“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1). What an incredible verse. Matthew boldly states that God’s Spirit led Christ into a desert experience, where he would have to undergo severe temptations. Even more amazing, this verse directly follows a scene of great glory when Jesus had just been baptized in the Jordan River. As he came up out of the water, the heavens opened and the Spirit of God descended like a dove and rested on his shoulder. “And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’” (Matthew 3:17).
One could wonder if God was so pleased with Jesus, why did he then lead him into a wilderness experience? Let me remind you that Jesus is the pattern for our lives as believers. John writes, “As He is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). Moreover, Christ was “in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). The message from scripture is that all who are in Christ will undergo a trying experience, just as Jesus did.
Such trials come only to those who walk in the Spirit and commune with the Lord. Yet, when the Holy Spirit leads us into the wilderness, God has an eternal purpose in mind. Make no mistake, however; God doesn’t tempt us, the devil does the tempting. “Let no man say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone” (James 1:13).
Jesus would not be tempted by gross sin because he was righteous; his temptations would be in the spiritual realm. The same is true for us today. A truly spiritual person probably isn’t tempted to get drunk or use drugs, but his temptations will be more like those Christ endured — disobeying the Word or testing your dependence on the Father.
Do not let the devil rob you of your anointing or undermine your calling. Stand on the Word of God and you will come through in victory — just as Jesus did.
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David Wilkerson (1931 – 2011)
Founder of Times Square Church in New York City with over 100 different languages spoken in the congregation. Wilkerson wrote many powerful books such as: The Vision and Cross and the Switchblade. His ministry was prophetic as God called him to be a watchman to the Church in North America. He gave clear messages on repentance to the Church.Wilkerson also founded Teen Challenge where there are hundreds of centres for Christ-centered drug recovery and addiction recovery. He also organized and spoke at pastors gatherings in many countries where he gave prophetic strong messages to encourage pastors and leaders.
Recommends these books by David Wilkerson:
The Vision and Beyond, Prophecies Fulfilled and Still to Come by David Wilkerson
Knowing God by Name: Names of God That Bring Hope and Healing by David Wilkerson
God's Plan to Protect His People in the Coming Depression by David Wilkerson
David Wilkerson is an American Christian evangelist, most well-known for his book The Cross and the Switchblade. He is also the founder of Times Square Church in New York, an interdenominational church.
Wilkerson is well-known for these early years of his ministry to young drug addicts and gang members in New York City in the 1950s and 1960s. He co-authored a book about his work with the New York drug addicts, The Cross and the Switchblade, which became a best-seller, selling over 50 million copies in over thirty languages since it was published in 1963. The book was included among the 100 most important Christian books of the 20th century.
For over four decades, Wilkerson's ministry has included preaching, teaching and writing. He has authored over 30 books.
David Wilkerson is the founder and president of World Challenge, Inc., a nonprofit organization incorporated on September 22, 1971. Reverend Wilkerson, the author of over thirty inspirational books, is perhaps best known for his early days of ministry to young drug addicts and gang members in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn. His story is told in The Cross and the Switchblade, a book he co-authored which became a best-seller. (The story has been read by over 50 million people in some thirty languages and 150 countries since 1963. In 1969, a motion picture of the same title was released.)
For over four decades, Reverend Wilkerson's evangelistic ministry has included preaching, teaching and writing. Throughout that time a distinctive characteristic of his work has been his direct efforts to reach the neediest members of the population with help for both body and soul. Even now, the almost 70 year-old minister often goes out alone or sometimes with an assistant to walk through the streets of New York City, along Broadway and Eighth Avenue or down 42nd Street and nearby "Crack Alley" on 41st Street. His mission is always to seek out the lost, the disoriented, and the addicted , to tell them of the power of the risen Christ to set them free.
David Wilkerson, born in Hammond, Indiana on May 19, 1931, was married in 1953 to Gwen Carosso. The Wilkersons' two sons are ministers, and their two daughters are married to ministers. They have 11 grandchildren. The Wilkersons served small pastorates in Scottsdale and Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, until Reverend Wilkerson saw a photograph in Life magazine of several New York City teenagers charged with murder. Moved with compassion he was drawn to the city in February 1959. It was at that time he began his street ministry to what one writer called "desperate, bewildered, addicted, often violent youth.