What do you do when following God leads you straight into the wilderness?

Immediately after Jesus is baptized and the Father declares, “This is my dearly loved Son,” Matthew 4 tells us something we might not expect:

Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness.

For 40 days and 40 nights, Jesus fasts. He's hungry. He's physically weak. He's alone.

And then Satan comes.

In Episode 13 of Remember Who The King Is, Chad Muncy, Donnie Prince, and Mark Berry walk through the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4 and uncover some powerful lessons about temptation, suffering, spiritual warfare, Scripture, and what it actually looks like to remain faithful when life gets hard.

Satan tempts Jesus three different times.

Turn these stones into bread.

Throw Yourself from the temple.

Bow down and I'll give You the kingdoms of the world.

But each time Jesus responds the same way:

With the Word of God.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why Jesus was led into the wilderness immediately after His baptism
• The significance of Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness
• Why following God doesn't guarantee an easy life
• What Jesus' temptation teaches us about our own temptations
• How Satan attacks when we're vulnerable
• Why Jesus responded to Satan with Scripture
• The importance of knowing God's Word before the battle comes
• Why Christians shouldn't be surprised by trials and hardship
• The danger of assuming suffering means someone has done something wrong
• Job, suffering, and remaining faithful when life doesn't make sense
• Why prosperity-gospel teaching doesn't match what we see in the life of Jesus
• How Satan can twist Scripture for his own purposes
• The "bait and switch" of temptation
• Why we need compassion instead of judgment when someone is walking through a difficult season
• How God can use other believers to surround and care for people who are suffering
• Why preparation matters in spiritual warfare

One of the most powerful details in this passage is how Jesus fights back.

He doesn't negotiate with Satan.

He doesn't depend on emotion.

He doesn't rely on His circumstances.

He goes back to what God has already said.

Again and again:

“The Scriptures say…”

That should challenge every one of us.

Because temptation rarely announces itself ahead of time.

Hardship doesn't wait until we're prepared.

The wilderness can come when we least expect it.

And when it does, what are we going to stand on?

If we don't know God's Word, how will we recognize when truth is being twisted? If our faith is built only on good circumstances, what happens when those circumstances fall apart?

Jesus shows us a better way.

And this passage also destroys the idea that following God means everything in life will become easy.

Jesus was perfectly obedient—and still entered the wilderness.

Jesus was completely within the will of God—and still suffered.

Jesus was the Son of God—and Satan still came after Him.

So maybe the wilderness you're walking through isn't evidence that God has abandoned you.

And when someone else is suffering, maybe our first response shouldn't be judgment or trying to figure out what they did wrong.

Maybe our response should be to come alongside them.

At the end of Jesus' temptation, Matthew tells us:

“Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.”

There are people around us walking through their own wilderness right now.

Maybe God is calling us to be the ones who show up.

Open your Bible to Matthew 4:1–11 and join us for an honest conversation about temptation, suffering, spiritual warfare, standing on Scripture, and trusting God when life leads us into the wilderness.

Scripture Focus: Matthew 4:1–11
Hosts: Chad Muncy, Donnie Prince & Mark Berry

Scripture. Truth. Real life. Jesus is King.

Remember Who The King Is.

For more information about the podcast and to learn about future resources and shows, visit www.remembertheking.com

What if following Jesus was never meant to be something we simply add to our schedule?

What if our everyday life is actually our mission field?

In Episode 12 of Remember Who The King Is, Chad Muncy, Donnie Prince, and Mark Berry continue through the Gospel of Matthew, beginning in Matthew 2:19 and moving through Matthew 3.

Herod is dead. Joseph is once again directed by God, and Jesus and His family eventually settle in Nazareth. Then the story suddenly moves forward, and we meet one of the most fascinating people in Scripture:

John the Baptist.

John didn't look like the religious leaders of his day. He wasn't concerned with comfort, appearances, popularity, or building something around his own name.

He had one mission:

Prepare the way for Jesus.

And that leads to a conversation that goes far beyond John the Baptist.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Joseph's continued obedience to God's direction
• Why Jesus growing up in Nazareth matters
• The unusual life and ministry of John the Baptist
• John's incredible humility and willingness to point people away from himself and toward Jesus
• What genuine repentance looks like
• Why John boldly confronted the Pharisees and Sadducees
• The danger of ministry becoming more about us than Christ
• Why preparation and seasons of obscurity matter
• Seeing your workplace, family, friendships, hobbies, and daily routine as your mission field
• Why you don't have to be a pastor to minister to someone
• Sharing Jesus even when you don't know exactly what to say
• Making Scripture, prayer, and time with God a priority instead of an afterthought
• The importance of disconnecting from the noise around us
• Jesus' baptism and the incredible moment when the Father declares, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

One of the biggest ideas from this conversation is simple:

Stop waiting for “one day.”

