Matthew 4, Luke 4-5, John 1:15-51

People were beginning to feel Jesus and his power. After his trial in the wilderness, Jesus emerged full of the Holy Spirit.

How we respond to hard times in our lives determines whether we emerge as Jesus did — victorious or beaten.

So how can we walk out on the other side of our deserts filled with the Lord’s power working in us? Jesus faced temptations…so do we. He smacked them down by the power of the Word of God. It is interesting that Satan didn’t argue once Jesus spoke the truth. Instead he changed the subject.

How often he still uses that ploy! I need to remember there is real power in the Word. It’s tangible and impossible to understand on a practical level–but real nonetheless!

That must be why the Bible characterizes the sword of the Spirit as the Word of God. Since Jesus himself is the Word, we end up wielding a very sharp double edged sword when we rely on the Word and the Name of Jesus.

As I look upon this expanse of illness called fibromyalgia, I call on the Name of Jesus as well as the Promises written in Scriptures…for healing and hope.