Matthew 4:4: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
I was bothered recently about a particular situation in my life. I thought I had a plan in place to voice my concern and find out answers to this dilemma. But a caring sister in Christ called me on the phone, unexpectedly, and suggested different ways of direction I hadn’t thought of or understood as a better and wiser plan of action. I was on her mind, and that was not an accident. She guided me through rethinking some of my ideas. I had to admit her wisdom was spot on and came at just the right moment. The Holy Spirit used her words to enlighten me and keep me from making a mistake. I had been tempted to satisfy a perfectly normal desire in a wrong way which would have been at the wrong time.
We are provided with a pattern in Matthew 4, of how we can be empowered and led by the Holy Spirit in our lives from reading how Jesus responded when he was led into the wilderness for testing. Satan tried to tempt Jesus three times to cause Him to fall into sin and disobedience. It was a diabolical scheme to subvert God’s plan of redemption and to disqualify Jesus as the sinless Savior. But Jesus defended himself by quoting from Deuteronomy 8:2 in this first instance, where Moses reminded the Israelites of God’s testing through hunger and his miraculous meal of manna. God used Satan’s evil intentions to strengthen Jesus in his messianic role.
Satan’s futile attempts of tempting Jesus is an example of how God can overrule Satan’s evil efforts in our lives. Matthew Henry states: “Jesus faced the enemy as a man, not as the Son of God. His first word (in facing Satan) was, “Man shall not live by bread alone.” Jesus used the power of the Holy Spirit (Matt.4:1) rather than His divine powers to overcome the enemy, and He used the power of the Word of God (“it is written”).
I need to remember that I have a personal, full-time guide – the Holy Spirit. He will amplify God’s voice in my heart, soul, and mind, as God persistently speaks to me through His Word, circumstances, and as I submit my needs and desires to Him in prayer.
In reflecting upon the original situation regarding “my plan,” the Holy Spirit used my girlfriend to remind me and ask myself, “but what does God say? How can you be an example of how God has worked in your life?”
It tells us in Ephesians 6:17 that the sword of the Spirit is the word of God. That is God’s mouthpiece that Jesus pronounced to Satan in Matthew 4:4. Ask yourself, how do I see God pursuing me in my life? That will help give one patience and want to extend grace and mercy to others as God has so graciously bestowed upon us as we listen to hear and recognize God’s voice in our lives speaking words of peace to our heart, soul, and mind.
Listen to Mercy Me’s YouTube song “Word of God Speak.”
Linda this post could not be more timely for a situation that I am experiencing right now. What awesome encouragement it is to know that Jesus faced temptation just like we do today. Even more awesome is to be able to follow His example of how He used the Word Of God as His defense against the enemy (Satan) every time. I know that if I simply follow the example of Christ, that I can experience the same victory that He did. Thank you again for sharing. I love you my sweet sweet sister.
Angie, thank you for your encouraging words! I need to memorize scripture on a more consistent basis so I am better armed with the sword of God. Love you dear sister! Thank you for sharing!