“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.‘ But he answered, ‘It is written,
“‘”Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”‘
“Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
“‘”He will command his angels concerning you,”
“and
“‘”On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.”‘
“Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.“‘ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.‘ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
“‘”You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.”‘
“Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.” Matthew 4:1-11
The way of the devil is to deceive by twisting words, to tempt to disobedience, and to manipulate to his ends. He strokes pride to get his subjects focused on themselves and the need to prove that they are important, powerful, in control, significant.
The way of Jesus is to know and stand on the inerrant unchanging Word, to hide in the Godhead, to live every aspect of life in the worship of His father, serving His will and ultimate joy. The conniving of ‘If you are the Son of God’ tricks is confounded and swallowed by the unshakable majesty of “Since I am the Son of God” responses. (Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 12:2)
The devil continues to go after God’s people today. He is relentless in his wily temptations, taunting us with doubts about our identity, provoking us to make much of ourselves, to doubt God’s word or test His sufficiency. We have a choice: to entertain and succumb to his “if” teasing, or to stand firm on the “sinces” that Jesus proclaims over us. It’s vital to discern the voices we hear, and make decisions accordingly. (Romans 6:5-8; 8:1-2; Galatians 2:20; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 12:1)
What voices are we accustomed to heeding in our everyday experiences? Do we know God’s word well enough to discern the devil’s aberrations? When tempted toward an unbiblical view of ourselves in relation to God, others, or His world, where do we align and how do we adjust our thinking?
In what areas are we weakest in giving in to wrong thinking? How has the Lord’s Spirit alerted us and given us strength to withstand? What promises has He brought to mind? Staying at the ready, equipped with God’s word, we can counter any temptation victoriously.
Lord God, immerse me in your truth and strength so I recognize and counter every devil attack, to Your glory. 
As the rain and snow 