“The devil said to him,

‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’

Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, ‘One does not live on bread alone.’’

Then he took him up and showed him

all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant.

The devil said to him, ‘I shall give to you all this power and glory;

for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish.

All this will be yours, if you worship me.’

Jesus said to him in reply,

‘It is written,

           ‘You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.’’

Then he led him to Jerusalem,

made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him,

‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written:

           ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and:

‘With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’

Jesus said to him in reply,

‘It also says, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’”

On Ash Wednesday, we entered the season of Lent. This is like our annual retreat as a church where we focus on our growth in the faith through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. It is an annual opportunity for each of us to grow in our relationship with God. The focus is on our next best step with God. What is he calling us to do and how is he calling us to change. Yet, at the beginning of this journey, we hear about Jesus’s own experience of the desert, where he encounter’s the devil, satan in his midst. In his forty days in the desert, Jesus is tempted by the devil during his own journey. The devil is real and tempts Jesus in the desert. He tempts each of us in the daily journey of our lives. 

I believe the devil is real. He is the personification of evil, but his power is primarily deception. He is the father of lies. He is a conniving, evil, vociferous foe seeking the ruin of souls. He desires for you and me to join him in hell, the opposite of communion with God, eternal life, and love beyond our imagining. The devil seeks our eternal destruction. In my preaching and writing, I don’t focus much on the devil and I believe an explanation is warranted. In my own spiritual journey, I have encountered the infinite love of God, a love that brings true freedom. It is a love that breaks chains, heals, and sets our spirits free. It is a love, the love of God, that restores our soul, anchors us to our true identity as children of God, and fans into flames the gift of the Holy Spirit within our hearts. The love of God that we encounter is infinite. It is without limit and is eternal. 

For all his perceived power, satan is finite. Most of his power is a lie that, as Jesus shows us in the desert, is conquered by truth. It is the truth of God’s word. At a basic level, it comes down to mathematics. The devil, for all his power, which is mostly the illusion of deceit, is finite. God’s love and power, which is truth, is infinite. In mathematics, if you subtract any finite number from an infinite number what remains is still an infinite number. God’s love and power, once satan is exposed, remains infinite. The devil’s power is nothing compared to God’s. Though Lent is a time for us to enter the desert, it is not a time for us to fear the desert. Instead, it is a time for us to encounter the truth of God’s infinite love. Though infinite, it is not abstract. It is God’s love, for you and me, that conquers all deceit. It is love that is true. The truth that will set you free.