Victory in the Spirit

You don't have to join the first church of Satan to be a Satan worshiper. All you got to do is look away from God to have needs met. Dr. Tony Evans talks about how surprisingly easy it is to misdirect your devotion, especially during times of testing.

Your worship is tied to who you look to. Celebrating 40 years of faithfulness, this is the alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, author, speaker, senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, and president of the Urban Alternative. Dr. Evans has said that all of us are at one of three places in life. We're either being tested, just got through being tested, or are about to be tested. Today he explains how depending on the power of the Holy Spirit prepares us to succeed regardless of where we are.

Let's join him. My mind was taken this week to an event in the life of Jesus in Luke chapter 4. We're told by way of introduction in verse 1 that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit returning to Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.

He fasted 40 days and he became hungry. We are faced now with the three trials or the three temptations, depending on whether you're looking at it from God's side or from Satan's side, that Jesus faced. Let me summarize them by simply saying there's only one point here.

There are three illustrations of one point. Will Jesus act independently of God? That's the question. That is the question that you and I face in our wildernesses. Will we act independently of God? That was the test in the Garden of Eden. Will Adam and Eve act independently of God?

Test one. And the devil said to him, if you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread. And Jesus answered, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone. Now we're told why he comes with this temptation. He comes with this temptation because verse 2 says Jesus was hungry. In other words, the devil was aware of Jesus's need. The devil didn't say, let me make bread for you.

It wasn't that kind of offer. He was saying, why don't you make bread for you? Don't you wait around here for God to take care of you.

You take care of yourself. Jesus says man does not live by the stuff he takes. What makes man live is by the place it comes from.

Or to put it another way, it's better to wait on God's provision than to grab satisfaction on your own. And that's a lesson in the wilderness. God made manna come from all. Where'd that come from?

We never heard of this before, right? Because man doesn't live by bread alone, he also lives by where it came from. What is the source? And the reason why some of us are still wondering in the wilderness is that we're still our own source. And as long as you're your own source, you're not ready for Canaan. And let me tell you a secret, God will keep you in the wilderness as long as it takes to discover you are not your own source.

Test number two. He led him and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory in a moment of time. In a moment of time. I want to see a video of this one in heaven, because this is in a moment of time he is ushered into a virtual reality kind of scenario, where he sees the Sphinx of Egypt, and he sees the Colosseums of Rome, and he sees the magnificence of Greece and Athens, and he has shown the world.

The kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, okay watch this, because it's a curveball. I've already had people ask me about this verse when they found I was gonna be preaching on this.

They read this and they said, now I don't understand this. And that's verse 6. And the devil said to him, wait a minute, Jesus is full of the Spirit, right? But the devil talking to Him. Being full of Spirit doesn't mean the devil can't talk to you.

Jesus is full of the Spirit and the devil talking to Him. I will give you all this domain and its glory, for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whoever I wish. Oh no he didn't.

Actually, yes he did. He said, look, all this stuff you see in the world, it's mine. It's been given to me, and I can give it to whoever I want to give it to. And right now, Jesus, I want to give it to you. The world of finance, I want to give you more money than you could ever dream of. The world of politics, I want to give you more power than you could ever dream of. The world of business, I want to give you more success than you could ever dream of.

The world of education, I want to give you more knowledge than you could ever dream of. And it's mine to give. Before I to go any further, I'd like to suggest that many of us who are successful have been made successful by the devil. The devil has blessed you with that house. The devil has blessed you with that car. The devil has blessed you with that wardrobe. The devil has blessed you with that career. The devil has blessed you with that name, because he says it's mine to give.

He says the reason it's mine to give is because it was given to me. So the question on the floor is, who in the world gave the devil the world so that he could hand it to Hitler, hand it to Mussolini, so they could hand it to Lenin, so they could hand it to some of the most evil people you know and some of the nice people you know? Who in the world gave the world to the devil? His name was Adam.

