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I am often taken by surprise at how easily we can get off the proper track of where we should be in our thinking. One moment, we appear to love everyone and wish goodwill toward all, yet the next can be filled with rage, contempt, or great despair. How do such dreadful and disruptive things happen. Extrapolating from what happened to Jesus while in the desert in Matthew 4, one of the main ways we can be tempted to get off track is by intentional sabotage--from the devil!

> "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.' Jesus answered, 'It is written: "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."'"
> (Matthew 4:1-4)

As I was reading this passage this morning, here are a few powerful life-application lessons that stood out to me.
- The devil introduces new lines of thought. Why? It's an attempt to get us off the track of spiritual growth.
- The devil wants to hijack the proper order of  things. He wants to take control, compromise, and water down our commitment level.
- The attack is deliberate. It is not accidental; it's an effort to manipulate.
- The devil throws unnecessary questions in our way to waste our time.
- Manipulation is not trusting God.
- When we try to manipulate things we have no business trying to control, we are acting like the devil.
- The devil's attempt to harmfully manipulate comes even when we are very focused on doing godly things. Sometimes we can think that we won't fall into sin because we are going to church, doing good things, serving the poor, etc. Yet Jesus was tempted at the tail end of perhaps one of the longest periods of fasting ever. The lesson here is profound. Yes, of course temptation comes when we have our guard down and/or we are in a weakened state. But great temptation also comes--just as fiercely--when we are doing really well.

In reflecting on these things, there is an anthem cry for no more manipulation. The time is now for greater trust in God, on a moment-to-moment level. I am resolved to be more alert, to have a greater memorization and application plan for the scriptures. This way, I too can more effectively defend myself from devilish attacks, and "live... on every word that comes from the mouth of God."