Tested and Proven

Jesus had been baptized. The Father had declared that He was pleased with His Son. We might think the stage had been fully set for Jesus’ ministry to begin, with everything in place. Yet there was one additional step: Jesus needed to face temptation.

Yes, even though He was the Son of God, Jesus was “impelled” by the Spirit to go into the wilderness, where, alone, He would be “tempted by Satan.” He would be forced to deal with many critical pressures—the pressure to conform; pressure to misuse His power, privileges, and authority; pressure to seek personal fame and fortune; pressure to compromise; pressure to yield to satanic influence; and pressure to abandon His mission.

How would Jesus respond when He was pushed to His physical and emotional limits? What would He do when there was no one else to lean upon, when no one else could see what He was doing?

Only when Jesus emerged from this time of testing and temptation did His ministry begin. And when He emerged triumphant, He was illustrating a pattern that would be true for all of His followers. For if the Son of God needed to go through testing and temptation, it’s logical that His followers would face this as well.

In our flesh, we may feel that these moments are unnecessary. But, in fact, real ministry only is possible after we’ve been tested…after we’ve been proven…after we’ve faced temptation…after we’ve had real experience…after our character has been refined and deepened…after we’re toughened and ready for battle…and after we’ve matured spiritually and can stand against the “schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).

So if you’re going through tough times today, don’t despair. God is preparing you for service!