Walking with Jesus: Overcoming Temptation and Finding Identity

Devotional

Day 1: God’s Word Is Our Weapon Against Temptation

When facing temptation, Jesus didn’t rely on clever arguments or sheer willpower—He relied on the Word of God, deeply rooted within Him. The Word wasn’t just a set of verses to recite in a crisis; it was the anchor of His heart, shaping His desires and responses even when no one else was watching. In a world full of fake personas and shifting values, the authenticity and power of God’s Word is what grounds us and gives us victory over the enemy’s schemes. When the pressure is on and you’re alone with your thoughts, what comes out is what’s truly inside—and if the Word is in you, it will be your defense and your hope. [07:40]

Luke 4:1-4 (ESV)
And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’”

Reflection: What is one area of temptation you’re facing right now where you need to let God’s Word—not your own strength—be your anchor and response?

Day 2: Temptation of Appetite—Seeking Satisfaction in God

Satan tempts us to satisfy our deepest appetites with temporary things, urging us to step outside of God’s will for quick relief or pleasure. Jesus, though hungry and physically weak, refused to use His power for self-gratification, choosing instead to trust that true satisfaction comes from obeying God and living by His Word. Our culture constantly offers substitutes—food, sex, success, comfort—but none of them can fill the hunger in our souls like God can. When you’re tempted to reach for something that promises to satisfy but leads you away from God, remember that only He can truly fill you. [17:58]

Deuteronomy 8:3 (ESV)
And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

Reflection: Where are you most tempted to seek satisfaction apart from God, and what would it look like to trust Him to meet that need today?

Day 3: Temptation of Power—Receiving, Not Seizing Authority

Satan’s second temptation was to offer Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if He would just bow down and worship him—a shortcut to power without the cross. Jesus saw through the lie, knowing that God’s plan was far greater than any shortcut or compromise. We, too, are often tempted to grab for authority, control, or recognition in our homes, workplaces, or relationships, rather than waiting on God’s timing and serving others as He calls us to. True authority is received from God, not seized by force or manipulation, and it comes through humility and obedience. [20:45]

Deuteronomy 6:13 (ESV)
It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear.

Reflection: In what area of your life are you tempted to take control or seek power on your own terms, and how can you surrender that to God’s timing and authority?

Day 4: Temptation of Trust—Trusting God Instead of Testing Him

The third temptation was for Jesus to throw Himself from the temple to prove God’s faithfulness, but Jesus refused to test God, choosing instead to trust Him fully. We often fall into the trap of bargaining with God—“If you do this, then I’ll trust you”—instead of believing His promises and walking by faith. True faith means trusting God’s character and Word, even when we can’t see the outcome or demand a sign. Jesus shows us that we don’t need to test God to know He is trustworthy; we can rest in His faithfulness and goodness. [23:30]

Deuteronomy 6:16 (ESV)
You shall not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.

Reflection: Where are you tempted to “test” God or demand proof of His care, and how can you choose to trust Him today without conditions?

Day 5: Jesus’ Victory Is Our Identity

Where we have failed in temptation—whether in appetite, power, or trust—Jesus was victorious, and His perfect record is given to us through the gospel. God does not see us as failures, but as those who stand in Christ’s victory, washed clean and empowered to live in newness of life. This truth is not just a comfort but a call: to live out of our new identity, to repent when we fall, and to run to the cross, knowing that Jesus’ victory is now our own. Let this assurance shape how you see yourself and how you face temptation today—not as a defeated sinner, but as one who shares in Christ’s triumph. [29:50]

Romans 8:1-2 (ESV)
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

Reflection: How does knowing that Jesus’ victory over temptation is credited to you change the way you see your failures and the way you approach temptation this week?

Sermon Summary

What an incredible week it’s been, seeing God move in the lives of so many children and families. We celebrate every single story, every child who came to Kids Week, and especially those who encountered Jesus for the first time. Our church is passionate about the next generation, and it’s a joy to see so many from different backgrounds coming together, all precious in God’s sight. If you’re here because your child brought you, know that God has a plan for your family, and we’re honored to walk alongside you.

As we launch into our new series, “Walking with Jesus,” we’re reminded that the more we truly know Jesus, the more we’ll want to know Him. Unlike the heroes of this world, whose personas often don’t match their character, Jesus is the real deal. The closer you get, the more His perfection and authenticity shine. In a world hungry for what’s real, Jesus stands alone—His character is flawless, even when no one is watching.

Today, we looked at the temptation of Christ in Luke 4. Right after His baptism—His mountaintop moment—Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. This is a pattern for us: spiritual highs are often followed by spiritual battles. Declaring for God’s kingdom puts a target on your back, but it’s worth it. We must count the cost, knowing that obedience brings both purpose and opposition.

Satan’s playbook hasn’t changed. He tempts us in three main ways: through our appetites, our desire for power, and our trust in God. Jesus faced each of these and responded not with magic words, but with the Word of God deeply rooted in His heart. He didn’t settle for temporary satisfaction, shortcut authority, or demand proof from God. Instead, He trusted, waited, and obeyed perfectly.

