Chapter 10: Winning In The Wilderness

When discussing the discipline of confession in Part One, we spent intentional time diving deep into the Gospel story to better understand the overarching narrative of the Bible and, in doing so, to gain a clearer understanding of Who the Wordsmith is. The perfect environment God created for humanity in Genesis 1 was ruined when sin entered Eden. God gave clear instructions to His children:

“And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil… The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”” (Gen. 2:9, 15-17 ESV).

They were given liberation within clear limits, and lies tore it all apart:

“But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Gen. 3:4-5 ESV).

From the very beginning, the enemy has used deception to make humanity underestimate the severity of sin. Adam and Eve ultimately gave in, leading to both a punishment and a promise from God:

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel… And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.” (Gen. 3:15 & 21-23 ESV).

God’s decision to banish Adam and Eve from Eden is often viewed as a harsh example of His wrath. However, when we understand His reasoning, it becomes one of the clearest examples of grace in Scripture. In this beautiful act of love, God introduces three key themes essential for understanding why Christians can have unshakeable hope:

• The Offspring: “…he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Gen. 3:15c ESV).

• The Sacrifice: “And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them…” (Gen. 3:21a ESV).

• The Tree: “…take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever…” (Gen. 3:22b ESV).

This recap is essential because the pattern—God’s child being lied to in the wilderness—repeats at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in Luke 4. However, this time, the outcome is very different.

Checking In On The Wordsmith’s Wheel

We have journeyed a little more than halfway around the Wordsmith’s Wheel. We have learned to develop empathy and understanding for the person we are speaking with by recognizing what Jesus has done for us. We have discovered how to engage and connect with them by first deepening our connection with our Creator. In the last chapter, we concluded our focus on explaining the truth that burns within us. To the uninitiated, it may seem as though our work is complete. After all, the goal of The Way of the Wordsmith is simply to say what you want to say, correct? The answer, as you may have guessed, is a resounding no. Now that you understand them, have connected with them, and have explained the truth to them, you must validate what you have shared by embodying it in your own life. A wordsmith becomes a world-changer when their words are reflected in the life they live.

Winning In The Wilderness: Overcoming Satan’s Lies With God’s Truth

No one in all of history has validated their words with their actions or embodied their own teachings more fully than Jesus. Even though He walked the earth for approximately 33 years, His public ministry did not truly begin until He was 30, with His baptism serving as the starting point:

“Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age…” (Luke 3:21-23a ESV).

The chapter continues by providing a genealogy of Jesus, tracing prominent members of His family tree through many generations. It ends with a statement that should stop us in our tracks:

“…the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.” (Luke 3:37-38 ESV).

A keen eye might recall a promise reverberating through the centuries:

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Genesis 3:15 ESV).

Jesus is the offspring of Eve that God promised before banishing humanity from the garden. For thousands of years, the serpent worked tirelessly to prevent His arrival, but Egyptian slavery, Babylonian captivity, and Roman oppression could not stop His entrance. Finally, the promised offspring had arrived to crush the serpent’s head. However, before He could prove Himself a worthy snake-crusher, He first had to succeed where His ancestors had failed. He needed to overcome lies with truth:

“And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written,“‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written,“‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and a report about him went out through all the surrounding country. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.” (Luke 4:1-15 ESV).

For the remainder of this chapter, we will take a closer look at three lies the enemy loves to tell. He first spoke them in Genesis 3, and those same lies have echoed throughout history—resurfacing in Luke 4 and continuing to wreak havoc on humanity today.

Lie #1: Your Feelings Must Be Followed

• The Eden Wilderness: “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” (Genesis 3:6 ESV).

• The Judean Wilderness: “And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” (Luke 4:1-4 ESV).

Eve felt compelled to eat the forbidden fruit, and Jesus felt hungry after fasting for 40 days. To satisfy her desire, Eve disobeyed and ate what she should not have. However, Jesus understood that life is about more than simply doing what feels right—it is about walking in obedience to God. Many of us know this to be true, but it is easier said than done.

To be clear, this does not mean we should ignore our feelings and emotions. On the contrary, God has given them to us as “indicators” of what might be happening beneath the surface. Feelings are great followers, but they make terrible leaders. Thankfully, within Jesus' boldness, we find three keys to fighting tempting feelings:

1) Trust: Unsurprisingly, Jesus was hungry after fasting for 40 days. His feeling of hunger must have been intense, but He recognized that He was following the leading of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:1). Likewise, when we allow God to guide our steps, we can trust that He will help us navigate strong emotions that conflict with His will.

2) Vision: The enemy tempted Jesus to turn a nearby stone into bread (Luke 4:3). Jesus resisted because He understood that His mission was more important than immediate gratification. When we truly grasp that God wants to use us for His greater purpose, it helps us remain obedient in everyday moments.

3) Scripture: Jesus countered Satan’s lies with Scripture (Luke 4:4). We can only overcome lies when we know the truth, and the Bible is the only perfect source of truth we have. That is why it is essential to spend time reading, studying, and applying God’s Word. As you may recall, we dedicated the entirety of Chapter 8 of this book to learning how to read and study the Bible.