Remember? God created everything and then he said, now let them rule. Let them handle this. I'm gonna give them the option of handling it under me, but I'm gonna let the devil in the garden give them the option of handling it under him, but I'm gonna let them choose who's gonna rule. What Adam and Eve did in yielding to the devil was hand all the kingdoms of the world over to him so he can give it to whoever he wants to.

So the implications here are staggering. He says to the Son of God, and if he doesn't have respect for the Son of God, he's sure gonna make an offer to you. That's too good to refuse. He says, I am going to hand this over to you. I'm gonna hand the world over to you.

All you gotta do is one thing. Worship me. I'm gonna give you the kingdoms and I'm gonna give you that glory. I'm gonna give you the stuff, but then I'm gonna give you the clout that goes with it, the glory. I'm gonna give it to you. Jesus, you don't have to work this hard. It don't have to be this hard, because I'm gonna give it to you. I'm gonna make it easy for you.

I'm gonna just hand it over to you. All I need from you is your worship. So that raises another question there. What in the world is worship? Here's how you know what you worship. Your worship is tied to who you look to. Your worship is tied to who you look to.

Where do you look for your life? That's your worship. Your worship is not tied to your shout, necessarily.

It's not tied to your hand clap, necessarily. You could literally be in church this morning clapping every song, jumping, shouting, flipping, twisting, and everything else, and be worshiping the devil, because your worship is tied to who you look to. So if you praise God but you do not look to Him for the addressing of life's issues, that is the worship of the devil. So you don't have to join the first church of Satan to be a Satan worshiper. All you got to do is look away from God to have needs met, and that makes you a worshiper of Satan. And Satan says—watch this now, watch this now— I'll bless you.

Wait a minute. Isn't he offering Jesus a blessing? That's why you can't get all excited, because folks get all excited about, you know, blessed, blessed. The question is, where did it come from?

Not just have you been blessed, but what was its source? Israel complained to the world because they didn't want manna. They wanted meat.

We want meat. God got angry with them, because they were complaining and not grateful. And so God said, I'll send you meat. And the Bible says quail rained down, just quail, just quail everywhere. But then the Bible says it began to stink. What they thought was a blessing was actually a curse, and it says it began to stink in their nostrils.

It said, and God sent them the quail but sent leanness to their souls. Just having stuff, and I'm not condemning having stuff, I'm certainly not condemning if God gave it to you, but what I am saying is, it's not blessing just because you have it. Satan was offering a blessing, but he was the offerer of the blessing. And many of us sitting here this morning can talk about things in our lives that when we first got it thought it was a blessing that turned out to be a curse. Say, how do I know if it's a blessing from God or a blessing from the devil, if it's like a neutral thing? It could be a blessing from either.

Real simple. The Bible says, if it comes from God, Proverbs 10 22, it hath no sorrow with it. God always accompanies His blessings with His joy. Not necessarily with His happiness. Happiness is up and down.

Joy, that means stability internally regardless of circumstances externally. Now watch this. Jesus answered and said to him, it is written—there you go, Jesus quoting the Bible again. You might get the impression He believed it. It is written, you shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only. Satan never brought up serving. Satan said, worship me. Jesus says, you shall worship the Lord and serve Him only, because Satan understood what worship meant. He didn't mean worship, meaning who you sing your songs to.

He meant who you serve. Worship always is connected to service, never just the singing. Dr. Evans will come back with more for us in just a minute, including a look at an unbeatable biblical strategy for dealing with the devil.

Stay with us. God has been faithful. When the world was topsy-turvy due to all kind of pandemics, God still touched the heart of donors to come alongside of us and keep us strong at a time when the world needed spiritual strength. And we were able to maintain and even expand ministry during the pandemic, because that's how faithful God has been.

