A Testimony from Kareem Flowers

The Lord recently ministered something to me, through my leader, that changed my whole perspective of Jesus.

Matthew 4:1

1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

The temptation of Jesus Christ is an occurrence that is known in every nation on earth; however, I have never perceived it the way I do now. When I thought about the temptation, I always pictured Jesus in the middle of the wilderness barely being able to move. Then a dark figure appeared to Him out of nowhere.

Sometimes I would apply my knowledge that satan can transform himself into an angel of light, and see a majestic being instead. Nevertheless, when I thought of the temptation I would always envision Jesus and the devil standing in the midst of the wilderness talking to one another.

Matthew 4:3

3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

Here Jesus is hungry having fasted for forty days and nights, and the first temptation was that He turn some stones into bread. This was not something out of the ordinary for Jesus, however, we know the significance of the temptation was that it was outside the will of God.

It was spoken out of the mouth of the devil for the purpose of vanity, and therefore, to speak to the stones would be to tempt the Lord. He responded to the devil saying, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). Hence, Jesus passes the first test with flying colors.

There is, however, something quite peculiar about the second test.

Matthew 4:5

5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

This is the aspect that totally transformed my perspective. To see it, we must parallel the fifth verse with the first.

Matthew 4:1

1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

Jesus was led to the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. If the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, why then is the devil taking Him to Jerusalem? When I perceived this scripture, I saw Jesus being translated or carried to these different areas and then taken back to the wilderness. However, I missed the truth concerning it. The truth is that Jesus never left the wilderness.

All these temptations were happening in Jesus’ mind. Matthew 4:3 describes the devil coming to Him, however, he did not come physically, rather, he came by speaking to Jesus’ mind, suggesting things.

This was so revolutionary to me because it changed my perspective of my Lord. I always knew He was tempted and I knew He had the ability to sin, but chose righteousness. However, because I thought the devil came to Him physically this caused me to feel somewhat different from Him during my temptations.

How was I to relate to Jesus’ physical manifestation of the devil when the devil only comes to my mind? Moreover, how was He going to relate to me? Learning the truth caused me to see the Lord through very different eyes. As 1 John 4:17 states, “As He is so are we in this world”.

Jesus had absolutely no edge over us as it pertains to righteousness. We have the Word, and His Spirit living in us, so when the devil speaks to our mind, we have His power to overcome. All we must do is choose to allow the Spirit of Christ to have free course in us, by agreeing with the Word of God.

Though this was awe-inspiring for me, this was not the main reason for my excitement. It was not so much the fact that He received mental temptations, but more of what the temptation was about: “If thou be the Son of God.”

Have you ever heard these words in your head? They may not be said exactly in the same way, but have you ever questioned your sonship because of something other than the Word of God? “If you really are a son of God why don’t you know certain things?” “If you really are a son of God why have you never worked a miracle?” “If you really are a son of God you should feel a certain way.” “If you really are a son of God why have you done so much wrong since being a Christian?”

Maybe you are one who is certain of your salvation, but what about your oneness with God? “I don’t believe God will hear my prayer.” “Can I trust what I am feeling?” “I don’t know if God is happy with Me.” “I don’t know why these things happen in my life.”

Often we question our salvation or sonship because of certain things we expect sons to always walk in. However, even if those expectations are true, you will never ever walk in them until you first believe in your sonship. If you doubt who you are in God you have already fallen prey to the enemy.

Ephesians 6:16

16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

It is your shield of faith that quenches the darts of the devil. Your faith in who you are as a son of God is what is constantly being tried. We know that God is able to do all things, but will He do it through us? Or, can I truly be free to be bold in God and not be put to shame? This is when we begin to doubt who we are. We judge ourselves based on things that God did not tell us to judge ourselves by.

Turning stones to bread was not proof that Jesus was the Son of God, rather, the proof was that God was in Him. Therefore, the trial Jesus experienced was one that was a challenge to His sonship. The devil was trying to get Him to doubt His sonship, even as he tries to get us to doubt ours today. The manifestation of His doubt would have been if He attempted to turn the stones to bread because He would have felt the need to prove it both to the devil and to Himself.

You don’t need to prove something you truly believe. You simply know who and what you are. Jesus being a perfect example of a son of God discerned the curveball suggestions. His response revealed that we do not need to prove our sonship to anyone, not even ourselves. WE ARE WHAT WE ARE.

The true proof of sonship is that we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within. The Holy Spirit empowers us to obey what is written. If you know you have the Holy Ghost, you are a son of God. It does not matter what disposition you may find yourself in. However, to come to the disposition that God requires of you, you must first believe in who you are as a son of God. If you are in the darkness of unbelief, just turn from it.

Hebrews 4:15

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus rebuked every seed of doubt the devil tried to plant in His mind. You too, can overcome the temptations of the enemy. Believe in your sonship and do what is written.