Message from Bobby McGraw on August 2, 2022
In this episode of Sugar Hill Church’s weekday podcast, Pastor Bobby McGraw discusses the journey of spiritual growth and how it often involves discipline and facing temptations. Drawing from Matthew 4, where Jesus is tempted by Satan after fasting, Pastor Bobby emphasizes that the devil targets our weaknesses, just as he did with Jesus' hunger. He compares this to General George Patton's strategy of studying his enemy, reminding us that we can learn from scripture to defend against the devil's schemes. He encourages listeners to reflect on their vulnerable areas and bring them to God before the enemy attacks.
Hey there and welcome to another edition of the weekday podcast.Thanks for being with us today. Our hope, as always, is that these would be encouraging to you. If there's anything we can join you in praying for, please drop us a note at prayer at sugarhillchurch.com.
Well, Matthew chapter 4 verses 2 and 3 says this, that Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights. And after this, he was very hungry. I think, no kidding, but he was very hungry. And it says, And the devil came to Jesus to tempt him, saying, If you are the Son of God, tell these rocks to become bread.
One of the things that I love about the idea of spiritual growth is honestly that it's a journey. And I didn't get that for a lot of years. I thought that spiritual growth needed to be faster and instantaneous and that there's some magical thing that you could pray and you're done growing up. But the truth is, it takes time. But what I love about it is that God loves us so much that he doesn't want to leave us undeveloped. He doesn't want us to stay immature. He wants to help us grow up.
Hebrews 12 says it this way in verses 10 and 11. It says, God disciplines us for our good that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. I love that idea. Discipline honestly isn't a fun word for us, but God uses it in a powerful, powerful way. And one of the ways that we see it played out in our life is when temptation comes our way. The devil would love to tempt us or test us. And honestly, the thing that you and I can do is to realize when we're running on empty and then we can have our guard up. We can watch for what he's trying to do.
Second Corinthians chapter 2 verse 11 says we are not ignorant of his schemes. In other words, when we look at scripture, we can actually learn the schemes of the devil. We can read his playbook.
One of the things I read recently talked about General George Patton who counterattacked his enemy in World War II. And supposedly he shouted in the thick of battle, he said, I read your book. I read your book. In other words, Patton had studied the book of his enemy. The book was called Infantry Attacks. And so he knew the German leader's strategy. And because he knew the German leader's strategy, he planned his moves accordingly. How powerful is that?
Well, we can know very similarly about the devil. We know that the devil will attack us and often he attacks our weak spots first. And so when you think about the example of Jesus from Matthew 4, he had been fasting and he was famished. And so Satan began with the topic of bread. He knew that Jesus' stomach was empty. And so that's where Satan began to attack, his stomach.
So my question today is where are you running on empty? Where are you at a place of vulnerability? Were you hungry for attention or trying to find success or trying to find connection or intimacy? Pay attention to the areas where you're hungry, where you're empty, where you're weak. Then I would encourage you bring them to God and lay them down before the enemy brings them to you.
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