Week 3 – Day 1:

Read Luke 4:1-13

We ended week 2 by talking about how The Word came into John The Baptist. Now, we follow Jesus into the wilderness as the devil tempts him. As Jesus is tempted, His response every time is scripture. Jesus says, “It is written” twice and “It is said” once. Every time, His response to thwart the temptation of the devil was with The Word of God! Jesus and John both had a command of scripture. Jesus shows us that The Word is not just useful in teaching and preaching but also powerful in defending against attacks of the enemy. 

Memorizing scripture is an excellent way to keep The Word of God readily accessible. It is a valuable practice that will help you not only combat temptation but also to encourage you when life gets hard or when a sudden, unexpected, difficult situation occurs in your life. Having God’s Word hidden in your heart will also enable you to share it with others on any and all occasions. 

Sometimes, memorization can be challenging. So, start small. Memorizing just a couple of short, simple verses is a great place to begin. Don’t be discouraged. The Word of God, even just a few words, is powerful enough to fight off the devil and encourage your heart in the most difficult circumstances! If this is a practice that worked for Jesus, it is a practice that can work for us! 

Do you have any Bible verses memorized? If so, write down your favorite one from memory in the space below. If not, consider choosing a verse to memorize and write it in the space below. (Philippians 4:13 is a great verse to memorize.)

This week, practice reciting verses you have memorized or one you are trying to memorize. Spend time in prayer asking God to help you recall The Word of God in your life circumstances. Thank Him for the power in His Word to overcome the enemy!

Week 3 – Day 2:

Read Luke 4:14-22

As we read yesterday, Jesus had been in the wilderness for 40 days and was tempted by the devil. But, on the other side of those 40 days, it says in verse 14, “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit.” It is incredible how the Spirit can fill you with power when you overcome the enemy with The Word of God! You would think that after 40 days in the wilderness at war with the devil, Jesus would have needed a nap, a shower, and a good meal. Instead, he goes to the synagogue and dives right back into The Word of God, and as He read, the people around Him took note of the authority with which He read. I think there is something here we should pay attention to: when we begin to use The Word of God in our lives, we will experience a new confidence in it. As we grow in our study of The Word, we will be able to share it with authority! 

Can you think of a time when you went through a difficult season but emerged from it with greater confidence in The Lord and His Word? If so, write about it. If not, how do you think you could prepare yourself to utilize The Word of God to give you strength during the hard seasons of life so you can emerge with the power of The Holy Spirit? 

Today, pray and ask God to give you confidence in His Word. Ask Him to make you aware of moments when His Word could bring peace and calm assurance to a situation, then pray He would fill you with His Spirit and help you plug into the power of His Word. 

Week 3 – Day 3:

Read Luke 4:23-30

It’s interesting that, at first, the people in the synagogue were amazed at the words and wisdom that came when Jesus spoke, but then, all of a sudden, they turned on Him. When Jesus started to prophesy and speak the truth, they got uncomfortable and drove Him out of town, actually trying to kill Him. This particular synagogue was in His hometown. These people saw Jesus as the son of Joseph, and in essence, they failed to see the truth of His divinity. They missed the miracle of The Messiah before them because of what they thought they already knew of Jesus. And isn’t that true of us sometimes? We can miss seeing Jesus in our circumstances because we can’t let go of our own thoughts and feelings. 

Do you sometimes have trouble seeing Jesus in your circumstances? If so, write down why you think it’s hard to see Him. If not, write down how you are able to see Him.  

Today, pray and ask The Lord to help you truly see Jesus for all He is. After your time of prayer, write down who Jesus is to you!

Week 3 – Day 4:

Read Luke 4:31-41

Jesus leaves his hometown of Nazareth under the threat of his very life and arrives in Capernaum. His experience in Nazareth did not deter him from staying on task. He begins to teach and once again the people marvel at his authority. He then begins to heal the sick and afflicted. All who witnessed these miracles knew He was the Messiah but it was not time for that to be revealed. Jesus still had things to do. So, He asked them not to speak about it. He was completely dedicated to the plan and timeline of The Father. 

There is so much to learn from Jesus. In this portion of scripture we see Him continue to follow the plan of His Father even when it was tough and we see Him staying humbly obedient to the timing of His Father. Even though his life was threatened He kept moving forward. And, even though the people wanted to proclaim Him as The Messiah, He knew it wasn’t time. We see our Savior as an incredible example of being fully surrendered to the will of God. 

Have you been waiting for something? Maybe you need a miracle. Maybe you have a calling on your life but the right doors are not opening yet. If you are waiting on something write it in the space below then pray over it. Ask God to help you continue to trust and serve Him even in the waiting. 

As you continue your time of prayer today, ask The Lord to give you the boldness to keep following Him even when its tough. Ask Him to grant you the wisdom to know when its time to make a decision. And, ask that He work in your waiting. Also, be sure to praise Him for who He is, what He has already done and what He will continue to do in the future!

Week 3 – Day 5:

Read Luke 4:42-44

In these last few verses of Chapter 4 we see our Savior getting away to a solitary place at daybreak. Over and over again in scripture we see Jesus leaving the crowds to get alone with His Father. And, even when the crowds found Him He would not let them keep Him from continuing His journey and ultimate mission of sharing The Good News. 

If our Savior needed time in a solitary place with God, how much more do we need to practice this in our lives? I think sometimes we are easily distracted from our purpose by the “crowd” or the chaos in our lives. There is so much noise these days that can keep us from our purpose and ultimate mission of sharing The Good News with others. I wonder what would happen if the people of God would ruthlessly root out the distractions from our lives and live like our Savior did – fully focused on His Father? 

What are the biggest distractions in your life right now?

Do you have a daily practice of going to a solitary place with God? If so, write down how this looks for you. If not, consider writing down a plan to begin getting alone with God even if just for a few minutes a day. 

At the end of this week, pray that you would be able to see Jesus in new ways and that in seeing Him you would become more like Him!