There is no question that Our Lord Jesus Christ has had the greatest impact on mankind than any other individual who walked the earth. In just 3 1/2 years He changed the world and that change continues to this very day. However, roughly 90% of His time on earth was spent in relative seclusion and preparation for the last 10% of public ministry and very little has been recorded concerning those 30 years of being “hidden”. This time of preparation enabled Him to successfully deal with the temptations of the devil because He knew the Word and FATHER’S Divine Intent of Love.
Jesus trusted FATHER’S timing and was patient while He was being prepared for His public ministry. The devil wanted to challenge FATHER’S plan by enticing Jesus to compromise in areas demanding attention. Luke wrote by THE SPIRIT in chapter 4:
1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
2 being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.
3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”
4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’ ”
The devil tempted Jesus’ appetite but Jesus trusted FATHER’S Word concerning when and what to eat. Jesus did not succumb to the cravings and the body’s desire for immediate gratification but instead relied on FATHER to deal with the hunger once the temptation was over. Today, instant gratification is being promoted all over the world whether it be fast food restaurants or cell phone applications which demand our immediate attention and response.
5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.
6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.
7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”
8 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”
Jesus did not challenge the authority given to the devil but He was not going to compromise His relationship with FATHER in order to gain the kingdoms of the world. Those kingdoms were to be dealt with according to FATHER’S timing rather than pursuing some premature opportunity. Jesus would not rely on “self”, independent of FATHER’S plan, thus He exhibited self-control developed during His years of preparation. This lines up with the fruit of THE SPIRIT of Galatians chapter 5: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Satan attempted to entice Jesus with power and authority if He would only compromise FATHER’S plan. The end result of Jesus having authority over the kingdoms as described in Revelation 11:15 … “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!” would be achieved but at a cost of treating Satan as GOD. Jesus knew that this path was not to be taken and trusted FATHER’S plan to bring forth a superior result… at the right time.
9 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here.
10 For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,’
11 and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God.’ ”
13 Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.
The purpose of a test is to show us what is in our hearts and to see if we will keep FATHER’S commands and embrace HIS timing. Satan wanted Jesus to perform a miracle outside FATHER’S plan. The promise of this miracle would bring fame and notoriety to Jesus’ ministry independent of FATHER’S timing. The accolades would have flowed immediately toward Jesus yet He chose to stay “hidden” until FATHER saw fit to raise the awareness of His ministry toward the masses. Doing the right thing at the wrong time can have severe consequences as well as doing the wrong thing at the right time.
As we continue our preparation as Sons and Daughters, look at this time of being “hidden” as our opportunity to hear FATHER just as Jesus was able to hear and respond to the temptations in an appropriate manner. Once we are fully activated there will be little or no time to focus on fine tuning our hearing ability. It is critical that we operate according to FATHER’S timing even when opportunities arise which appear to conform to our calling. If the timing is off then we know FATHER did not initiate them and we should not be tempted to take matters into our own hands. We are here to serve according to FATHER’S Plan and be fully dependent on HIM to bring forth each phase of our calling in HIS timing, not ours.