Popular evangelist Pastor Benny Hinn has emphasized the importance of using Scripture as a defense against temptation, drawing from Jesus Christ’s response to the devil’s challenge in the wilderness.
During his sermon, Pastor Hinn referenced the baptism of Christ, highlighting the moment when the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove and God openly declared His Sonship. “Here’s the Lord baptized, the Holy Spirit comes as a dove, and now the voice of God spoke and said, ‘This is my beloved Son,'” he recounted.
He pointed out that this divine proclamation was not only heard by those present but also by spiritual forces. “Now you can be sure the devil heard that, the angels heard it, the demons heard it,” he stated.
Pastor Hinn noted that Satan wasted no time in testing Jesus, appearing just days after the baptism to challenge His identity. “The devil shows up a few days later, not a few months, a few days, and he asks the question, ‘If you are the Son of God, change that rock into…'” he explained.
Instead of reminding Satan of the heavenly declaration, Jesus took a different approach. “Now Jesus could have said, ‘Weren’t you there? Didn’t you hear God say I am His Son?'” He said, illustrating how Christ could have responded.
However, Jesus chose to counter the temptation with Scripture rather than personal affirmation. “He never said that. He said, ‘It is written,'” he emphasized.
