purpose of fasting is to focus on God through intense prayer, but even though Jesus had been feeding Himself spiritually in prayer and communion with His Father, He likely was weak physically. Satan attempted to exploit this. What are some physical temptations we face? QUESTION 2 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 55
THE POINT We can follow Jesus example in defeating spiritual attacks. The Devil proposed that Jesus use the power He had as the Son of God to turn stones into bread to satisfy His own physical hunger. While merely eating would not have been a sin, relying on Himself rather than God would have been. The temptation was for Jesus to misuse, even exploit, His Messianic power for personal gain. Jesus insisted He would not do His own will, but only the will of the Father (John 6:38). Jesus would trust the provision of His Father instead of doing something for self-gratification. Jesus responded by quoting from the Book of Deuteronomy: It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God (v. 4). Jesus would live in obedience to the Word of God and nothing else. No matter how physically hungry He may have been at the moment, He would maintain His trust in a loving Father who would provide what He needed. Our enemy does that with us today. He works on our desires legitimate desires God gave us! to get us to feel dissatisfied with the way God fulfills those desires. Whether it s food, rest, sex, relationships, or fill-in-the-blank, Satan wants us to think we can experience a greater satisfaction by gratifying those needs in our own way. But a self-serving attitude never honors the One who has a better way for us. Matthew 4:5-7 (CSB) 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to him, If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will give his angels orders concerning you, and they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 7 Jesus told him, It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God. Satan is cunning. Since Jesus deflected the first attack by reminding the Devil that we live in obedience to every word of God, Satan next attempted to also use Scripture in tempting Jesus. What are some ways we are tempted to test God? QUESTION 3 56 SESSION 6
Before he quoted Scripture, Satan took Jesus to Jerusalem and had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple (v. 5). The temple represented God s presence and power to the Jewish people, so what better way to show off God s power than by throwing Himself from the highest point of that temple? To encourage Him, Satan quoted from Psalm 91:11-12, He will give his angels orders concerning you, and they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. Here s the problem with this scenario: Satan was taking the passage out of context. The Devil wanted Jesus to literally test God s promise of protection for Him as the Son of God. Psalm 91 states that God would send His angels to protect Him. The Devil suggested that if Jesus jumped from the pinnacle of the temple, God would protect Him. We re often tempted to challenge God ourselves. When things don t go our way, we may be tempted to question God s love and care. We might question God s plan or wonder if we heard Him correctly. So we put Him to the test. When we re tempted to question God, doubt Him, or put Him to the test, we will stand strong when we do the following: ]] Know what God s Word says. The more we immerse ourselves in Scripture, the better we become at detecting Satan s lies and his mishandling of the truth of God s Word. ]] Rest in God s love and security. Jesus knew the truth of Psalm 91:11-12. God does protect and care for us; He gives us no reason to question that or test its truthfulness. When doubts arise or we wonder if God is with us, trust Him. We can always trust God regardless of what may tempt us to think otherwise. God loves us completely, and nothing will separate us from His love and protection (Romans 8:31-39). BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 57
THE POINT We can follow Jesus example in defeating spiritual attacks. Matthew 4:8-10 (CSB) 8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 And he said to him, I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me. 10 Then Jesus told him, Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him. Satan now offered his boldest temptation. He took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor (v. 8). He drew Jesus attention to the glory of these kingdoms and brazenly offered them to Jesus. Satan could make this offer; even Jesus acknowledged him as the ruler of this world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). Why would Jesus even consider this offer? After all, He knew God s plan. He knew He ultimately would gain all these kingdoms and would rule forever. One thing made Satan s offer attractive. Jesus also knew the plan of His Father the road He was about to travel would include pain, suffering, and death. Jesus could forego suffering under Satan s offer. What are we often tempted to worship in place of God? QUESTION 4 Temptation to take such shortcuts always comes with a catch. Satan s offer to Jesus was no different. I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me (v. 9). Jesus had had enough. Go away, Satan! (v. 10). He sent the Devil away by calling up Scripture. It is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him (v. 10). Jesus had already acknowledged He would live on every word that comes from God, and the word He so obediently followed only allowed for worship of the One true God. Satan may not overtly call us to worship him, but if he can get us to take our eyes off Christ, to compromise in some area of obedience to Jesus lordship, we are no longer worshiping the Lord. We may not be worshiping Satan himself, but as long as we ve stopped worshiping God, Satan s attack has succeeded. 58 SESSION 6
