Then
Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness 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 shall not live on bread alone, but on every
word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Then
the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point
of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he
said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He
will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
Jesus
answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the
test.’”
Again,
the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of
the world and their splendor. “All this I will
give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Jesus
said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the
Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
Then
the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. ~ Matthew 4:1-11
The Bible tells us that “40” is the number of testing,
trials, and tribulations, and the passage above is an excellent example of what
Jesus experienced (40 days in the desert) immediately after He was baptized by
John the Baptist, and “the Holy Spirit fell upon Him.” Additional examples of the
significance of the number 40 can be found when examining the length of time
Moses spent in the desert after first fleeing Egypt (40 years), or the length
of time the Hebrews spent wandering the desert (40 years) after Moses led them
all out of Egypt.
Every few months I also go into “the desert” of seclusion,
study, and self-discovery, and have just emerged from my latest 40-day desert sojourn.
Over the past 40 days I abstained from Facebook, Twitter, blogging, and other
forms of social interactions so that I could focus more on what God has been
trying to reveal, but perhaps I was just too “pre-occupied” to listen. Like
Christ, during this time I was also tempted by Satan but he quickly learned that
I wouldn’t fall for the “what is….” Therefore, he tried to tempt me with the “what
if…?” The several forms of temptation that I faced during this period ranged
from moral to financial, but I thank God I emerged even stronger!
One of the biggest revelations I received was that
although Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening has been successful in
helping thousands around the globe lose weight, quiet their minds, and improve
their relationships with God, there is so much more that my 47-yr journey has
prepared me to share with the world. Therefore, over the next few months please
lookout for various thought-provoking blogs and YouTube videos about:
·
Sexuality
·
Homosexuality
·
Masturbation
·
Why Small Businesses Fail
·
Leaving the Past in the Past
·
…and so many more topics!
I encourage you to seriously consider embarking on your
own “40-day desert experience" in the near future and you’ll be absolutely
amazed by what you may discover—about your hidden self. God has deposited seeds
of greatness within each of us, but we can no longer continue to nurture these
seeds with fear, doubt, confusion, and lack of focus.
About the Author of "Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening": James Hackley is an author, inspirational speaker, and a philanthropist who earned a B.S. degree in Physics from Longwood College and an M.S. degree in Engineering from the University of Virginia. He's the founder of Omega Consulting Enterprises, chaplain of a local chapter of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, and faithfully attends Holy & Whole Life Changing Ministries International in Lansdowne, Va. His latest book, Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening can be purchased by visiting him at www.jameshackley.com , www.Amazon.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com.
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