In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 4, verse 6, we read about the second temptation that the devil presented to Jesus in the wilderness: “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'” In other words, Jesus was tempted to take an unnecessary risk to prove who He really was.
One interesting element in this exchange is that the devil seemed to realize the winning strategy of Jesus using the Word of God to repel his attacks. So the devil decided to use the same weapon and quoted the Scriptures back to Jesus, yet took them out of context and misquoted them.
In a situation like this, a person who is insecure about his identity would be tempted to respond to the challenge presented to him to prove who he really is. But with Jesus, this is not the case. His identity didn’t spring out of the impossible tasks, miracles, and risks He took. Rather, it’s solemnly based and rooted in the words of His Father: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased”. (Matthew 3: 17)
If you know that you already belong to the Father and He loves you, there is no need to take any unnecessary risk just to prove to others who you really are. You can walk in God’s peace and enjoy the security He already provided for you as His beloved child. In fact, the challenges of unnecessary risk will often come from the enemy whose goal remains the same – “to steal, kill and destroy” – by taking you out of your grace zone. (John 10: 10)
As the children of God, we do have to take risks sometimes, but we do it not because we have to prove something, but rather because we already know who we are. We take the risk out of an abundance of faith, not being led by fear or manipulation. Don’t allow the enemy to manipulate you and challenge you out of the zone of grace and peace you belong to, even if he is trying to use the Scriptures.
In life, bigger is not always better. As the Bible says, “It is better to have only a little, with peace of mind, than to be busy all the time with both hands, trying to catch the wind”. (Ecclesiastes 4: 6) Remember, you don’t need to prove anything to anybody by taking unnecessary risks. Stay in the area of your grace, remain in God’s peace, and have your identity rooted in the recognition you’ve already received from your heavenly Father.
#FromHeartToHeart Stan & Lana
Jesus Unltd #EverythingIsPossible
