Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
Select a thought to read by choosing a collection, the month, and then the day:
“Then the Slanderer carried Jesus to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, and he said to him, ‘Since you are the Son of God, cast yourself down, for it is written, “He shall give orders to His angels concerning you, and they shall bear you up in their hands, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” ’ Jesus said to him, ‘It is written again, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” ’ Again, the Slanderer carried him up to an exceedingly high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, and he said to him, ‘All these things will I give you if you fall down and worship me.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Leave, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.” ’ ”
Matthew 4:5-10, NCV
It is good for us to know the Bible well enough to know what is “written again” in the Scriptures on any given topic. If we do not come to know the Bible that well, some well-intentioned minister, inspired more by Satan than by God, will persuade us of something that is not the will of God. We need “the whole counsel of God”, not just a part of it, if we are to fully live in the will of God and please Him. It is good for us to know the Bible so well that we know when a man is twisting it, or is using a part of it while avoiding another. Jesus knew the Scriptures that well.
But that is not the whole story.
The whole story is that Jesus did not overcome the devil in the wilderness simply because he had a superior knowledge of the Bible. Rather, he overcame his temptation because he was led by the Spirit of God in his understanding, and the devil was not.
Jesus could have known every verse of the Bible perfectly, backwards and forwards, and still been deceived by Satan, if he had not been led by the Spirit to know which verse applied to what situation. When the Devil quoted Psalms in order to persuade Jesus to do something contrary to the will of God, what but the Spirit of God brought to Jesus’ mind the words of Moses from Deuteronomy? And when Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, what was it but the Spirit of God that brought to Jesus’ mind another statement by Moses? The Spirit of truth, as Jesus promised, and as he knew by experience, will bring to our minds what is “written again” when we need it most. No man is shrewd enough to overcome Satan in scriptural combat. But neither is Satan shrewd enough to overcome anyone who is led by God’s Spirit.
Jesus did not overcome the world because he had a high IQ. His secret was his connection with God through the Spirit. It was the holy Ghost living within him, leading him in his thinking and doing and speaking, and even in his feelings, that made him the mighty conqueror that he was.
Fellowship with God through the holy Ghost is the secret of success in the kingdom of God. The holy Ghost is the only tool we have to overcome the world, and Jesus showed us how to use it.