Tag: Power of the Holy Spirit

  • Matthew 4:1 

    “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” – Matthew 4:1 

    The idea that Jesus was intentionally led by the Spirit of God into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil is one of the most profound and and thought-provoking moments in all of Scripture. It stretches our understanding because we see God intentionally guiding His beloved Son into a place where temptation would confront Him. Right after the Father publicly declared, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” the Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness 

    When the Scripture says, “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil,” the Spirit here is the Holy Spirit. He intentionally leads Jesus into a place of barrenness the very opposite of the environment where Adam was tempted. Adam fell in a garden — a beautiful, fruitful, watered, perfect place that God Himself planted.

    Adam had every advantage: perfect surroundings, perfect fellowship with God, no hunger, no pain, no dryness. Yet he fell.

    Jesus had every disadvantage in the natural: hunger after forty days, isolation, a place without life or fruit. But Jesus stood where Adam fell.

    This contrast is not accidental. When Adam was tempted, that moment became the beginning of sin entering humanity. But when Jesus was tempted and conquered it, that moment marked the ending of sin’s power in every human life who believes in Him.

    And notice where Jesus is led into the wilderness. That wilderness is more than a physical location, it represents our spiritual condition without God. Because of sin, we became dry, barren, fruitless, and isolated. Sin separates us from God and leaves the soul empty, thirsty, and without life.

    But after facing and defeating temptation, look at what Jesus offers to us:

    • “Come to Me… I will give you rest.”
    • “I am the Living Water” — He brings life to our dryness.
    • “I am the Resurrection and the Life” — He restores what sin has killed.
    • “I am the Good Shepherd” — He brings fellowship to the isolated.
    • “I am the Bread of Life” — He sustains the hungry soul.
    • “I am the Door” — He gives us access into the kingdom of God, if we believe and receive Him.

    He went into our wilderness were sin and satan trapped all of us so He could lead us out of it. He entered our barrenness so He could bring us into His life. He stepped into our isolation so He could restore our fellowship with God.

    Here we understand why the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. He was leading Jesus to restore everything we have lost. When God leads a testing, we do not lose, because God is faithful. He never allows a test that will destroy us. He uses it to strengthen us. We see this in the lives of Abraham and Job, both tested by God yet upheld by His faithfulness as the scriptures says, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it”. God-led testing never leads to defeat.

    But this time, I need you to pay attention to how the Holy Spirit moves. Because the Spirit we have is not the spirit of fear but the Spirit of power. The Spirit did not lead Jesus into temptation so He would be defeated. He led Him there so He would win, conquer, and take back dominion that Adam surrendered.

    I was once taught by a man of God something I will never forget: “God never plays defense like what we see in sports. God is always in attack mode.” Scripture says that God “prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies” (Psalm 23:5). That means God chooses the battlefield. God chooses the timing. God chooses the outcome. So when the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, God Himself was choosing the battleground where Jesus would defeat the enemy. God did not tempt Jesus (James 1:13), He positioned Jesus to conquer Satan.

    Throughout Scripture, when God calls someone, He rarely calls them to sit still or remain where they are. God often uses the word “Go” as a command for them to move forward, believe in Him, and exercise the authority He has given them. This helps us understand how God works, for He is King and LORD. God always advances His kingdom, takes territory, confronts darkness, and accomplishes His purposes through people who are willing to work together with Him. “Go” is a military term for command to pursue, take dominion, obey, and move forward.

    • Abraham — God commanded him to leave his land and go to the place He would show him (Genesis 12:1).
    • Moses — God told him to go to Pharaoh and deliver Israel from bondage (Exodus 3:10).
    • Joshua — God told him to go and take dominion over the promised land (Joshua 1:2–3).
    • Gideon — God commanded him to go and save Israel from the Midianites (Judges 6:14).
    • Elijah — God sent him to go confront King Ahab and call Israel to repentance (1 Kings 18:1).
    • Jonah — God told him to go to Nineveh and preach His judgment (Jonah 1:2).
    • The Apostles and all believers — Jesus commanded us to go into all the world and preach the gospel (Mark 16:15).

