Preparation: The Missing Step in Our Faith

Reading of the Word

Matthew 4:1–4 NASB 2020

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted for forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written: ‘man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’ ”

In the wilderness, Jesus shows us that power in the public eye is built in the private place with God.

Prayer of Illumination

Lord, as we open Your Word today, lead us into the wilderness with Jesus. Quiet the noise around us and within us, so that we can hear Your voice. Give us hearts ready to receive, minds ready to understand, and wills ready to obey. Fill us with Your Spirit, so that what we hear today takes root and grows into lives shaped by Your Pattern—solitude, fasting, and ministry. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Introduction

Before a big moment, most people pause to prepare:

A student takes a deep breath before an exam.

A bride and groom share a quiet moment before the aisle.

A parent prays before a hard conversation with their child.

Before Jesus began His public ministry—before the miracles, sermons, and crowds—He didn’t start with action. He started with absence. The Spirit led Him into the wilderness—alone, fasting, praying.

Matthew 4 reminds us the wilderness wasn’t a detour—it was the training ground. If we want the strength Jesus had in public, we must follow His private pattern: solitude that shapes us, fasting that fills us, and preparation that sends us into ministry in the power of the Spirit.

Solitude: Getting Away to Get Close

Jesus didn’t wander into the wilderness by accident. The Spirit led Him there, and He obeyed.

Why solitude?

To reflect on His baptism and the Father’s affirmation.

To prepare for ministry.

To depend fully on God.

To identify with our weaknesses

Hebrews 4:15 NASB 2020

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin.

In solitude, the devil came—testing, accusing, twisting God’s Word. He waited for Jesus’ weakest moment physically to attack spiritually.

Application: We live in a noisy world, but solitude pulls us away from distractions so God can shape us. Just as Jesus faced the devil in the desert, we will face temptation—and solitude is where we grow strong enough to stand.

The Reality of the Enemy

The Bible calls the devil the tempter, the accuser, and the adversary. His mission never changes—to pull us away from our allegiance to God.

That’s why preparation matters.

Spiritual Clarity Starts in God’s House

Even Jesus prepared for the reality of the enemy. Surveys show more of the general public (~58%) believe in a literal devil than many who call themselves Christians (~35%). If we’re going to recognize his schemes, we need to stay anchored in Scripture and the presence of God.

Regular worship and fellowship anchor us in Scripture, keeping us spiritually alert and ready to recognize the enemy’s schemes (Ephesians 6:10–18). If even Jesus prepared for the enemy, how much more must we?

Earlier this year, I was reminded more than ever that the devil is real. And in Matthew 4, we see his strategy clearly. As Jesus neared the end of His forty days in the wilderness—weak, weary, and hungry—the devil seized the moment to tempt Him.

The devil is the tempter—he seeks to seduce us away from God, even questioning the identity the Father has given us.

But while the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness, He was not the tempter. God allowed the testing so faith could be proven, refined, and strengthened—because faith can’t grow unless it’s used. Like a muscle, it becomes stronger under pressure, and the wilderness turns belief into lived confidence in God.

The devil is also the accuser (Revelation 12:10), twisting needs into distrust of God’s care. But Jesus didn’t take the bait—He relied fully on the Father and showed us we don’t have to prove our identity to the enemy.

The devil is the adversary—opposing God, seeking to kill, steal, and destroy. The Israelites failed in their forty years of wilderness testing through complaint, disobedience, and doubt. But Jesus’ forty days showed the opposite—trust, obedience, and faithfulness.

If you don’t train in the quiet, you won’t stand in the storm. Because of the enemy’s intent to harm us, we must depend fully on God, refusing to trust in ourselves.

And here’s the hope—God will provide all we need to overcome temptation. Even a few minutes of intentional solitude can reset our hearts for what He has ahead.

Fasting: Emptying to Be Filled

Solitude shapes the heart, but it’s not the only tool God uses to prepare us. When the noise is gone, the hunger speaks—and God uses fasting to fill the emptiness with Himself.

Fasting isn’t just giving something up—it’s letting hunger reveal what’s inside and creating space for God to fill it.

Fasting can be from:

Food (full or partial)

Technology and social media

TV, news, music, or noise

Anything that consumes time and attention

When we step back from these, we feel the void—and invite God to fill it with His presence. 

One of the most meaningful fasts I practice is stepping away from everything, coming into this dark, quiet sanctuary with my paper Bible, a notepad, and a pen—no tech to distract me. I sit in silence, listening for God’s voice, letting Him empty me of myself and fill me with Himself so I’m ready for His work.

Jesus was not supernaturally shielded from the weakness of fasting—the Bible tells us He was hungry. His experience mirrors Israel’s wilderness testing (Deut. 8:2–3), teaching us that we live not by bread alone but by every Word from God’s mouth.