So I am not a doubter about the greatness of God nor His faithfulness. And I'm very grateful that for 40 years we've seen His kind hand of favor on this ministry. One lasting hallmark of the ministry here at The Alternative is our commitment to offer resources that help listeners like you grow strong in faith, wisdom, and dedication to God's kingdom. And that's why I want to tell you that today's message about victory in the Spirit is available for your own personal review on CD and digital download as a part of Tony's current teaching series, Life in the Spirit. These eight full-length messages explain how God's Spirit takes up residence inside us to focus our thoughts, empower us to face life's challenges, transform the way we live, and help us grow into mature, fully dedicated followers of the Lord.

It's powerful material that isn't taught as often or as thoroughly as it should be. Right now we're making these lessons available for a limited time as our gift, an appreciation for your contribution that helps keep Tony's messages coming your way each day. And if you make your donation right away, we'll also include a copy of Dr. Evans' powerful book, The Fire That Ignites.

This book takes a look at Christ's early followers and explains how God's Holy Spirit can transform you from a spiritual sleepwalker into a wide-awake witness for His glory. Just visit us at tonyevans.org, make your donation online, and let us send you Life in the Spirit and The Fire That Ignites. Again, that's tonyevans.org. Or call us day or night at 1-800-800-3222 and let one of our team members help you. That's 1-800-800-3222.

Dr. Evans will come back with more of today's lesson right after this. Wake up men, you're more than a job title. You're greater than the balance in the bank. Status fades, but character and courage leave a legacy that lasts. Don't let your yesterdays define your tomorrow.

You were made for much more. In a sequel to the instant bestseller, Kingdom Man, Tony Evans' Kingdom Men Rising urges men to embody the greatness God's already given them. Get the book, Kingdom Men Rising, to discover how.

Available April 6th. Jesus had already been promised the kingdoms of the earth, Psalm 2 verse 8. God said, I'm gonna make all the kingdoms of the earth yours. Satan was saying, you can get it now. Stop waiting for God.

I give it to you now, and it's mine to give. So you know what he had to believe? Jesus had to believe. Satan, it's only a matter of time.

Death number three. He led him to Jerusalem. The devil's doing a lot of leading here. Remember, Jesus is full of the Spirit, though. So you can be full of the Spirit while being led by the devil, because it was God's will for him, because it's developmental in the wilderness.

So God let the devil do the leading. So he takes him up to Jerusalem, and he stands him at the pinnacle of the temple that's 450 feet high, and he says to him, if you are the Son of God, since you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, because I remember reading in my Bible where his angels will bear you up, and you will not strike your foot against the stone. What is he asking Jesus to do? He says, I want you to jump off the temple. Do your Superman thing right here off the temple.

Why? Well, it's all about the temple. Who's in the temple? The Jews. What are the Jews doing in the temple? Worshipping God. Why does he want Jesus to throw himself off the building in the temple? Because he jumps off, and the Jews are gonna look up and see this man flying down and ease on down to the ground, and you know what they're gonna say?

That's got to be Messiah. In other words, razzle dazzle them with your supernatural power, because if you razzle dazzle them and leap off this thing and let them see God lean you down to the ground easy, you don't have to worry about no cross. You don't have to worry about no suffering.

You don't have to worry about no rejection. We're gonna make you significant. In other words, Jesus, I'm gonna help you get a name for yourself.

See, these Jews don't believe you're the Son of God. Let me help make a name for you. I will let folk know who you are. We're gonna put you on the front page of the headlines, and everybody is gonna make a name. Listen, when you are supposed to get a name, God will give you one.

See, he was saying, I'm gonna make a name for you. When you leap off of this, all the Jews are gonna see you. They're gonna conclude you're the Son of God, your Messiah, and now everybody will be worshiping you.

Let me help you become successful. So the devil can get you on the front page. He can give you a name, but Jesus knew that God said at the name of Jesus, every knee gonna bow, every tongue is gonna confess. He knew God was gonna give him a name.

Jesus says, but it is also written, you shall not put the Lord your God to the test. Okay? We're living in this miracle-induced culture. Everybody looking for their miracle.

Okay? Let me tell you something about your miracle, because that's what he's told. Do this miracle jump.

