Know God, Know the Word, Know Yourself

Let's take a look at the temptation of Jesus and learn a few things.
Matthew 4:3 -And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
Matthew 4:4 - 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.
The important question here is, do you know who you are? Jesus did not have to turn stones into bread to know who He was. He already knew who He was by what the Word of God said about Him. He knew about His past, He knew about His present, and He knew about His future. He knew what His job was and it wasn't turning stones into bread. It was seeking and saving the lost. It was healing the sick.
The problem most Christians have is allowing their denomination, their family, their past or their church determine who they are and how they should act. Jesus gave us the example of how we should look at ourselves. We should define ourselves by what God says about us in the Word. After all, He makes the rules and what He says goes. If He says that our sins are gone and He will never remember them, then quit remembering them. Others might bring them up again and again, but live by the Word. I am saved and washed by the blood of Jesus. God threw my sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12) and He will never remember them (Is 43:25). God said that I am more than a conqueror (Rom 8:37). OK, then. I am going to think, act and pray like someone who can whip any devil and anything that comes my way. I refuse to dread today. I refuse to dread anyone who is operating in the flesh by not holding to the Word of God. That might be my spouse. That might be my boss. That might be my pastor. That might be the church. From today forward, I will act like everything that the Word of God says about me is true. I will live by every word the proceeds out of the mouth of God. I have made Him the Lord of my life and I am going to believe every word He has said about me. Now, my precious Christian, dig into the Word of God and find out who you are. Patiently wait on God's creating power to mold you into what He says. Don't be dismayed by anyone or anything that tries to remind you of your past failures. Just like Jesus said to the devil, "No thanks, devil. I don't need miracles to tell me who I am. I already know because of one reason and one reason alone. God told me who I am in His Word. I know it and you know it, too."

Matthew 4:5 - Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

Matthew 4:6 - And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in [their] hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

This time, the devil challenged Jesus to prove to the world that He was the Son of God by performing some supernatural feat in front of the muckety-mucks. Every single one of us desires approval among their peers. It is so easy to get caught up in longing for the applause of those around us. However, Jesus came to minister healing to lost souls. He didn’t come to play and sing the flashy songs. He didn’t come to dress in fancy duds. He didn’t come to build a fancy church and name it the Jesus of Nazareth Memorial Worship Center. His Father’s mission was to bring abundant life to a world that he loved (John 3:16). Would there come a time when mankind would shout the praises of Jesus? Sure. Now, we hail Him as the King of kings and Lord of lords. However, Jesus knew that His Father had everything organized and all He had to do was follow His Father’s plan for His life, one day at a time. We have a tendency to judge our effectiveness in the Lord by how much praise we get from the world. We get discouraged when no one seems to notice how hard we work or how much we have had to sacrifice to serve the Lord. However, Heb. 6:10 - For God [is] not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name. God always rewards faithfulness and not flash. He is well able to perform His word to you and His timing is impeccable. Wait for His promotion.

Finally, Matthew 4:8 - Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
Matthew 4:9 - And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Matthew 4:10 - Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Jesus knew this about the devil. John 8:44 - Ye are of [your] father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. There is no truth in what the devil says. Those kingdoms were created by His Heavenly Father. God had already promised them to Jesus. Why should He serve the devil to get something that already belonged to Him anyway?
Jesus was not looking to own the glory of the world. He came to bring the glory of the Father into hungry lives. Let that same desire rise in the children of God. Let revival come!!