    Even when Elijah hid in a cave, God asked him, “What are you doing here?” (1 Kings 19:9). There is no place in Scripture where God calls His people to cowardice, retreat, or passivity. Even Revelation 21:8 says that the cowardly have no place in the kingdom of God.

    The Holy Spirit led Him there because the wilderness was not set up to defeat Jesus; it was the place God prepared for Jesus to win His victory over Satan (Matthew 4:1). He was not led there to make Him fall, but to confront the enemy and to begin restoring what Adam lost. When Adam knew that Eve had disobeyed, he did not confront the serpent who tempted his wife. Instead, he let his affection for Eve override his obedience to God, and he blamed her for what happened. Through that fall, he handed the dominion of the earth over to Satan, for sin entered the world through one man (Romans 5:12). But Jesus entered the wilderness to confront the enemy directly. Adam failed the temptation, but Jesus was “tempted in all points like we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

    Later, Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me” (Matthew 28:18). Have you wondered why Jesus said this? It tells us that after His confrontation in the wilderness and through His death and resurrection He openly claimed the authority Adam surrendered. Through His death, He conquered death, for “through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). Now Satan is totally defeated. His authority has been taken away, just as Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18).

    And this passage teaches us two things: authority was given to them, and to us, for Jesus said, “Behold, I give you authority… over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19). This means that Satan has no authority over us. We have authority over him through Jesus Christ. Remember, we are not given a spirit of fear, but “of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). We are not called to stay where we are, but to go and conquer in His name, and to declare the salvation of the LORD Jesus so that everyone may be saved.

  • Acts 28:3,5

    “But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. …But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.” Acts‬ ‭28:3, 5‬ ‭

    The Apostle Paul was on his way to Rome to stand before Caesar and present his case, for he had been falsely accused. While traveling by ship under Roman custody, Paul warned the sailors that danger lay ahead and that they should not continue the voyage. However, they did not listen to him. Soon after, a great storm arose and raged for many days, leaving the ship and all aboard in peril. But in the midst of the storm, God sent an angel to Paul with a message of assurance and protection, saying that no lives would be lost. Just as the Lord had promised, the ship was wrecked, but every person on board survived and the storm brought them safely to the island of Malta. Yet, the natives of the island showed them unusual kindness.

    The Apostle Paul didn’t just sit by the fire resting after the shipwreck. Even though he had gone through so much hardship, he still chose to serve. Instead of expecting others to help him, he picked up sticks to help keep the fire going to helped those around him. Paul lived out what the LORD Jesus taught, that He “did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45) so we must all do. We all want to be great, then we must be servant of all.

    As Paul gathered the wood, a venomous snake, a viper, suddenly fastened onto his hand and the people of the island saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said among themselves that this man must be a murderer, whom though he had escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and felt no harm and continued on.

    That moment when Paul shook off the viper into the fire teaches us about the power and authority that Jesus Christ has given to all believers. Through His name, we have been given the ability to overcome and shake off the attacks of the enemy. No matter how strong the serpent’s venom may seem, or how deep its bite, it cannot harm those who are redeemed and covered by the blood of the Lamb. Jesus said, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19, KJV).

    When Jesus died upon the cross, He conquered death once and for all. For as it is written, “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23, KJV). Death entered the world because of sin, through the disobedience of Adam and Eve. For it is written, Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14, KJV). In the beginning, mankind was created in the image and likeness of God, not only bearing His nature and attributes, but also possessing the gift of eternal life. Yet through transgression, sin awakened death and brought separation between man and God. Humanity, once destined for eternal fellowship, became subject to mortality, and sin separate us from the presence of God.

    Blessed be the Lord our God, who is rich in mercy and abundant in goodness. He humbled Himself and came down from His throne of glory, being declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:4). The Lord Jesus came to preach, to teach, and to show us how to live as sons and daughters of the Most High. Every word He spoke, every work He performed, was a pattern or a blueprint for His church to follow.

