3 Day Bible Reading Plan - “Jesus Succeeds Where We All Have Failed”
This temptation goes all the way back to the beginning of the story of the Bible, when the devil tempted Adam and Eve to doubt God’s intentions for them as His followers. He told them that God was holding knowledge back from them by not allowing them to eat the fruit. He wanted them to doubt God’s care for them. He is doing the same thing to Jesus. He is challenging Him with the thought that God might not be watching out for Him. This is a temptation we are familiar with as well. How can God really say that He cares for me when I am still single? How can God really call me His child and say that He still cares for me when my parents treated me the way they did? How can I trust that God really cares for me when I lost a friend or a sibling, a parent, or even a child? He is challenging Jesus that He has to prove that He is God’s Son by showing how God will take care of Him. He refuses by saying that we are not to test God. It is ironic, Jesus Himself is being tested, and throughout Scripture, we see God’s people tested, but God is not tested. He is reliable. - Pastor Daniel Johnson, 8/17/25
Day 1
Featured Verse: Matthew 4:1-4 - “Man shall not live by bread alone.”
What does the Holy Spirit’s role in leading Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted reveal about the relationship between divine guidance and human testing in the pursuit of spiritual growth?
What is the theological significance of the wilderness as the setting for Jesus’ temptation, and how might it connect to the experiences of Israel in the Old Testament or the spiritual journeys of believers today?
How does Jesus’ quotation of Deuteronomy 8:3 illuminate the balance between physical needs and spiritual sustenance in the Christian life?
Pause and Reflect: How can you rely on God’s Word to strengthen you when facing temptations that challenge your trust in His provision? In what specific areas of your life might you need to prioritize spiritual nourishment over immediate physical or material desires?
“If thou dost not stumble at this stone, the devil hath another at hand to throw in the way. He is not so unskillful a fowler as to go with one single shot into the field; and therefore expect him, as soon as he hath discharged one, and missed thee, to let fly at thee with a second.” - William Gurnall
Day 2
Featured Verse: Matthew 4:5-7 - “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”
What does the devil’s use of Psalm 91:11-12 in this temptation reveal about the misuse of Scripture to manipulate or justify actions contrary to God’s will?
In what ways does Jesus’ refusal to test God challenge believers to discern between genuine faith and reckless actions that demand God’s intervention?
How does Jesus’ response, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test,” reflect the theological balance between trusting God’s promises and maintaining humility in one’s dependence on His will?
Pause and Reflect: How can you discern when your trust in God’s promises might be veering into testing Him through reckless or self-serving actions? What steps can you take in your daily life to align your faith with humble obedience to His will?
“Satan hath his several devices to deceive, entangle, and undo the souls of men. Satan hath a device—a subtle stratagem—to take advantage of our graces. He hath a device to take advantage of our corruptions. He hath a device to take advantage of our mercies, and another to take advantage of our afflictions.” - Thomas Brooks
Day 3
Featured Verse: Matthew 4:8-11 - “You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.”
What does the devil’s offer of worldly kingdoms reveal about the nature of idolatry and the temptation to prioritize temporal power over devotion to God?
How does Jesus’ use of Scripture in this passage demonstrate the role of God’s Word in overcoming temptations that appeal to ambition and self-exaltation?
What is the significance of the angels ministering to Jesus after Satan’s departure, and how does this reflect God’s provision for those who remain faithful under temptation?
Pause and Reflect: How can you recognize and resist temptations in your life that promise worldly success or power in exchange for compromising your devotion to God? What practical steps can you take to prioritize worshiping and serving God alone, as Jesus did?
“If you yield to Satan in the least, he will carry you further and further, till he has left you under a stupefied or terrified conscience: stupefied, till thou hast lost all thy tenderness. A stone at the top of a hill, when it begins to roll down, ceases not till it comes to the bottom. Thou thinkest it is but yielding a little, and so by degrees are carried on, till thou hast sinned away all thy profession, and all principles of conscience, by the secret witchery of his temptations.” - Thomas Manton