When the Enemy Exploits Your Vulnerability and Vantage Point (Jesus bears witness in the wilderness)

This is Faith to Witness 99, motivating us to hear God and share the Shepherd. 

Season 3 Episode 200 When the Enemy Exploits Your Vulnerability and Vantage Point (Jesus bears witness in the wilderness)

Here’s the gist, human. I have always thought of the wilderness days of Jesus face to face with Satan as pretty much hands off, spiritually. Just so powerful. Actually, scary. Unfathomable. But my Bible read-thru right now stopped me here, on Matthew, Chapter 4. On this read-thru it became so personal. Boldly put, that the enemy is always searching for when you are deeply vulnerable. Satan will try to take you to the highest earthly vantage point, to whatever worldly temptation will send you into a spiritual spin. He will con you with kingdoms promising independence with earthly crowds chanting your name. 

If you bow down and chant his name.

Matthew 4:8-10

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

So we go there today. Join us for this final episode of Season 3. It will prepare you for a deeper assessment of your own vulnerabilities during our season break. Let’s celebrate the power of our Savior!

E200

When God anointed Jesus, the dove and all, it marked the beginning of his ministry, a beginning that, according to scripture, immediately brought him face to face with the enemy. No one else has ever experienced Satan face to face in the wilderness.  

Who possibly could? My mindset for completing Season 3 of Faith to Witness 99 is to stand on that mountaintop with Jesus and assess exactly where I am in relation to what the devil tempted him with, and how he responded. I want that for you too. 

I’m Kathryn Bise, your host.

I am in the middle of my Bible read-through. I started the Old Testament on May 15, 2026 in North Carolina and completed it on June 21, 2026 in Los Angeles nested into the kitchen banquette at my oldest son’s home. 

I started the New Testament on July 15, 2026 with a target completion date of July 31, 2026. To understand why I do this full immersion into God’s story, check out e66 and e67.

This is now my third year. I anticipate that this annual Bible read-thru will fall into a forever rhythm of starting, completing, and starting again—to reading through God’s Word continually. 

God’s hand in my life is so full of providence and provision when he holds me close to his story. 

So I just passed through Chapter 4 of the gospel of Matthew. I have not really ever written about or talked through when Jesus was tested in the wilderness. This time in the life of Jesus elevates his work on earth to a powerful new divine realm. In today’s terms his life leveled up. And it’s like God sat me down on a mental desert rock to take the scene in, to envision Jesus one-on-one with Satan. It’s quite a spirit-jolt to see the force of divine good talking with the force of ultimate evil having a conversation. From deep within the wilderness to the highest point of the temple in the holy city to a very high mountain with panoramic views of splendid earthly kingdoms comes the witness of Jesus face to face with Satan. 

What happened after John the Baptist baptized Jesus, and the Spirit of God descended like a dove on Jesus, and God said “this is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased” (Matthew 4:17).

Jesus Denies Vulnerability Through His Witness in the Wilderness

1. Do Not Misuse God’s Divine Power

Matthew 4:1-4

4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

What happened? Jesus went to the wilderness with a specific purpose. To be tempted. He prepared for it by fasting. It was the divine thing to do, yet it left his flesh deeply vulnerable to temptation. And the tempter teased his earthly ego with a taunt, and challenged Jesus’s divine power to act. He posed a challenge of proving his power. He taunted the Son of Man to use his divine powers for the wrong reason.

Jesus is the bread of life in this moment. It foreshadows John 6:35. He chooses to be  sustained by his divine relationship with his Father.

When God calls us to action, how do we prepare? And shouldn’t we learn that we are most vulnerable when we are fasting?

What kind of fasting? It could be something other than fasting from food. We could be reverse fasting from God’s Word, which definitely makes us vulnerable to hearing and believing the word of the enemy. Or on the flip side, we could be fasting from what the world says we should do, holding out for the Lord to act, to give us a next step. Like Jesus.

Either way the enemy smells vulnerability in that void. The void of living without God’s word, and the void of waiting for his guidance. Whatever void that depletes you of sustenance. Satan is right there ready to fill it with his nature.

Jesus does not misuse the power of his Heavenly Father. He submits himself to it. He must do this to be our Savior. He exemplifies that we must always choose God’s spiritual providence over an earthy loaf of bread to appease a craving stomach.

2. Do Not Test God’s Power

The devil challenged Jesus next to test his Father’s power and love.

