(42) Kingdoms at His Feet

"The devil made me do it".  This is an age-old excuse of why  we act the way we do.  And many still think it may be accurate to explain their lives.  But it is another form of rationalization by insincere humanity trying to feel better about their own insecurities and failures.  The devil didn't do anything but tempt you.  You are the cause of all your problems.  Read Luke chapter 4:1-13:

• 1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
• 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
• 3 The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
• 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
• 5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.
• 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.
• 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
• 8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”
• 9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here.
• 10 For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully;
• 11 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
• 12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’"
• 13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.

Satan has no control over you.  There are three things he tried to do here with Christ.  He tried to tempt Him when He was at His weakest.  It failed.  He tried to get Him to doubt His authority by saying "if you are".  It failed.  And He tried to get Him to do something that He knew was wrong.  It also failed.

Why did it fail?  Why didn't he get Him to fall into temptation and take these things? 

1. Many would say it was because Jesus is divine and had no way of failing.  Well, yes, He was divine, but He made Himself lower than the angels and surrounded by flesh to be able to sin.  The flesh is was is corruptible and he clothed Himself with it to prove that sin is not the master of your flesh.
2. Many would say its because Jesus was perfect.  True.  But this is not why it failed.
3. Many would say He was protected.  Maybe so, but if He was protected to the end then sinning was not an option thereby negating all He did.

No the reason why it all failed is because what satan was offering were things he couldn't give anyway.  He lied!  He said he could give Him the world.  It wasn't his to give away.  Jesus knew this.  Satan tried to lay a kingdom at His feet but it was His kingdom already.

All satan can do is pass on temptation.  He has no power over you.  The only power he has is what you give him.  When temptation hits our lives we have to remember that most of it is a lie.  The grass is always greener kind of thing.  The lust within the heart can be turned away unless you hunger for it and feed it.  The hate within your heart can be soothed unless all you do is focus on the thoughts that made you hate and feed that hunger.   The hunger you crave is from above.  You feel empty inside because you have not filled with the things from above.  You have tried to fill it with worldly things and they just aren't good enoug.  If you are hungry and thirsty Jesus said He will give food and drink.  Do not listen to the lies of the world.  Satan thinks he owns it but it's not his to give.  Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world.