Bow 2 by Apostle Femi Lazarus: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Why the Devil Came to Jesus — and Why He May Come to You

Look at Luke 4:5-6 and Matthew 4:8-9. The devil took Jesus up to a high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of this world and the glory of them in a moment of time — an imaginative sight, a panoramic vision of everything this world calls greatness. And he said: all this power will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

Never think this world has no glory. It does. There are rooms you enter where, if care is not taken, you can lose your spiritual footing just from the sight of what men have built. The devil knows when to show it. The moment Jesus came from the wilderness — hungry, tested — that is when the offer came. That is timing.

But here is the question: why Jesus? Why did the devil not walk to the nearest person in Nazareth and ask them to bow? And perhaps more personally — why you? Why the concentrated advances and temptation?

If the devil is after your allegiance specifically, it means there is something about you that you do not yet fully know.

The Recruitment Strategy of Darkness

Dark systems do not pursue everyone. They have criteria. Look at Daniel 1:3-4. King Nebuchadnezzar instructed Ashpenaz to bring certain children of Israel — not all, but certain ones. The criteria: no blemish, well-favored, skillful in wisdom, cunning in knowledge, understanding in science, with ability to stand in the king's palace.

The Message translation puts it plainly: young men who were healthy, handsome, intelligent and well-educated — good prospects for leadership positions in government. The instruction: indoctrinate them. Get them into our system, bring them under our influence.

• Dark systems are not interested in just anybody. They want people whose future gives their organization power.
• They do not have time to build from scratch — they look for those already prepared, already heading toward influence.
• If you are a believer preparing yourself for spaces beyond church walls — sectors, governance, business, media — you are needed. The devil needs you badly on his side.

The devil is happy when the church believes your assignment is limited to four walls. He knows that a church producing only people who can hold a microphone is a church he can sweep away with one governmental declaration.

Rejecting the Reward of Iniquity

On the day Jesus was crucified, the highest Mary Magdalene could do was cry. The highest John the Beloved could do was comfort. But there had to be a Joseph of Arimathea — whose standing was influence, whose access reached Pilate, whose position could secure a burial ground. All the prayers and tongues had done what they could do. That is where influence takes over.

At some point in life, offers will come that look genuinely juicy — but must not be accepted. And many times, even after saying no, God will not immediately come and say, well done, that good and faithful servant. He kept quiet when Jesus refused too. Because you are a son, not a puppet. Sons stand. That is what sons do.

• One of the things you must learn is to reject the rewards of iniquity — even when they look like a shortcut to where God is already taking you.
• For Jesus, the devil was offering the glory without the cross. To say no was to say: I embrace the cross.
• Your intelligence matters. Your leadership skill matters. Your preparation matters. The devil has seen what you can become — and that is exactly why he wants you.

You are not ordinary. The reason the force to buy your allegiance is so strong is precisely because you are important. If you were never important, the devil would never be interested in your standing.