I am a Jesus pusher!!! There is no safe place outside of Him. I do not want to go anywhere unless He is sourcing me. There is no safety in circumstances, only in the resource of His person. Jesus was sourced by His Father. The moment this sourcing began, He was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1). The wilderness is a frightening place. Moses called it “that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water,” (Deuteronomy 8:15). At the mention of the wilderness I get an unsettled feeling. It is in the wilderness regions that many of the great battles between Israel and her enemies occurred (Joshua 8; Judges 20; 2 Chronicles 20). The wilderness conjures up feelings of dread, fear, and suspicion. I have no desire to go to the wilderness. But I am not a child; I understand sometimes one is led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. If I am going, I want to be sourced by Him. I definitely do not want to wander into such a place on my own. Far too often I have manufactured my own wilderness. If He has been there, they would have been mere weeds in the back yard. I want to be sourced by Him!
I understand temptation in the wilderness. Forty days and nights of temptation occurred in such a place for Jesus. The first of three final temptation events occurred in the wilderness. Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple (Matthew 4:5). The entire surroundings changed. This was the beginning of the second of the three final temptations. What is the devil doing at the temple? He seemed to be familiar with this area. He had obviously been here before. I understand temptation in the market place, but not in the sacred place. Is there no place that is safe? Where can I let down my guard, relax, and escape the battle? Would we not assume that the temple where reading the Scriptures, praying on our knees, or worshiping in the sanctuary creates a place of safety? It appears there is no safe place. Safety is not found in circumstances. The devil can utilize any circumstance to his advantage in order to allure us from Jesus. From drugs to adultery, from church to preaching, he is comfortable in his trickery.
Circumstances are not the issue! I must not go to the wilderness without being sourced by Jesus! I must not go to the temple without being sourced by Jesus. He is the only safe place for me. I must be in Him and He must be in me. In the intimacy of His person I find my relaxation. I am a Jesus pusher!!!