    When Jesus began to cast out devils, He revealed the authority that God had given to man from the very beginning. For it is written, “The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord’s: but the earth hath he given to the children of men” (Psalm 115:16, KJV). The earth was not given to evil spirits nor to fallen angels—they have no inheritance among mankind. Therefore, they must be dispossessed and cast out. As the Scripture declares, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).

    Our Lord gave no place to the enemy, neither permitted them to speak, for they were subject unto Him and by His authority, they are also subject unto us. That same authority He has now given to His church. The Lord said, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19).

    Therefore, when Paul shook off the viper into the fire, it became a living testimony of this divine truth: “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper” (Isaiah 54:17, KJV). This moment also reminds us that being a child of God does not mean we are exempt from trials, struggles, or attacks. The serpent waited for its moment to strike, just as the enemy looks for opportunities to drift us way from our faith. Yet, like Paul, we can shake off every attack of the adversary. Though the serpent may strike, his venom shall not prevail. As the Lord sent His angel to stand beside Paul during the night. The angel spoke, bringing comfort and assurance, saying, “Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee” (Acts 27:24). Paul suffered no harm because the purpose of God for his life was not yet fulfilled that he must stand before Caesar and bear witness of Christ even in the courts of Rome. The will of the Lord shall always stand, and none can overturn it. For “the counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations” (Psalm 33:11).

    The blood of the LORD Jesus Christ is our covering, our protection, and our victory. As it is written, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Revelation 12:11). They say that even when a venomous snake bites a sheep, the sheep does not die. Though the fangs pierce its flesh and the blood flows, the sheep lives for within its blood there is something that neutralizes the poison.  The serpent’s bite could not stop Paul, and the enemy’s attacks cannot stop those who walk in the will of God. Because through the blood of Jesus, no weapon formed against us shall prosper, for His blood is our defense, our covering, and our everlasting victory. To understand how powerful the blood of Jesus truly is, we must look at what it has accomplished for us. Through His blood, we have received redemption and the forgiveness of our sins. By His blood, we are justified and declared righteous before God. Through His blood, we are brought near to the Father and restored to fellowship with Him. We have obtained eternal redemption, not by our own works, but by His perfect sacrifice. Because of His blood, we can now come boldly before the throne of grace, standing in the very presence of God. His blood purifies us and makes us worthy to stand before Him, clothed in His righteousness. Lastly, His precious blood gives us victory over Satan and every power of darkness.

    Lastly, as Paul shook off the serpent into the fire, so also we, by the authority given unto us in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, shall cast down Satan and all his works. That moment was a foreshadowing of what is to come, when the devil and all his minions shall be cast into the lake of fire, as it is written, “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone… and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). The same fire that brought warmth and light to Paul and to all who were with him is the very fire that consumed the viper. So it is with the power of God’s presence what the enemy meant for harm, God turns for victory. For our God is “a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29, KJV), and in His presence, every work of darkness is destroyed.

    And what greater assurance do we have, that the Holy Spirit Himself now dwells within us. The same Spirit who raised up Jesus from the dead, and the very same Spirit who strengthened and worked mightily through Paul. For it is written, “But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you” (Romans 8:11). That same Holy Spirit continues to strengthen, guide, and empower us to walk in victory, to endure every trial, and to fulfill the will of God upon the earth.

    So you should never feel defeated, nor think that you are overcome, for the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you. Paul continued to stand firm because he knew what the blood of Christ had done for him, and he trusted in the Holy Spirit who lived within him. Because of that assurance, he did not give in to self-pity or despair. He understood that the power of God within him was greater than the trials around him. We, too, must remember that our circumstances do not limit God’s power. They become the very platform for His glory to be revealed. The hardships we face are not signs of defeat but opportunities for the Kingdom of God to expand on earth. Just as Paul and Silas, though bound in chains, lifted their voices and worshiped the Lord in the midnight hour, and “suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken” (Acts 16:26), so can our praise in the midst of trials shake the heavens and bring freedom to others.

    Therefore, do not be moved by what you see, nor silenced by what you suffer. The blood of Jesus has redeemed you, and the Spirit of God empowers you. What seems like bondage to the world can become a pulpit for God’s glory a place where His power is made known, and His presence is revealed.