My, Devotion to Him 89
VERSE PASSAGE: Matthew 4:4 “Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” – NIV
Jesus answered every temptation with, “It is written.” The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit as stated in Ephesians 6:17. It is the only offensive spiritual weapon that we have. We must use it.
Since Jesus was the Word of God as in John 1:1, anything He would have spoken would have been the Word. He could have said “leave” and the devil would’ve had to go, yet He quoted the written Word of God three times.
This gives us great assurance that the written Word of God is sufficient for us. Jesus, in the face of the greatest temptations that Satan had to offer, did not need to say anything that was not already recorded in scripture. I fear that many Christians feel like they have to conjure up reasons why the devil has to leave and debate him to leave. We must believe that the Word of God is enough. Why? Because it is. Jesus used the written Word to battle Satan though each temptation in the desert. We must use this mighty weapon.
It is likely that when Jesus returns to this earth and destroys His enemies, He will just speak the Word that has already been given in scripture. No wonder Satan tries to keep us from studying and knowing God’s Word. Even our good works will hurt us if they keep us from really knowing the scriptures.
God has given us this mighty weapon of His Word! When we speak the Word in faith, hell shakes. Satan and his minions have already experienced what the Word can do. They know its power. This is why it is so critical that we know it too. We must. The devil fears the Word because of its awesome and mighty power. We need to utilize this weapon and make it second nature to us. We need to practice the Word, train with the Word, apply the Word, and do battle with the Word.
Jesus used the written word to fight against Satan. The must be important if Jesus Himself would use it against the tempter. During His weak time Jesus still used the Word. When no one was around Jesus still used the Word. But! Jesus Himself knew the power of the Word. He knew the authority the Word has. He knew it was the Word that He could always rely on. We as Christians must use this same Word also. The Word does not need to be modernized. Why? Because God is infinite and He never changes. God’s Word has the same power it did 2,000 years ago and it will continue to have the same power. We need to know how to use this mighty weapon. When we try to modernize and critique the Word we are not making the Word better. However, I believe we are only casting a statement of doubt. The doubt that the Word has to be modernized in order to have the same affect it did 2,000 years ago. If that was the case God would’ve made us a Bible to use in certain periods of time. But He didn’t. Because this is the written Word of God. It’s power and authority will never cease. We must be the ones to learn how to use it in order to unlock the power and authority that is within.
Be blessed my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Copyright © 2017 by Jacob D. Olinger
Related Devotionals:
The Jesus Temptation Series Part 1
The Jesus Temptation Series Part 2
The Jesus Temptation Series Part 3
The Jesus Temptation Series Part 4
Spirit Warrior Ministry 