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Showdown in the Desert

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I'll admit it - I'm a sucker for showdowns in movies. You know, they're almost always at the end when the good guy faces impossible odds against the big bad enemy who is sure to get the victory. But then again you know that most people don't usually pay good money to see a film where the bad guys win, so you figure things will turn out OK.

Like Harry Potter for example. Sure, Voldemort hasn't been totally defeated, but at the end of each movie Harry ends up alive and Voldemort ends up looking a little more like Mr. Potato Head.

Then there's Lord of the Rings...in case you missed it, let me sum up...Sauron loses. I just saved you nine hours of movie time. You're welcome. And remember Eragon against the Shade? Wow - talk about a guy with unfortunate skin...might want to back down on the sweets, Mr. Shade...but that's a whole other story.

Let me tell you about the best story of all. The good vs. evil struggle is all around us - not only in the media, but in our lives as well. Yep, maybe you never thought about it before - but you are part of a cosmic spiritual battle that's as real as anything physical that's around you, and the big question is...do you want to win? Do you want to fight for the forces of good and help bring about the defeat of a creature more evil than you could possibly imagine?

If not, you don't have to keep reading. Just go about your daily business - but remember that one way the enemy is victorious is by getting Christians to simply ignore him. But ignoring him doesn't make him go away, so I want to look at the greatest showdown of all time so you can be prepared when the fight comes to your doorstep.

This amazing battle happened not in a movie, and not even between opposing armies, but between the God of the universe and the Prince of evil. This is the kind of battle that could have sold out audiences everywhere, but they chose to fight it out in a lonely desert. Jesus and Satan went head to head, and from this celestial conflict we can learn the secrets to winning the showdowns in our lives.

Let me sum up the set up. Jesus has not eaten for 40 days. He is ragged, torn and on the brink of exhaustion. God has called Him to have a showdown with the devil to prove once and for all that good triumphs over evil.

Satan comes out swinging.

During that time the devil came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread." But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say,

'People do not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"

Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem , to the highest point of the Temple , and said, "If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,

'He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands
so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone.'"

Jesus responded, "The Scriptures also say, 'You must not test the Lord your God.'"

Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. "I will give it all to you," he said, "if you will kneel down and worship me."

"Get out of here, Satan," Jesus told him. "For the Scriptures say, 'You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.'"

Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus. (Matthew 4:3-11)

Notice that these temptations revolve around "if". If you are the Son of God, if you bow down to me. In other words, God has left you out here in the desert Jesus. Maybe He doesn't love you anymore. Maybe there's an easier way to save the world than die on the cross.

Here's the amazing thing about this showdown...every time Jesus responds, He doesn't rely on His own strength or power, instead He quotes the Bible. Think about it, when Jesus spoke, it was Scripture, so why did He feel the need to quote? I think He wanted to show us the secret to winning the showdown with Satan the Tempter - which is simple: answer with the Bible. Don't try to reason with him, argue with him, or resist him in your own power...just use the words of God. When Satan tempts with "if"...if God loves you, He'll understand that you don't want to wait until marriage...if God loves you, He'll let you go on being angry and bitter. It's at those times you need to defeat the Tempter with a simple counterpunch given to us by Jesus Himself.

Like I said, I'm a sucker for showdowns...especially when it's God's children beating habits, addictions, and unhealthy emotions through the power of God's word.

Are you ready to rumble?

Head: What you need to know about this truth

Satan is a tempter who can only be defeated by using Scripture.

Heart: What you need to feel about this truth

Feel confident that there is no battle with temptation or the Tempter that you ever need lose again. You do not have control over your sinful passions and desires alone, which is why you have to rely on God's Word for victory.

Hands: What you need to do about this truth

Bottom line - you can't fight if you have no weapons. Your weapons are the supernatural words of God, and if you have just a few memorized, then you will have few victories as well. My challenge is for you to memorize one passage a day - you'll be amazed at what that will do for you!