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.”
In the passage before us Jesus being led by the Spirit into the desert to be tested, here encounters the devil himself. Twice Jesus is confronted with a challenge to his identity “If you are the son of God” verses 3 and 6, then a promise of the kingdoms and all the fame, fortune, and power that goes with them, if he would worship the devil. Jesus responds to all three using the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.
Anchored to God’s Unchanging Word
God’s Word should be more desirable than the food we eat. The words that He speaks are spirit and life to those who believe them. Under a severe attack of the enemy, 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. Like Jesus, Job met the challenge of his temporary trial by taking his stand on the facts of God’s unchanging word.
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. In fact, Jesus said if you seek God above all things, all things necessary for life will be provided for you.
Through the Word (rhema) God speaks to you, you and God are inseparable and you become invincible when speaking His words from his Presence. Jesus was not moved by his trials because he lived on the word (rhema) of God who is unchanged by circumstances. By taking your stand on God’s unchanging word in the midst of your trials, you will be as unmoved by the the devil’s assaults as Jesus was.
Prayer is Powered by God’s Unchanging Word
You have been called by God to stand in his Presence in full 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 unchanging Word; don’t take that awesome privilege lightly. By praying in line with God’s word, during your tests and trials, you’re demonstrating the security of God’s unchanging Mercy and Grace, to an ever changing lost and insecure world.
Your power in prayer comes from knowing that what you are saying rests solidly upon every Word (rhema) that has come from the mouth of God. 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 unchanging 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 your new identity in Christ becomes clear in your thoughts. Be intentional when you’re speaking God’s Word as you pray, because you understand that every word is true whether you feel it or not. Take your stand against the devil’s attacks by wielding the sword of the Spirit, which is the word (rhema) of God (see Ephesians 6:10-18).
The Divine Nature Imparted through The Power of God’s Unchanging Word
Peter said that God’s “divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Peter 1:3-4).
Think of those facts! 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 made real to you, enables you to escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. You have been redeemed and have become a new creation in Christ with a new nature.
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 God is being expressed through you nourishing others. Be strong in times of testing, take your Stand on the facts of God’s unchanging Word, and Be Encouraged. -JSP
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