From the archives of Oral Roberts
The devil doesn’t give up easily. He tried to tempt Jesus a second time. He 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 shall give His angels charge over you; and, ‘in their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone’” (Matthew 4:5-6 NKJV).
The devil can also quote Scripture, but he always perverts it. We have to know God’s Word so we can rightly divide it. Jesus answered, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God’” (v.7).
Verses 8-9 says, “Again, the devil … showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.’”
The devil knew Jesus had come to save the world, so he offered Him something that He wanted. That’s how temptation comes to all of us – at the point of desire, with something that we want.
For the third time Jesus said, “Away with you, Satan! It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve’” (v.10). And that’s when the change came. Then the devil left Him, and … angels came and ministered to Him (v. 11).
There was a battle going on between heaven and hell, but Jesus depended upon the Word of God and His faith. When we depend on the Word upon which we base our faith in God, we have the same two forces at work in us through which Jesus overcame the devil.