"I Said Please!"

But Jesus said, “It is written, ‘Man is not to live on bread only, but Man is to live by every word that God speaks.’” Matthew 4:4 Jesus said to the devil, “It is written also, ‘You must not tempt the Lord your God.’” Matthew 4:7 Our adorable youngest grandson, Luther, is about eighteen months old. A couple of months ago he discovered the power of the word please and he’s been using it ever since. When he asks for anything he quickly says, “I said please!” Which given his age sounds a lot more like “I said peas” but that makes it even more powerful. The problem is that in Luther’s mind, “I said peas” is an absolute guarantee of a positive response. Not so for poor Monkey, (my nickname for him). Imagine his reaction one day when he gave me his “I said peas” and I responded, “I said no.” He was shocked! How I dare I say no when he said please? Luther’s please, as precious, adorable and sometimes powerful as it is, follows the pattern of Jesus’ response to Satan. The difference being, while I can, hard as it is, look at his face, that tiny face with the huge eyes, and say no, Satan cannot stand when Jesus says, “It is written”. The way that Jesus responds to Satan is a perfect example for us. When we are tempted or tried we need to respond the same exact way, “It is written” and follow it with a promise from our Lord. What comes after “it is written” depends on our circumstances or situation but this I know, there is a Scripture for every temptation, problem or challenge that we will encounter. When Satan taunts that you are alone, that no one cares, respond with this. “It is written, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’” Take that Satan! Not only am I not alone but I am in the company of my Savior, filled with His precious Holy Spirit. If you aren’t familiar with God’s promises to us, look them up in your Bible. Become familiar enough with a few of them so that even if you can’t recite it perfectly or offer the chapter and verse you can certainly stop Satan in his tracks. Remember this, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5 Remind the enemy that you walk in the Light! Or simply say the Lord’s name. “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and they are safe.” Proverbs 18:10 Follow Luther’s example, “I said please!” Say, “I said, it is written!”