LED BY THE SPIRIT INTO THE WILDERNESS
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.
—LUKE 4:1, NIV
WHEN JOHN BAPTIZED Jesus in the Jordan River, it was a powerful moment between two prophets whose ministries were positioned between the old and new covenants. In that act of obedience to the will of God, the Messiah’s forerunner immersed Jesus to move fully into His purpose as the Lamb of God who had come to take away the sin of the world.
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
—MATTHEW 3:16–17, NIV
That moment was powerful. The Holy Spirit physically rested upon Jesus. The Father Himself spoke from heaven to declare His pleasure. But I want to draw your attention to how Jesus began His ministry. He didn’t go straight to Gethsemane and then to Calvary. He didn’t even go directly to the multitudes after being anointed and receiving the confirmation of the Lord. The first place the Holy Spirit led Jesus was into the wilderness to fast and be tested (Matt. 4:1).
That reveals to us an important sequence: times of fasting and proving come before emerging in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:14).
As Jesus fasted and prayed in the wilderness, Satan challenged Him. Yet in each instance, Jesus—the living Word—released the Word of God to exercise dominion over every demonic maneuver against Him.
First, Satan challenged Jesus in His identity. He sought to provoke Jesus to act on his devilish words of unbelief. Instead, Jesus held Himself calm in faith, confident in who the Father declared Him to be. Satan persisted, tempting Jesus to misuse His anointing to gratify personal desires by turning stones into bread when He was hungry. But Jesus resisted the devil, declaring, “It is written,” as He exalted the Word of God instead of indulging a physical appetite.
Satan then showed Jesus the kingdoms of this world, offering them in exchange for a one-time compromise in His worship (Luke 4:6–8). Jesus forcefully resisted temptation by declaring the Word and demonstrating His exclusive allegiance to the Father. Finally, Satan twisted and misquoted the Word in a perverted interpretation, attempting to lure Jesus into acting foolishly in a supposed proof of His faith. Again Jesus resisted the devil, anchored on the foundation of the Scriptures. And “when the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13, NIV).
Jesus began His ministry in the wilderness by fasting, praying, and enforcing the Word of God as He resisted the enemy. As a result, Jesus emerged from the wilderness in the power of the Spirit, having passed the test.
If you are willing to pay the price of subduing your flesh through fasting and prayer, you will enter a depth of power and authority you can only access through consecration.
Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
—2 TIMOTHY 2:19–22, NKJV
Just as God knows those who are His, so does the devil. You will not exercise dominion over the devil if you are unwilling to exercise dominion over the appetites of your own flesh or you secretly long for the praises of men. “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2:16).
Before Jesus fulfilled His purpose in the Father’s redemptive plan, He followed the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to fast. Jesus exercised dominion privately before returning in the power of the Spirit to exercise dominion publicly. The price for public power in God is found in your private consecration to God. Are you willing to pay that price?
Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts.
—JEREMIAH 15:16, NKJV
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, I desire to be a vessel for honor—sanctified, useful, and prepared for every good work. I acknowledge that prayerlessness has resulted in powerlessness in areas of my life. Today, I commit to building a lifestyle of fasting and prayer that I might emerge from every test in the power of the Spirit.