If you knew you were about to go to war with your greatest enemy what would you do? Prepare, right? That’s exactly what we see Jesus do in Matthew 4 before He is tempted by the devil. Interestingly, His preparation for this confrontation consisted of Him fasting for 40 days. I find this very peculiar. He is about to go to war against His enemy and decided not to strengthen Himself with food, but deprives Himself of it. However, His victory over the enemy teaches us that the strength we need for our spiritual battles does not come from this physical world. Jesus reminds us in Matthew 4:4:
“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4 ESV)
Physical weapons, no matter how great they are, will not help us in a spiritual battle. If we want to win against the temptations and trials we are facing, we need less of our strength and more of God’s because it’s in our weakness that God’s strength shows up greatest. I encourage you today to not become discouraged by your weaknesses but to lean even more on the strength of our mighty God.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your strength when I am weak. I can do so much more with You than on my own. Please help me to always seek You for strength, confidence, and wisdom. In Jesus Christ’s Name, I pray, Amen.