Quiet Time in Matthew 4
- Filip
- Jul 2, 2022
- 5 min read
EXPAND TO READ: MATTHEW 4 (HCSB)
The Temptation of Jesus
4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. 2 After He had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, He was hungry. 3 Then the tempter approached Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 But He answered, “It is written:
Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
5 Then the Devil took Him to the holy city, had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:
He will give His angels orders concerning you, and they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”
7 Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.”
8 Again, the Devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 And he said to Him, “I will give You all these things if You will fall down and worship me.”
10 Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written:
Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.”
11 Then the Devil left Him, and immediately angels came and began to serve Him.
Ministry in Galilee
12 When He heard that John had been arrested, He withdrew into Galilee. 13 He left Nazareth behind and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali. 14 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
15 Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, along the sea road, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles! 16 The people who live in darkness have seen a great light, and for those living in the shadowland of death, light has dawned.
17 From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, because the kingdom of heaven has come near!”
The First Disciples
18 As He was walking along the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon, who was called Peter, and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen. 19 “Follow Me,” He told them, “and I will make you fish for people!” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed Him.
21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and He called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed Him.
Teaching, Preaching, and Healing
23 Jesus was going all over Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. 24 Then the news about Him spread throughout Syria. So they brought to Him all those who were afflicted, those suffering from various diseases and intense pains, the demon-possessed, the epileptics, and the paralytics. And He healed them. 25 Large crowds followed Him from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verse 17): Once again, I find You repeating Yourself to me. These exact same words, which Jesus spoke, were also said to me in my quiet times on the book of Acts: “repent, because the kingdom of heaven is near!” I do feel that even to this day, as my faith is becoming stronger than ever, the struggle with true repentance at times. I feel guilt, shame, and even remorse over things that I’ve done and continue to do which is against Your will for me. Unfortunately, I don’t always take those things to You for true repentance. Even at times when I do seek Your forgiveness for some of the things I’ve done, I may not necessarily truly repent from continuing to do those things. Forgive me for my disobedience and selfishness in these matters, Father. Please continue to work in my heart to remind me of the things I’ve repented for as well as the things I need to repent for. Continue to work in my heart so that as I continue to mature in my faith, repentance of ALL things, true repentance, is what I aspire towards so that I may release all of this baggage I carry permanently to You, Father.
PROMISE (verse 1): Temptation is something that I do struggle with every so often in my life, Father. This is not a bad thing, however, as it is a test of my faith and whether or not I’m leaning on You for strength or myself. I chose this verse as my promise focus today, because in this verse You say that the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness for the purpose of being tempted. This means that although You allowed Satan to do the tempting, it was Your choosing that it happened. I feel that Your promise here is that we will all be intentionally tempted at times. Even Your perfect Son, Jesus, was purposely tempted three times all in a short period of time. He passed all three tests with ease because He relied on Your truth, Your word, and Your strength through it all. Help me to remember this promise, Father. I am not perfect like Jesus, so if even He was purposely tempted who am I to think that temptation will not be used towards me?
ATTITUDE (verse 10): During Jesus’ third and final temptation, the Devil tried to tempt Him with essentially all the riches and power in this world. Jesus immediately knew that the Devil was basically asking Him to put the power and possessions in this life, in this world above God, which means he’d be making those an idol above God. His response was quite simple yet extremely powerful: “worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.” How often in my life have I struggled with prioritizing You as my #1 in my life, Father? How often have I allowed You to slip down to 2, 3, 4, or even somewhat non-existent in my priorities? I have not fully lived my life at times in obedience to Your nor in a way that truly glorifies and praises You as my #1 in this life. Help me to live my life in an attitude of true worship of You, Father, as my #1 in this life at all times, regardless of the circumstances I’m placed in or the events that occur in my life.
COMMAND (verse 7): I love Jesus’ use of these words during the second temptation, but I also see it as a direct command to all who read this, especially me. He says to Satan: “do not test the Lord your God.” I have tested You quite a bit in my life, Father. I’ve allowed my relationship with You to dwindle in the good times, then when the bad times hit, I immediately go to You and fully expect You to make everything right, again, even though I had not been firm in my faith and relationship with You leading up to that point. Please continue to work in my heart during the good times, Father, so that I do not slack off in our relationship as I had done in the past. Continue to work in my heart to ensure that I am always looking towards You for strength, wisdom, and courage through the good times so that I can follow Your will for my life even through the bad times of this life. Essentially, help me to remain obedient to You instead of “expecting” You to remain obedient to me, Father.
EXAMPLE (verses 1-11): Jesus being tempted at all still amazes me to this day, even though I’ve known about the three temptations of Jesus for quite some time, even before truly coming to faith. The thing that amazes me most about this event is how Satan tried to use Your own words to tempt Jesus; just as He did with Adam and Eve with the fruit temptation. The Devil is very slick in his ways, but Jesus was wiser than him through all of the temptations where Adam and Eve failed. The reason being that Jesus knew all of Your truths fully and embraced them fully, so when the Devil tried to tempt Him using Your words as the temptation, Jesus was quickly able to defend against those temptations using Your words back at him. Help me to be better at recognizing when Your truth is being misused, Father, but also to be better at having Your truth readily available in my head and heart to combat against those temptations and misuses. Help me to walk this life more like Jesus and less like Adam and Eve when temptations strike.
*DAILY NOTE: You spoke to me a lot about repentance and temptation today, Father. I have been tempted quite a bit in my life and have failed towards those temptations quite often, unfortunately. I am not proud of it, but it is the truth. I know that with You I am stronger than any temptation that this world, my flesh, or even the Devil himself could bring to me, but I also know that I often try to rely on my own strength and willpower through it all. I see now that my true power is in my weakness. My true power is in the fact that as I begin to recognize my faults and my weaknesses, if I take those to You then they are no longer weaknesses or faults because You fill the void with Your strength, Your power, and Your perfection. Thank You for all the works You’ve been doing in my life, Father. I ask that You please continue to work in me daily as I am still weak and still often relying on myself through many things in this life instead of going to You through it all.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
I always "sandwich" my quiet time with God in prayer and do it in a location that I will not have any distractions so that I can be focused on my quiet time with God. Do not worry about how short or long your journal entries are for that day's quiet time. Just focus on the actual quiet time and relational conversation with God through the Holy Spirit and His Word. The journaling is an enhancement to your quiet time conversation with God, but also to allow you to reflect on things later as you can look back on your journal entries later when you do the chapters again in the future to see how you have grown. See the FAQ for more detail on how I do my quiet time.
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