Where we have failed—grabbing for satisfaction, seizing power, or testing God—Jesus was victorious. His victory over temptation is not just an example; it’s the very reason He could go to the cross for us. His perfect record is given to us, so we can live in freedom, not shame. Our identity is now in Him, and as we let God’s Word shape us, we find the strength to resist temptation and live out who we truly are in Christ.

Key Takeaways

1. Authenticity in a World of Facades In a culture obsessed with image and persona, Jesus stands out as truly authentic. The closer we get to Him, the more we see that His character is flawless—He is the same in private as He is in public. This authenticity is what our hearts long for, and it’s found only in Christ, not in the shifting standards of the world. [06:19]
2. Spiritual Highs Are Followed by Spiritual Battles After moments of spiritual breakthrough—like baptism or a new step of obedience—expect resistance. Declaring for God’s kingdom puts you on the front lines of a spiritual war, and Satan will not take it lying down. Understanding this prepares us to stand firm, knowing that opposition is a sign we’re moving in the right direction. [07:31]
3. God’s Word as Our Deep Anchor Jesus didn’t use Scripture as a quick fix or magic spell; the Word was deeply rooted in Him, shaping His desires and responses. When temptation comes, it’s not about reciting verses but about having God’s truth so deeply woven into our hearts that it anchors us to a greater hope. This is how we resist the enemy—not by willpower, but by a transformed mind and heart. [12:15]
4. The Three Core Temptations: Appetite, Power, Trust Satan’s strategies are consistent: he tempts us to satisfy legitimate needs in illegitimate ways, to seize power instead of receiving it from God, and to test God rather than trust Him. Jesus overcame each of these, showing us that true satisfaction, authority, and security come from surrender and faith, not shortcuts or bargains. [17:58]
5. Christ’s Victory Becomes Our Identity Where we have failed, Jesus succeeded. His victory over temptation is credited to us, so we are no longer defined by our failures but by His perfection. This truth frees us from shame and empowers us to live out our new identity, finding in Him the fulfillment and purpose we once sought elsewhere. [41:00]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:45] - Celebrating Kids Week and God’s Work
[03:10] - The Value of Every Child’s Story
[05:00] - The Thirst for Authenticity in Our Culture
[06:19] - Jesus: The Real Deal
[07:31] - Spiritual Highs and Spiritual Battles
[09:45] - Counting the Cost of Obedience
[12:15] - Understanding Satan’s Playbook
[14:11] - Personal Testimony: Kingdom Work and Opposition
[15:30] - The Three Temptations of Christ
[17:58] - Temptation of Appetite
[21:00] - Temptation of Power and Authority
[25:00] - Temptation of Trust
[29:30] - Jesus’ Victory and Our Identity
[41:00] - Living in the Freedom of Christ’s Record
[44:00] - Application and Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

According to Luke 4:1-2, what significant event happened to Jesus right before He was led into the wilderness, and who led Him there?
What are the three specific temptations that Satan presented to Jesus in the wilderness? (Luke 4:3-12)
How did Jesus respond to each of Satan’s temptations? What did He use as His defense?
The sermon mentioned that spiritual highs are often followed by spiritual battles. What example from Jesus’ life illustrates this pattern?

Interpretation Questions

The sermon says, “The more you get to know Jesus, the more you’re going to want to know Him.” Why does the pastor believe Jesus stands out as truly authentic compared to other “heroes” or public figures?
Why do you think Satan targeted Jesus right after His baptism? What does this suggest about the timing of temptation in our own lives?
The pastor described Satan’s playbook as tempting us through appetite, power, and trust. How do these categories cover most of the temptations we face?
Jesus didn’t just quote Scripture as a “magic trick.” What does it mean for God’s Word to be “deeply rooted” in us, and how is that different from just knowing Bible verses?

Application Questions

The sermon talked about a “thirst for authenticity” in our culture. Where do you see people (including yourself) searching for what’s real, and how does Jesus’ authenticity challenge or encourage you?
Have you ever experienced a “spiritual high” (like a retreat, baptism, or breakthrough) that was quickly followed by a season of struggle or temptation? How did you respond, and what did you learn from it?
Of the three core temptations (appetite, power, trust), which one do you find yourself most vulnerable to right now? What does it look like for you to resist that temptation in a practical way this week?
The pastor said, “Jesus’ victory over temptation is not just an example; it’s the very reason He could go to the cross for us.” How does knowing that Jesus succeeded where we have failed change the way you see your own failures and struggles?
The sermon emphasized that our identity is now in Christ, not in our failures. Is there an area of your life where you still feel defined by shame or past mistakes? What would it look like to live out of your new identity in Christ instead?
The pastor encouraged us to let God’s Word shape us deeply, not just as a quick fix. What is one step you can take this week to let Scripture become more deeply rooted in your heart and mind?
If you are a parent or mentor, how can you help the next generation see and experience the authenticity of Jesus in your own life?