Lie #2: Your Value Must Be Visible

• The Eden Wilderness: “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5 ESV).

• The Judean Wilderness: “And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written,“‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’” (Luke 4:5-8 ESV).

In both of these scenarios, the enemy tempted his target with something that already belonged to them. Eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in an effort to become like God was a deception because Adam and Eve were already like God, having been created in His image (Genesis 1:27). Similarly, the enemy tempted Jesus with authority over all the kingdoms of the world, but Jesus was already the King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15). In both cases, Satan tried to get them to prove something visibly that was already true spiritually.

Since Eden, humanity has been in search of four primary things: love, worth, acceptance, and security. As a direct result of the enemy’s incessant whispers, many of us spend our lives trying to earn and achieve visible confirmation of these four desires—often with one being our primary focus. We seek love in relationships, worth in our careers, acceptance in social circles, and security in finances, physical health, or anything else that makes us feel invincible. However, none of these things will ever truly satisfy because they have already been given to us through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. He proved His love by coming to earth, showed our worth by paying for us with His blood, demonstrated acceptance by making salvation available to all, and promised true security through a lifelong relationship with Him.

We no longer need to make our value visible—Jesus has already done that for us. Yet, even when we know this truth, we can still be tempted to seek our value elsewhere, especially in these three areas of life:

1) Possessions: Satan promised Jesus that he would “give the glory of these kingdoms” (Luke 4:6) if Jesus worshiped him. This temptation to acquire material wealth did not sway Jesus because He knew that everything ultimately belongs to God. Similarly, our value is not defined by what we own but by who God says we are.

2) Popularity: The temptation to be “glorified” is evident in Luke 4:6. Humanity has an innate desire to be seen and appreciated, and if we’re not careful, we may try to satisfy that need by impressing others. True love and belonging can only be found in Jesus.

3) Power: It is ironic that the enemy tempted Jesus—the Son of God—with authority (Luke 4:7). Jesus already had all authority (Matthew 28:18); He didn’t need what Satan was offering to prove that fact. Likewise, as followers of Jesus, we are called to seek opportunities to serve others, not to chase power and influence.

Lie #3: Your Strength Must Be Sufficient

• The Eden Wilderness: “…she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.” (Genesis 3:6b-7 ESV).

• The Judean Wilderness: “And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, “‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and “‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” And Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.” (Luke 4:9-13 ESV).

Adam and Eve placed their trust in their own strength and ingenuity by attempting to cover their shame and nakedness, and the enemy tried to get Jesus to prove His strength by throwing Himself off the temple. As we have already seen in detail, Adam and Eve’s strength was far from sufficient to save themselves. In the case of Jesus, while He certainly could have fallen from the temple without injury, He knew He had nothing to prove.

Why did Jesus succeed where Adam and Eve failed? Jesus knew who He was. His Father declared His identity and standing at His baptism, even before He entered the wilderness:

“…a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22b ESV).

If you are human, you are in the wilderness. The wilderness is the space between God’s promise and the fulfillment of that promise. God had promised dominion to Adam and Eve, but that dominion was contingent upon their obedience. Jesus experienced a miraculous baptism, and He would soon “[return] in the power of the Spirit to Galilee…” (Luke 4:14), but between the promise and its fulfillment, there was the wilderness.

You and I were promised a home in heaven the moment we placed our faith in Jesus, but if you are reading this book, it means you are not dead yet. You are living in the wilderness, and you will only survive the wilderness if you understand your identity in Christ, which we explored in Chapter 2 of this book. Jesus knew He was God’s Son, so He did not need approval from the enemy.

In our journey through the wilderness of life, we will face moments when we feel the need to prove things to others, particularly in these three areas:

1) Our Identity: While in the wilderness, the enemy continued to introduce his lies to Jesus by saying, “If you are the Son of God…” (Luke 4:9). If Satan can get us to question who we are, we are more likely to believe his lies. We can be confident that we are loved, worthy, accepted, and secure because of Jesus' finished work on the cross!

2) God's Power: The enemy wanted Jesus to prove that His Father would protect Him after committing an act of recklessness (Luke 4:10). As Christians, we will face moments when we want to prove God's power to others. We can rest assured that the Holy Spirit is fully capable of revealing the goodness of God to those who are doubtful.

3) Our Strength: Throughout Luke 4, the enemy tries to get Jesus to prove His strength. It is common for Christians to try to "stay strong" in order to be a good witness for Christ. However, it is essential for us to recognize that we are never stronger than when we admit we are weak and choose to surrender to Him (2 Cor. 12:9)!

Conclusion: The Wordsmith’s Weapon

The wilderness reveals that to authentically embody the truth we proclaim, we must first understand our identity in Christ. Unlike Adam and Eve, Jesus embodied truth in His actions, resisting the enemy’s lies with steadfast obedience. His life became the perfect example of how words and deeds must align for true transformation to occur.

As wordsmiths who embody God’s truth, we become powerful witnesses of His grace and strength. The wilderness is a place where our identity is tested, but it is also where we have the opportunity to display the strength of our message. When we know who we are and Whose we are, our search for fulfillment is replaced with surrender.