What can we learn from Jesus example about overcoming spiritual attacks? QUESTION 5 "The more we immerse ourselves in Scripture, the better we become at detecting Satan's l ies." JEREMIAH JOHNSTON GOD S WORD, OUR STRENGTH Build a list of biblical responses to temptation using the chart below. In the first column, list possible areas of temptation. Use a concordance to identify Bible passages that provide support when tempted and record those in the second column. Form of Temptation Biblical Response Greed Pornography Jealousy Matthew 6:24 Philippians 4:8 Proverbs 14:30 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 59
THE POINT We can follow Jesus example in defeating spiritual attacks. LIVE IT OUT Based on our study this week, what steps will you take to defeat the attacks that come your way? ]] Stay clear. If you know of people, places, or circumstances that fuel your vulnerability to temptation and spiritual attack, resolve to avoid those things. ]] Be prepared. Scripture is our best weapon against temptation. Identify where you are most often tempted. Then, spend time identifying a verse you can memorize that specifically encourages and strengthens you. ]] Find an accountability partner. Invite a trusted Christian friend to stand with you as you face temptation. Share with your friend the area of temptation you face and commit to pray for each other, asking for God s strength. Check in regularly with each other. Spiritual attacks will come our way. As Christ-followers, we have a foolproof plan at our disposal to handle them: knowing and being strengthened by God s Word. My thoughts Share with others how you will live out this study: #BSFLdarkside 60 SESSION 6
STILL TRUE BY RAECHEL MYERS AND AMANDA BIBLE WILLIAMS There was a time not long ago when anxiety and false expectations covered me like a weighted blanket. As if the oxygen had been sucked out of every room, I couldn t catch my breath. Then, slowly, the blanket began to lift. Inch by inch it lifted and the air rushed in when my family loved me anyway, when the doctor understood, when the church held us up, when the long winter finally gave way to spring until one day I could breathe again. Not the shallow gasps I d become used to, but deep, lungs-full, eyes-clear breaths. It felt like coming back to life. That heavy quilt of circumstance was real and it was stifling, but the gospel was always true, even when the heaviness covered me. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 61
The gospel is not only for the moment Christ calls us to repent and follow Him. It is for every moment before and every moment after. It is for our times of joy and fervor, and our times of doubt and despair. It is for the day we stand basking in the bright light of hope, and the day we hide, head in hands, in the dark corners of our fear. It is for the hour that just passed and the hour to come, the situation we just stepped out of and the one we re walking into. We need it every minute. The gospel is our oxygen. But, here in our temporary home, the gospel can seem intangible and hard to hang on to. So where do we turn when the heavy blanket is closing in, when we re in the dark, gasping for air? We turn to God s Word. When we turn its pages and take in its Truth, the very breath of God fills our lungs, our heart, our mind, our soul. Whether we come to Him doubting, praising, weeping, or laughing, His Word is for us and it is true. In this ever-fading world, God s Word never fades. We can approach it in any condition, under any circumstance, and IT IS STILL TRUE. When our will is weak, God s Word is true. When our faith is fragile, God s Word is true. When our hearts are heavy, God s Word is true. When we wonder if we even believe it, God s Word is true. The gospel is permanent, even when our belief buckles under the world s weight. The gospel is the reason we can take Paul seriously when he writes, Rejoice always! Pray constantly. Give thanks in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). It is the reason 62 BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE
we can put away our faith formulas and walk side by side with the One who wrote faith into our stories and has promised to finish what He started. It is the reason a girl who s made promises to God and broken them all can wake up each new day and invite hundreds of thousands of women to read Truth the Truth about the promise God has made to them, and even to her, and how He has kept and still keeps it, every day. knowledge that the gospel is true. It is oxygen, available every moment of every day, and you can breathe it in. I am basking in the bright light of hope today, but that weighted blanket may be waiting in the wings. Maybe you re under it now. Jesus promised His disciples they d have trouble, and we re guaranteed to have it too (John 16:33; 1 Peter 4:12). We need it every m inute. The gospel is our oxygen. Darkness and death are weighty, and our emotions, our actions, even our beliefs may bend at their pressure. But our God does not. Even under the blanket, we can echo the prayer of Hannah: There is no one holy like the Lord. There is no one besides You! And there is no rock like our God (1 Samuel 2:2). Let your chest rise and fall today with the This is an excerpt from She Reads Truth: Holding Tight to Permanent in a World that s Passing Away 2016 B&H Publishing. All Scripture quotations are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) Used with permission. BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE 63