The Apostle John concludes his gospel with these words, “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25).
This verse is important as we study Scripture. The mystery of Jesus taking on human flesh is one that will baffle me until I’m standing in His presence, but I do believe Jesus understands what we go through daily. As a young person, I would hear a passage of the Bible and quickly judge the people who doubted God or didn’t obey Him and had to pay the consequences. Now a little older, and hopefully a little wiser, I see that I am just like many of those people in the Bible. Not a hero of faith but often a doubting, disobedient, and struggling human being. Jesus displayed for us the best battle plan in those times of trials and weakness. Jesus was tempted three times by Satan in the wilderness as recorded in three of the four gospels. I don’t believe for a minute that these were the only times Jesus was tempted! But these were recorded for us to give us the ability to withstand the enemy’s attacks. All three times Jesus was tempted He responded with “it is written”.
Having an intimate knowledge of Scripture is key to withstanding those attacks. Jesus demonstrated this for us because we also will face attacks. They may not come in the form of conversations with Satan, but they do show up every day. I to fight those attacks with the only weapon proven to work, God’s Word! Take time to read God’s Word. You don’t need to be a Bible scholar to read His word. God will reveal to you His character, nature, and will for your life from Scriptures. You will be able to confidently stand your ground when the enemy comes lurking if you have God’s Word in your heart. Start small. Try one chapter a day, I recommend the book of John!
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Congregations must be based in Alger County. To learn how to submit selections for From The Pulpit, email munisingbeacon@gmail.com or call 906-235-4958.