The enemy will even use Scripture to taunt and tempt, twisting its meaning to lead us astray.

That’s why fasting matters—it quiets life’s noise, sharpens our discernment, and clears space for God’s voice to be heard.

God doesn’t send full vessels into His work—He sends emptied, filled, and prepared ones.

Ministry: Power After Preparation

And that’s the pattern Jesus followed—forty days of solitude and fasting before a single miracle, sermon, or healing. Only then did He step into His ministry ‘in the power of the Spirit’ (Luke 4:14).

Ministry is not the starting line—it’s the outflow of preparation. When God shapes us in solitude and fills us in fasting, we’re ready to face the enemy, serve with authority, and walk in the purpose He’s given us.

These tests weren’t simply pass-or-fail exams—they revealed His true capacity and character as the Son of God.

The tests Jesus endured confirmed and testified to His divine call to save the world from sin.

Ministry is most effective when it flows out of a deep place of prayer and preparation.

The pattern is not “do, then rest” — it’s “rest in God, then do.”

The testimony of Christ’s ministry wouldn’t have had the power it did without the preparation.

The Desert Before the Pulpit Before Jesus preached or performed miracles, He went into the desert—forty days of fasting, prayer, and spiritual battle. There His calling was tested, His heart refined, and His mission clarified.

Pastors have their own desert before the pulpit—years of learning, spiritual shaping, and proving the call. Like Jesus, we must let God strip away distractions, strengthen faith, and sharpen obedience. The desert comes before the harvest—for pastors, and for anyone God calls to serve.

Practice Makes Patterns

Like children learning patterns, we begin to notice Jesus’ rhythms—solitude, fasting, prayer, obedience. As we keep practicing, His patterns shape our responses and decisions until they become part of who we are.

Following Jesus is training, not instant perfection. Like an athlete in the gym or a musician with an instrument, growth takes time, discipline, and repetition. Every quiet act of obedience on Tuesday builds the strength you’ll need to stand in Friday’s temptation.

We will make mistakes, but His grace covers us, picks us up, and keeps us moving forward.

In this process, there’s no room for excuses—they are the enemy’s tools to pull us away from obedience and rob us of God’s power. Every excuse we cling to is a door closed to the Spirit’s work in our lives.

God doesn’t just want us to visit the wilderness—He wants us to live with its lessons until His Pattern becomes our lifestyle.

This Week’s Takeaway: If we want to pattern our lives after Jesus, we must learn to follow Him into the wilderness for seasons of solitude and fasting.

Conclusion

Before Jesus ever preached a sermon, healed the sick, or called His disciples, He stepped into the wilderness. There, in solitude and fasting, His strength was forged. His calling was clarified. His heart was anchored in the Father’s will.

We live in a world that runs from quiet, fills every gap with noise, and skips preparation to get to action. But if we want the power of Jesus in public, we must embrace the pattern of Jesus in private—solitude, fasting, and prayer.

Every small act of obedience on your Tuesday afternoon is building the strength you’ll need to stand in your Friday night temptation.

So this week, step into your wilderness. Close the door. Turn off the noise. Fast from something that drains your focus, and invite God to fill you with Himself. Because when you follow Jesus into the wilderness, you will walk out ready—ready to face the enemy, ready to serve in the Spirit’s power, and ready for the work He has called you to do.

Prayer Following Sermon

Father, We thank You for the example of Your Son, who chose the wilderness before the work, who embraced solitude, fasting, and prayer before stepping into His mission. Teach us to follow His Pattern—stepping away from the noise, laying down what distracts us, and allowing You to shape our hearts.

Empty us of ourselves, Lord, and fill us with Your Spirit until Your Word becomes our bread and Your presence our strength. When the enemy comes to tempt, accuse, and oppose, help us stand firm in Your truth.

We confess that we often rush into ministry without first resting in You. Forgive us, and lead us back to the quiet place where faith is forged and obedience is strengthened.

Send us out from this moment not just inspired but prepared—ready to serve, ready to stand, ready to follow wherever You lead.

In the name of Jesus, our Lord and our example, we pray. Amen.

Charge

Go now into your week following the Pattern of Jesus—seek solitude to draw near to the Father, fast from what distracts to be filled with His Spirit, and step into ministry prepared for the work He has called you to do. Let the lessons of the wilderness shape the way you live, love, and serve.

Benediction

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit go with you into every desert and every harvest. May you be strengthened in solitude, filled in fasting, and empowered for ministry— now and forevermore. Amen.

Application:

This week, schedule solitude — even 15 minutes daily.

Try fasting from something that distracts you.

Ask God to use your “wilderness moments” to prepare you for what’s next.