Independent Thinking

Matthew 4:3-4, “And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
I was thinking how crucial is it that we yield everyday to God’s will? The enemy knows when and where we are weak. He also knows when we walk in complete surrender to God he has no control over us. As we walk with the Lord the devil can get no foothold in our lives.
It is when we act independently that we run into problems. Satan tried to get Jesus to act independently. He suggested that since Jesus was the Son of God he had the power to act on his own behalf. “Turn these stones into bread and feed yourself”, he tempted.
It is true Jesus could have done that and more but Jesus knew He could not act outside God’s will. He was to do things that only were pleasing to the Father. Remember what Jesus told Satan, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
The flesh was never intended to walk independent of God. Jesus was to walk by the Spirit and so should we. Our flesh was never intended to control us, that is the devils tool and the lies he whispers in our ears.
Sin has its roots in independent thinking and action that is outside the will of God. If we choose to walk outside God’s Will and Word we will fall into sin. The devil would have us think and act independent of God for he knows if we do he can defeat us. The wages of sin is death we are told. We will also fall for any and all of the devils snares. But if we will confess our sins the Lord is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. If we walk in the light and love of the Savior then the devil has no power in our lives.
One thing we must grasp like none other is that unforgiven sin in the life of the believer gives Satan a “hold”! Once we understand that reality we will flee from our lust and cast Satan and his band out of our lives. Satan can only have an effect on us when we allow him to have control.
Let us pray Lord help us to do and say only those things that are pleasing to You. When we are tempted to act on our own, let Your Spirit prompt us instead to seek Your will.