TEXT: MATTHEW 4:10

''Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.''

I observe by the aids of the words, 'Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written',---in the text under consideration,---that none can successfully ask Satan to depart from him except on the ground of what is written down IN the SCRIPTURES: our Master says to Satan, 'Get thee hence, Satan!' I surmised and think, Satan might have objected to our Lord's rebuke, defiance and bitter reprehension, saying and answering back: 'Why? on what ground? on what and by what authority are you demanding of me to quit trying you?' in response thereto, our Lord says, 'for it is written...' as if our Lord had said, 'I am not, and far be it from me, demanding of you to leave my sight and my way on my own authority, but on the authority of the infallible word of God: this is my stay! This is my credential! On what is written do I stand to deal with you!' Saints, we could assault and rebuke Satan, but only on one ground: what is written; any other ground would not move him; in fact, it would be unfair to him, if any proceeds against him on any other ground. The seven sons of Sceva learnt this lesson in the hard way: these presumptuously took it upon themselves to deal with Satan, nay, to dispossess him of his accommodations, but not after the due order. (Acts 19:14-16.) Our Lord, in warding off Satan's ploys, uses the word of God through out all of His trials under our contemplations here, to teach us that a believer must not, should not and needs not change the weapon of his warfare; from start to finish, it must be the word of God. Satan has many shades and shapes of temptations wherewith he tempts the Saints in the light, but these diversity in his temptations, must never tempt the Christians to change their weapons of warfare, the word of God. He has not Satan's admiration and dread, whose hand is devoid of the sword of the Spirit or u skillful in the use thereof! Friends, never let anything or any man persuade you from the use of this weapon. In all that you are reluctant to have, see to it that the word of God makes not the list! In the wilderness, the pinnacle of the temple in the Holy city or on the top of an exceeding high mountain, saints, be ready to use the word, for only thereby can Satan be fairly, justly and successfully rebuked and shown the way out off our paths.

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Ojoje Adeyi