Let me explain something. You don't create miracle opportunities for God. In other words, you don't back God into a corner where he's got to do a miracle to fix your situation. You don't get in debt and say, I need a miracle financial blessing. Now, I know I didn't go on out here and bought $10,000 worth of things I can't afford, but my God is a miracle-working God. You don't create the need for a miracle, because he calls that presumption. So say what you're asking God to do, it's not that he can't do it, he doesn't want me to back him in a corner till he has to.

You don't put the Lord your God to the test, just so you can have a sensational testimony of how God delivered you. Okay? Let's close this out.

Watch this now. At verse 13, when the devil had finished every temptation, he left him until an opportune time. So he can't finish yet.

It's a break. Alright? He coming back again another day, but another time. Okay? Now watch this now.

Watch this now. How did Jesus beat the devil? He said, it is written, it is written, it is written, because he knew the devil is allergic to Scripture.

You start quoting Scripture to the devil, he goes, he's allergic to Scripture. Now, what he loves to hear is what you think. He loves to hear what your friends say. He loves to hear what everybody thinks about.

He wants you on your phone talking to your girlfriend all day. What he can't stand is in his written. And evidently, God loves baseball. Three strikes you out. He hits him three times with the Word of God, and the devil can't take it no more. What did God give Adam? His word. That's all he gave Adam. From every tree of the God, you may freely eat. From tree of the God, you may not eat unless you die. That's the only thing he told him.

Why? Because that's the only thing that angels respect. They don't respect your word, because they know your word has no power, and they know the Spirit of God will never use your words. He will only use God's Word. But notice how Jesus used the word. He quoted it to the devil. Have you ever had a Bible study with the devil?

That's what he did. He's quoting the Word to the devil, right? So when you're in the wilderness and you're under attack, here's what you do. You say, Satan, come on, let's you and me discuss this over the Word of God. The one thing he can't handle, which is why the Bible calls the Word of God the sword of the Spirit.

It is the one thing he cannot handle. Dr. Tony Evans, talking about how we can be completely confident Christians thanks to the power of God's Spirit inside us. And if you have any doubt left, stay with us. Dr. Evans will come back with a closing thought that will encourage you. First though, don't forget to contact us and request that special double offer I mentioned earlier.

Tony's powerful book, The Fire That Ignites, as well as a copy of his current eight-part teaching series, Life in the Spirit. As I mentioned earlier, if you make your donation and request before time runs out, we'll send the complete package to you as our gift. And thanks for your support of the ministry of the alternative. Just visit tonyevans.org for details today. That's tonyevans.org. Or give us a call at 1-800-800-3222. Our resource phone center never closes, so there's no need to wait.

Again, that's 1-800-800-3222. God wants us to live by His power, but we can't get it unless we live by His principles. Tomorrow Dr. Evans will talk about the importance of submission and obedience as he takes a look at what it means to live a spirit-driven life.

Right now though, he's back with an encouraging thought about how the spiritual battle you're facing is going to turn out. This wrestler came out and was talking about pro wrestling. He says, I believe most people know this, but pro wrestling is staged. We know before we ever go out who's gonna win. It has already been determined who's gonna win, whether Angle's gonna win or The Rock's gonna win or The Undertaker's gonna win. The winner has been predetermined. So when we're out in the ring being body slammed and piledrived, when we're going through pain, there is not a question who's gonna win, because that has already been predetermined.

The winner has already been decided. But for entertainment purposes, we have to go through the battling process. The point of the battle is not to decide who's gonna win. The point of the battle is to show the watching crowd in the midst of the conflict that no matter how much you are beaten down, broke down, bent over, you can still come out a winner. He says the person appointed to win is not fighting for victory, they're fighting from victory, because it's already been decided who's gonna win. When you came to Jesus Christ, it was already decided who's gonna win. God's just letting you go through the process to demonstrate before the watching world that greater is He that's in you than he that's in the world, because the winner has already been decided. The alternative with Dr. Tony Evans is brought to you by The Urban Alternative and is celebrating 40 years of faithfulness thanks to the generous contributions of listeners like you.