Topic: Impressing The Devil? [Open Heavens for Teens 1 June 2020]

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Memorise: And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. Matthew 4:3

Bible Reading: Matthew 4:1-11

1. Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
5. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6. And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
8. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9. And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

BIBLE READING IN ONE YEAR: 2 Chronicles 4-6; John 12:20-50

MESSAGE:

One challenge our Lord Jesus faced immediately after His baptism was that of legitimacy. Satan told Him, If you are the Son of God, prove it by turning stones into bread. In other words, Satan was refuting God’s public declaration concerning Him as well as Jesus claim of divine sonship.

Unfortunately, many believers today are trying to impress the devil by doing anything to prove him wrong, even to the point of contradicting God’s word. If Jesus had wanted to impress the devil, he would have done what Satan asked just to prove a point.

Your friends will sometimes ask you to do wrong things and would call you names if you don’t. Rather than give in just to prove a point, stay calm and remember that God’s standard is the only thing you have to live by.

Also, one of the things the devil does best is telling lies. In a ploy to derail you, he’ll tell you that there will be rewards for you. He’ll tell you to steal money so that you can enjoy the things that you will enjoy the stolen money with. He’ll tell you to tell lies so that you can get ahead.

But at the end of the day, they are all lies. No one truly gets a blessing through devious ways. Be wise, don’t try to impress the devil, he is merely seeking to destroy you.

Action Point:

The more of God’s word you store in your mind, the less the probability of you falling for Satan’s manipulations (Psalm 119:11).

Hymn 1:

1.Stand up! Stand up for Jesus,
Ye soldiers of the Cross!
Lift high His royal banner,
It must not suffer loss.
From victory unto victory
His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished,
And Christ is Lord indeed.

2.Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
The solemn watchword hear;
If while ye sleep he suffers,
Away with shame and fear.
Where’re yeah meet with evil,
Within you or without,
Charge for the God of battles,
And put the foe to rout.

3.Stand up! Stand up for Jesus!
Stand in His strength alone;
The arm of flesh will fail you,
Ye dare not trust your own.
Put on the gospel armour,
And watching unto prayer;
Where duty calls, or danger,
Be never wanting there.

4.Stand up! Stand up for Jesus!
The strife will not be long;
This day the noise of battle,
The next the victor’s song.
To him that overcometh
A crown of life shall be;
He with the King of glory
Shall reign eternally.

Daily Devotional for Teen’s guide was written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, one of the largest evangelical church in the world and also the President of Christ the Redeemer’s Ministries.