We enjoyed welcoming Vicky Earll and some of the community from The Ascension and St Thomas (AST) Church in Derringham Bank, Hull at our New Wine celebration on Sunday.

Vicky explored Matthew 3:16-4:11 with us, looking at how the place of testing is the place of training for God’s purposes. Before Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, He was equipped with all He needed for the place of testing that was ahead of Him. He received the infilling of the Holy Spirit and had His identity affirmed by the Father. The 40 days of prayer and fasting, at the start of His time in the wilderness, were also training for the testing.

Jesus was in a place of vulnerability when the devil came to test Him, but because He had been fully equipped, He was ready. The devil first questioned His identity and tempted Him to prove His identity and use His power as a gimmick. But that is not the purpose of Jesus’ power. We too sometimes are tempted to prove ourselves worthy or prove our identity as a follower of Jesus, and we may also have some blind spots where we don’t realise that is what we have been doing.

The devil then questions God’s promises to Jesus and tempts Him to prove the promise there and then rather than rest in the promise. The devil offers Jesus what He will get, but Jesus turns down this seemingly easier shortcut. Instead, He chose the costly way of the cross.

We too are tempted at times to prove our identity or to try and make God’s promises come true rather than trusting Him. But we see in Jesus’ time in the wilderness, as well as equipping and training, there is a way forward, so we don’t fall into these traps. We can ask the Holy Spirit to fill and lead us as He did with Jesus. We can seek daily encounter with Him. We can dwell in God’s word, the Bible, so that as with Jesus it is what comes to mind when we are tested too. We can also become more aware of our own places of vulnerability. All these help us to know and live into our identity as beloved children of God.