chapter 3
To focus on drawing closer to God, as discussed in Chapter 4, we must deny ourselves, just as Jesus did during His 40 days and nights in the wilderness, resisting Satan's temptations. In Matthew 4:1-11 (NIV), it says Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting for forty days and nights, He was hungry. The tempter challenged Him to turn stones into bread, but Jesus replied, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." The devil then took Him to the temple's highest point and urged Him to jump, quoting scripture about angels protecting Him. Jesus answered, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test." Lastly, the devil showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, offering them if Jesus would worship him. Jesus commanded, "Away from me, Satan! Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only." The devil left, and angels attended Jesus.
When we commit our lives fully to Christ and deny ourselves to follow Him, we encounter temptations from evil because Satan does not want us to be completely devoted to Jesus. Satan tries to pull us away, urging us to live partly in the world and partly with Christ. While Jesus seeks to transform and purify us, Satan works to keep us trapped in sin and wickedness. He tempts us to indulge in what feels good, steering us away from Christ. If he can prevent us from living like Christ, he has accomplished his goal. Further discussion on this can be found in Chapter 3.