Episode 4: The Path to Power Luke 4 A long time ago, in a land far away Jesus turned to face the desert. He squinted his soft brown eyes and shielded his face with a hand as he peered into the wasteland. He licked his parched lips as his stomach growled. His vision blurred, and Jesus shook his head and blinked hard. 40 days, he thought. I’ve been out here in the desert for 40 days. Jesus remembered the cool, refreshing waters of the Jordan river. The strong hands of John as he lowered him into the water. The voice of the Father that had boomed over the crowd. The shining dove. Then the Spirit’s call to come to the desert. Jesus knew His time in the wilderness would solidify his heart and mind. It would connect Him even closer to His Father, but He also knew that the battle would come. They always come after the spiritual mountaintop experience. It had been forty days of deep communion with His Father. Forty days of little sleep, no food, no water, just an indescribable intense spiritual experience. Now it was fading. Now the hunger was growing. Now Jesus felt his human weakness like he had never felt it before. Jesus heard footsteps and knew it was time. He grimaced in pain as he stood to face the enemy. Hours later, Jesus’ voice boldly spoke, “It is written, You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” The arch-angle of darkness shook with rage. His powerful fists clenched in hatred. “This isn’t over,” satan growled as he turned away. Jesus’ last bit of strength kept him on his feet until the devil had disappeared, then He collapsed. “Thank you, Father,” he breathed. Luke 4:14 says that after the temptations in the wilderness, “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit…” Luke 4:1 says “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, was led by the Spirit into the desert.” Jesus begins His journey full of the Spirit and after the 40 days of fasting, the epic battle with satan, He emerges with the POWER of the Spirit. Jesus grew through the temptation experience and came out more powerful than when He started. says, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame.” The principle of Growth starts with suffering which leads to endurance which leads to character which leads to hope which leads to no shame and no disappointment. James 1:2-3 “Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials bc you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work that you may be mature and complete. God’s will for men is for them to be full of Holy Spirit: fruits: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. He knows we will grow through trials. God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but He will provide a way of escape. It’s like having a personal trainer at the gym. They are always there, pushing us hard but never to the point of breaking or injury. We will emerge from battle with power. The power to preach the good news, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, to bust into satan’s dungeons and set his prisoners free. The sins of our society lay at the feet of men. Sex trafficking, pornography, prostitution is fueled by lustful men. Abortions happen when men fail to take responsibility and protect their unborn children. Child abuse, domestic violence, teen suicides, eating disorders, gang violence, rape, violent crimes, and even riots in the streets all happen bc of the sins of men. These issues are not social problems. They are male problems. They happen when men let evil conquer their hearts. These crimes must stop. And for that to happen Godly men need supernatural power to conquer these bastions of darkness It’s not God’s will for you to become a good little man, an emasculated weakling who follows all the rules, tucks in your shirt, makes everyone happy, and never rocks the boat. Jesus said, “Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.” Luke 12:51 There is no peace, no compromise, no unity with rape, trafficking of little boys and girls. These things are wrong and should make every man of honor angry. Evil is taunting us. Telling us to sit down and be quiet and get in line. We must stand up. We must fight the good fight. But we can only do that after we are filled with the Holy Spirit. After we emerge from our battles with temptations. Then we will have power. After the Sermon on Mount, the people were amazed because Jesus taught with authority, with power, not like the regular teachers of the law. Jesus has the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul calls men out in 2 Tim 3:5 when he describes men who have the forms of godliness but don’t have its power. It’s not about what’s on the outside: your works, your looks, your religiosity. It’s all about what’s on the inside: your heart, your soul, the power of God. God’s will for you isn’t to live a plump life of comfort. No, He’s called you into the battle for the souls of your children, your wife, your friends, your community. He must train you. He must teach you to fight with the weapons of heaven: the sword of the spirit, the shield of faith. He must teach you to trust in Him even though the heavens may fall. You have been called like Moses to step up and bring freedom. You have been called like David to charge the giant and defend your people. You have been called like Daniel to pray in the face of lions. You have been called... But first, you must walk through the fires of temptation. So fill yourself with the Holy Spirit, follow His calling, invest time every morning listening to His voice while you read the Bible, meditate, and pray. Go to church and ask for God to fill you as you worship with fellow believers. Cut off the cords of the world and turn off the radio, put down the phone, and shut off the TV, and seek Him for when you seek Him with your whole heart, you will find Him. And when we are full of the Holy Spirit, when we have overcome the devil and learned to trust God in our wilderness experience, then we will do greater things than the apostles at Pentecost. We will do greater things than Jesus just as He promised in John 14:12. The world hasn’t seen an army of men filled with the holy spirit in a very long time. We have plenty of stories of lone rangers of faith, men who maybe had a sidekick, and these brave heroes started Reformations, toppled kingdoms, and turned the world upside down. But imagine what could happen when we, as men of faith, unite with each other and filled with the power of the holy spirit turn as one to face the enemy. I’ll tell you what would happen, chains will break, hearts will be set free, truth will emerge, the very gates of hell will tremble and there will be a battle so epic that it will bring the world to its end. And when the battle is over when truth has prevailed when love wins, We, the men of faith, the men who have emerged from the wilderness, who have charged into the final battle filled with God’s power, the men who stand at the edge of eternity, we will look into the eyes of Jesus face to face and we will hear him say, “Well done, my good and faithful friend. Well done.” This is your destiny. Don’t miss it.