Sermon Clips

The closer you get to Jesus, the more you're gonna see the perfection that is in him. The closer you get to him, the more you're gonna want to be in relationship with him. All right, it's not, it's the opposite of like, get close and realize there's a bunch of problems. [00:04:38]

Our young people are starving for authenticity. They don't care if it's big, they don't care if it's bold. They wanna know, is it real? And here's what we get to learn about Jesus. Man, today, you never get a glimpse of something that is more real than when you get to see a person and see their character when nobody else is looking. [00:06:32]

Jesus was more than the sermons. He was more than just the persona, the character. He was more than the world -changing history. He was more than the miracles. Man, he was real. What was in him came out, and what was in him was the word of God. [00:06:58]

God's word is a weapon against temptation. It's a weapon against temptation, and I don't mean it in terms of learn a few pithy fighter verses that we pull up like an incantation and a magic trick to cast a spell over the devil. That's not what I mean. What I mean is we want the word of God shaping us deep inside of us, and it's gonna anchor us to put our hope in the right place. [00:07:15]

Whenever you put the jersey on and declare for the kingdom of God, there's also a big, giant target that gets put on your back, and this is important for me to tell you guys today. [00:08:42]

Who wants to be married, but not let the world know? Put the wedding ring on, put the uniform on, step fully in to the obedience that God has for you, and declare for his kingdom, but do it with wide eyes open. Because when you come out of that water, there's a target on your back that wasn't there before. [00:09:07]

When you declare yourself for the kingdom, Satan declares war on you. And ground zero number one in Jesus's life was when he decided to take on baptism. [00:10:38]

The Bible doesn't guarantee you, you get saved, you get baptized, and now you make the sale, and you're always gonna be healthy, and your kids are gonna do this. There's no guarantees of that in the Bible. What we see is that we're gonna get saved, we're never gonna be alone, our future is secure, we have a purpose every day of our life, God interacts with us, and we put on the uniform in baptism, and we are deployed for his mission, and that is our purpose, but yes, it comes with significant risk. [00:11:04]

If I'm going into a fight, it is my advantage to understand the strategy of my opponent. If I'm going into a game, it's to my advantage to understand the playbook of the opponent. The playbook of Satan is, you kick the nest, and you reap what he's gonna sow. You know, you reap what's coming at you. You go down in the water, and you should expect a fight, and that helps me to be braced against what's coming. [00:12:16]

Most of the temptations in your life you can put in these three buckets. The first one is the temptation of appetite. [00:14:57]

Satan tempts us to satisfy ultimate appetites with temporal things. What is it, you know, the appetite for food to be satisfied. That is something that we deal with in the flesh, but there is an ultimate way that we are satisfied and that is only by being in the will of God. [00:16:11]

Satan is not a creator he can't create appetites in you but he distorts them and plays upon them all right and he wants the appetite that you have for these different things money health food sex anything like that step out of god's plan into that and what does jesus say from deuteronomy 8 man we don't live by bread alone. [00:19:41]

The first temptation was about appetite the second temptation is about power and authority or you could say it like this satan tempts us to seize authority rather than to receive authority all right there is an authority that we are to receive from god satan wants us to short circuit that plan and to grab all of the power that we can and he baits us with that. [00:20:33]

What satan is offering jesus is a crossless path to power a suffering less path to authority now jesus sees the bigger plan here and of course he sees through it y 'all god's plan is bigger than him being a king on earth god's plan for jesus is to be the savior of the world. [00:21:27]

If you're a christian you are destined to receive authority that authority is going to be our opportunity to exert dominion on the new heavens and the new earth in the way that we were supposed to in the garden y 'all the bible says we will command angels do i understand what all that means no but there is an authority that is going to come into our life if we are to receive it but some of us want to take the bait from satan cheat our way lie our way step out of god's will why because i need the authority over this company i need it now. [00:23:31]

Third temptation satan tempts us to test god instead of trust god test god instead of trust god god if you do this then i know you can do that rather than trusting him at his word which is what faith is. [00:25:39]

Tempting god is the opposite of faith faith hebrew says is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of what is not seen i don't need you to to make sure you can save me from the temple to trust you to save me through the resurrection and jesus shows us that. [00:26:58]

Rely on god's word in temptation not as an incantation not as a magic trick but something that is deep in you that anchors you to a future hope that is better than whatever satan can tempt you with here in this life and today. [00:27:17]

Never meet your heroes doesn't work with jesus the more you get to know him the more you're going to want to know him. [00:30:02]

Jesus was led by the spirit not dragged by satan not to be beat up by satan but he was led by the spirit to defeat satan and he did and where we fail he was victorious and yet in his gospel he gives us his perfect record and you and i have a chance to walk in the newness of life man not looking back on all those failures all the times we failed in appetite failed in kingdom failed in trust but we get a chance to say man in christ this is who i am and i get a chance to live into that. [00:31:59]

You need to know that even though you feel that way god does not see you that way he sees you as the one who stands against diablos himself in every single temptation because that is what has been given to you in the gospel. [00:34:55]

If god sees me like that then i sort of want to start living like that and as i start to live like that you know what i'm going to find man what i was looking for and i and the idolatry of appetite and the sinful appetites i actually find in him man i was looking to be filled but you know what all these things over here they're not going to fill me like jesus can fill me. [00:35:13]

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