Matthew 4:5-7

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,

    and they will lift you up in their hands,

    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

But Jesus claimed sovereignty, separating power from love. They both exist, and one is not needed to sustain the other. God does not need to be tested. God needs no proof. 

Our lives are meant to represent the glory of God, that we are witness to his glory. But it is not within our power or his Will that we call the shots, that we test him for our earthy gain. That we test him for anything. He is sovereign. He does not have to prove anything, because he is “I am.”

We must step back from every earthly ledge that causes us to test God’s power. 

3. Worship Outside of the Lord is False

The devil’s final challenge is about choice.

Matthew 4:8-11

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

I read this, I envision this and feel like it rumbles to a thunderous divine rage within Jesus. The Old Testament is all about false idols and a chosen people who just could not get this right. I feel the 2,000 years of history rising up in his spirit and rebelling against the evil nature swelling up in Satan’s offer.

Jesus summons this evil presence to depart from him. To separate the evil from the holy. It happens with one choice. To worship. And to serve the only God.

While the chosen people did not get it right, we do not get this right either. Anything we worship other than God is a false idol. Anything we say ‘yes’ to from the enemy separates us from our God. Worship and service outside of the Lord is one thing.

It is false. It is not the truth. It is not the way. It is not the life.

In all three scenes, and in the scenes we walk through in this life, the enemy gives us a stunning view to taunt us.

Testing Our Deepest Vulnerability and Highest Vantage Point

Simply put, no, boldly shouted, when does the enemy approach you? The enemy is always searching for when you are deeply vulnerable. Is it when you are struggling with a difficult relationship or life circumstance? 

Maybe, but that vulnerability begins to take root when you fall away from living in God’s Word every day, when you are turning away from the conviction of Holy Spirit that Jesus sent to help you in this earthly life. When your praying spirit turns toward self interest and independence. Your prayers fall away and lose ground in your mind and your heart. When you surrender to what you need rather than what others need.When these actions—the behaviors God has outlined will always put you in his Will—become parched and you find yourself living in the desert with a devil that crouches, ready to test your God and tempt your nature.   

Satan will go to the highest earthly vantage point, to whatever temptation that sends you into a spiritual spin. He will offer you kingdoms of self independence with earthly crowds chanting your name. 

The enemy, that Satan in the wilderness, who wants to take you into your wilderness, to the highest point of the temple you call your faith, to the top of the highest mountain with the best view of earthly gain, is searching for your deepest vulnerability and his highest vantage point. 

Put God’s Word in your heart. Me too, human. Like Jesus did. 

What Comes After God Tests Us

It would be easy to think that when Jesus came out of the wilderness, he would have a little time of rest and reward. He made it through his testing period with his spirit and nature in tact. Here’s what happened.

Matthew 4:12-17

12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

    the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,

    Galilee of the Gentiles—

16 the people living in darkness

    have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of the shadow of death

    a light has dawned.”

17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

So Jesus came down from the wilderness to escalating threats from the governing King. John the Baptist was imprisoned by Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee under the Roman Empire. It was time for Jesus to begin fulfilling his ministry. It was time to preach. He withdrew to Galilee, to live in Capernaum. His first words began with “Repent.” 

When God tests us he is tempering our spiritual nature for his purpose. His tests are preparing us to go find our Galilee and bring our witness to those who need to hear it. 

James 1:2-4

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

That we persevere to finish our work. 

Assess What Deepens Your Vulnerability

I encourage us to take this season break to assess what makes us deeply vulnerable to the enemy’s power. What are the highest mountains that the enemy takes us to, puts in front of us? Earthly vantage points that cause us to turn toward, to take a closer look at earthly gain. Vantage points that cause us to turn away from God. 

In Jesus’s words, quoting Deuteronomy 6:13—turn toward this: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.”

That’s a wrap on Season 3, human. It is through God’s grace we celebrate episode 200. 

Season 4 starts on September 9. During our season break, we will publish Re-releases on Wednesdays through Labor Day week—to keep us in stride with hearing God and leaving the 99 to share our Shepherd. Will you pass on a few of these Re-releases as part of your witness to someone on your path? And email your insights and recommendations as we prepare for Season 4. I can be reached at deeperwater@kathrynbise.com. 

Here’s what I do not ever want to forget. What I do not ever want to live without. It is God’s faithfulness that we are witness to. Without him, we have no faith. He fuels our faith to be a witness. That’s what is at the heart of this podcast. Our faithful God. 

Thank you for listening. 

Ephesians 1:17 

17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

 God’s faith to your witness. Go find the one.