Posted by Matthew 4:4
“It is written: Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Here we see Jesus resisting the attacks of the devil by using the facts of the Written Word. He was hungry and the devil came at that moment. Jesus would not only ignore suggestions from darkness, but he demonstrated that God’s Written Word was more important than food. His response shows that he protected himself with the facts of God’s redemptive Word.
God’s Word is more important than the food we eat. The words that He speaks are spirit and life to those who believe them. We read that Job himself said “I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.” (Job 23:12) What Jesus was saying has always been true for those who walk with God. Even Job knew that man does not live on bread alone.
Think of it, God’s Word has become your food for life, and by digesting it you are aligning yourself with Him, your nourishment comes from thinking speaking and practicing everything He has said. God’s Word in you is what the Holy Spirit uses to join you to Him. Through the Word you and God are inseparable and you have become invincible.
You have been called by God to stand in agreement with Him when you pray. You have been invited to become His mouthpiece declaring His plans for His world. Imagine that, God is always searching for people to agree with Him and all He’s planned. You are one of His representatives chosen to live by His Word; don’t take that awesome privilege lightly.
Your power in prayer comes from knowing that what you are saying rests solidly upon every Word that has come from God’s mouth. You and I are connected together with God by calling everything in heaven and on earth to attention to the promises He has made to humanity. God’s Word is the food that gives life to your prayers.
Learn to live on the facts of your redemption. Meditate on God’s Word until you are convinced of your new identity in Christ. Be intentional when you are speaking God’s Word when you pray, because you understand that every word is true whether you feel it or not.
God has given you his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in His divine nature. Living on the facts of God’s Word enables you to escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires (see 2 Peter 1:3-4). You have been redeemed and have become a new creation in Christ with a new nature. who you were is from your old nature, and is now dead and in the past (2 Corinthians 5:17-18). You may still have old habits tied to old thought patterns, these can be renewed by filling your mind with God’s Word on those areas you’re struggling with. The fact remains, you are a new creation in Christ and that’s how God sees you.
So join yourself to God by living on every word that He has spoken, eat it, and digest it until you know in your heart that the character of Christ is being expressed through you nourishing others, and Be Encouraged. – JSP