One day I'll serve.

One day I'll tell that person about Jesus.

One day I'll start reading my Bible.

One day I'll pray more.

One day I'll get serious about my relationship with God.

But James reminds us that our lives are like a vapor—here for a little while and then gone.

Your ministry doesn't have to begin someday.

Your life is your ministry.

The person you work beside can be your mission field. The conversation at the grocery store can be your mission field. Your family can be your mission field. Your hobbies, friendships, workplace, neighborhood, and ordinary daily routine can all become opportunities to point someone toward Christ.

You don't have to have all the answers.

You don't have to say everything perfectly.

You simply have to be willing.

John the Baptist understood something we desperately need to remember:

It was never about making his name greater. It was about preparing people for Jesus.

So open your Bible and join us in Matthew 2:19–23 and Matthew 3 as we talk about John the Baptist, Jesus' baptism, finding purpose in everyday life, and what it really means to prepare the way for the King.

Scripture. Truth. Real life. Jesus is King.

Remember Who The King Is.

For more information about the podcast and to learn about future resources and shows, visit www.remembertheking.com

The wise men. The star. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Matthew 2 contains some of the most familiar pieces of the Christmas story—but when you slow down and really read what happened, this chapter is about much more than wise men bringing gifts to Jesus.

It’s a story about two kings—and only one of them is truly in control.

In Episode 11 of Remember Who The King Is, Chad Muncy, Donnie Prince, and Mark Berry dive into Matthew 2:1–18 and the dramatic events following the birth of Jesus.

When the wise men arrive asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?”, King Herod is deeply disturbed.

Why?

Because Jesus represented something Herod couldn't tolerate: a threat to his throne.

Herod had power, influence, authority, and control—and he was willing to do horrific things to keep them. Meanwhile, the wise men traveled an incredible distance to find Jesus, bow before Him, worship Him, and offer Him their treasures.

One king desperately held onto his throne.

The other was worthy of worship.

And that raises a question that reaches far beyond Matthew 2:

Who is sitting on the throne of our lives?

In this episode, we discuss:

• Who the wise men were and why they traveled to find Jesus
• Why Herod was so threatened by the birth of Christ
• The difference between knowing about Jesus and actually knowing Him
• Why even the religious leaders could know Scripture and still miss the Savior
• How pride, power, and the desire for control can become idols
• Why following Jesus will disrupt our lives
• How God warned the wise men and Joseph through dreams
• Joseph's incredible example of obedience, courage, and godly masculinity
• Trusting God when obedience leads somewhere difficult
• Why following Jesus does not guarantee an easy life
• The danger of a Christianity built around comfort and prosperity
• How Satan uses distraction, fear, and busyness to pull us away from God
• What genuine salvation and life transformation actually look like

Joseph and Mary were following God—and yet suddenly they found themselves fleeing for their lives with an infant Jesus.

They hadn't done anything wrong.

They were obeying.

And their obedience still led them through an incredibly difficult season.

That's an important reminder for every Christian: difficulty does not mean God has abandoned you.

Sometimes following God means trusting Him when you cannot see how everything is going to work out.

Through every part of this story—from the star that led the wise men, to the warning that sent them home another way, to Joseph taking his family and fleeing to Egypt—we see one truth again and again:

God's plan cannot be stopped.

Herod had an army.

Herod had political power.

Herod sat on an earthly throne.

But Herod was never really in control.

And neither are we.

The question is whether we will respond like Herod and fight to remain king of our own lives—or respond like the wise men and bow before the One who truly is King.

We also close this episode with a clear presentation of the Gospel and an invitation for anyone who knows about Jesus but isn't sure they truly know Jesus.

Open your Bible to Matthew 2:1–18 and join us for Episode 11 of Remember Who The King Is.

Scripture Focus: Matthew 2:1–18
Hosts: Chad Muncy, Donnie Prince & Mark Berry

Scripture. Truth. Real life. Jesus is King.

Remember Who The King Is.

For more information about the podcast and to learn about future resources and shows, visit www.remembertheking.com