Dear Father, I see the enemy's tactics in clear site, using a rouse to get to our souls. Prepare us each day to be strengthened for battle, some may not know we are at war but we are at war. Prayer and fasting are our tools to fend off the attack, to continue to press forward to the prize and not become
WEEK SEVEN: PREPARATION AND THE CALL OF THE DISCIPLES - DAY 2
"MORNING FACE TO FACE WITH GOD:
Begin with Prayer to the Holy Spirit
Prayer on Matthew 4: 3-4; 5; 7; 9-11: The Temptation of Jesus:
"If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread."... "One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God."... Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down..." Jesus answered him, "Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.'"... "All of these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me." At this, Jesus said to him, "Get away, Satan!" Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him." [Please read Matthew 4: 1-11 for a better appreciation of the passage].
Read the Reflection; then pray using Matthew 4: 1-11; ask for an intimate knowledge of our Lord, who has become man for me, that I may love Him more and follow Him more closely (#104)
Jesus is on a mission: to redeem us by paying the price of our salvation. He takes upon himself our weaknesses and sin so that through Him we can be made free of sin and share in the divine life of the Trinity. It was the Lord's will to crush Him with pain so that He could become our reparation offering (Isaiah 53: 10). An important part of Jesus' mission, then, was to overcome Satan, the personification of evil and sin. In the temptations we witness the cosmic battle between Satan and Jesus. Both here and repeatedly, Jesus will emerge victorious because He is God, and therefore can be our Savior! We all struggle with the same temptations in our lives and succumb to them, unfortunately. With Jesus, however, we will be victorious. In the first temptation, Jesus refuses to exercise His power for His own benefit, and instead relies on trusting and doing God's will. In the second temptation, the devil quotes Psalm 91: 11-13, assuring Jesus that He has nothing to fear if He throws himself down from the parapet of the temple. But unlike Israel (Deuteronomy 6: 16: "You shall not put the LORD, your God, to the test, as you did at Massah"), Jesus will not test God by asking for an extraordinary show of strength. Lastly, Satan asks Jesus to worship him. This temptation recalls Israel's idolatry in the worship of the Golden Calf in Exodus 32. Jesus responds in the spirit of Deuteronomy 6: 13: "The LORD, your God, shall you fear; him shall you serve, and by his name shall you swear." He says, "Get away, Satan!" Jesus is indeed our Way, Truth, and Life!"
The seeds of doubt, do you notice how the devil approaches Jesus, he does it by testing His strength with the word "if". And Jesus responds with strength, He responds with the Word of God. As Son of Man, He knew how to combat the devil, for it is all written down for us to read and apply to our lives. The devil still tempts man today, some are very subtle ways and some are direct as he did with Jesus.
Jesus is our example for us to imitate, Jesus was prepared for this spiritual battle, spending time in prayer and fasting. Quiet contemplation with the Word of God fortifies us, we are building our foundation upon the corner stone so when life come at us, we are prepared with a strong foundation. In these days we need it more than ever as we witness the battle rage in front of us. "Though my flesh and my heart fail, God is the rock of my heart, my portion forever."
Psalms 73:26 NABRE
What is God saying to you? My Son is a living example of how to maintain focus and not become distracted by fleeting arrows.
a casualty of the battle field. Thank You Father for another day with gained insight to serve You. In Jesus name, Amen.
Mary, Our Lady of Victory, Pray for us.
St Joesph, Terror of Demons, Pray for us.
Viva Cristo Rey
Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. 1 John 4:4b
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