Stay on the Offensive

“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.” Matthew 4:1-2 NKJV

In an astonishing story published by Canadian Running Magazine, it was reported that Ethiopian runner Tigst Assefa took the women’s title in 2:11:04 at the Berlin Marathon over the weekend. It’s said conditions were sunny with little wind, though it was still warm.

Assefa was aiming to beat Ruth Chepngetich’s 2:09:56 world record,..

Assefa had previously held the women’s world record after running 2:11:53 in Berlin in 2023, a time that remained the course record until Sunday. She was still running under world-record pace at 40 km, with an estimated finish time of 2:09:44. In the final two km, Assefa’s pace slowed and she began visibly limping. She ran that last stretch in 8:04, before crossing the line in 2:11:04.

Assefa’s time was 68 seconds outside Chepngetich’s world record, but 49 seconds faster than her previous best. It’s also the third-fastest women’s marathon ever, behind Chepngetich’s 2:09:56 and Ethiopian Fotyen Tesfay’s 2:10:51 from Barcelona earlier this year. Assefa now owns the third- and fourth-fastest marathon times in history. 

Post-race, Assefa skipped the podium ceremony and was flown to Munich for emergency assessment of a suspected Achilles tear, according to PuraVida Sports Africa. Her management team said she will undergo imaging to determine the extent of the injury.

And you know, in the same way this story highlights how quickly a person can go from a mountain top experience (where the conditions are sunny with a little wind) to the valley (where the conditions are less than desirable), the story of the temptation of Jesus confirms just how unexpectedly and rapidly our surrounding circumstances can change. 

In Matthew 3 we are given the story of Jesus’ being publicly baptized by John the Baptist and then being commended by the Father. Talk about a mountain top experience!

Immediately following this, though, circumstances changed and “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.”

“Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written,‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” Matthew 4:8-10

The devil then attempted to bait and beguile Jesus three different times as we see in the next chapter. But in response to each temptation, Jesus yielded the sword of the Spirit and declared, “It is written” and followed His statement with the exact Scripture that would tear down the individual lies and the overall deception of the enemy. 
In this way, Jesus rejected temptation and was victorious over the devil by using the only offensive weapon God has given each and every believer. 

So, if "staying on the offensive" means "remaining proactive, taking the initiative, and keeping constant forward pressure instead of waiting to react to challenges," let us vow to stay on the offensive by knowing God‘s word, being ready for the schemes of the devil at all times, and being especially vigilant after mountain top experiences. 

In this way, you and I will be protected from incoming attacks and be ready to confront opposition by following the example of Jesus, saying, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written..." 

"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled." 2 Corinthians 10:3-6

After all, the only way to win at spiritual warfare is to fight it with spiritual weapons--weapons that "are not carnal but mighty in God... "

Heavenly Father, thank You for reminding us that the devil is on the attack at all times, but is especially ready to pounce after a mountain top experience. Help us Lord to always be ready for these attacks by always being shod with the full armor of God and knowing the Truth. Help us to train like a good soldier who makes himself battle ready each and every day, no matter the conditions. Help us to be ready so that we will not be caught unaware. It’s in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.

Happy Running!