Warriors Arise: June 20, 2021
Matthew 4:1-4 (NKJV) Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ”
Jesus did not answer the question. He addressed the tempter's wrong thinking. You might find yourself in a situation where the question one asks is not the information that is needed. Many times our thoughts can lead us to believe we need to know certain information and then we come up with an idea to try and get it. However, Jesus was not mincing words with the tempter.
Jesus was not out in the wilderness to fast and draw closer to the Father. As the Gospels reveal, Jesus was often found in secluded places meeting with His Father. The wilderness may be the stronghold of Jesus. He felt the closest to God when He was by Himself. We may not like our times of isolation, but being secluded is something a little bit different. Isolation represents being boxed in, between a rock and a hard place. It can even feel like a prison, rights have been taken away and freedom revoked. However, seclusion represents someone who is wanting to get away from the demands on their time, distractions in their day, and conflicts in their relationships. They seek to be secluded so they can find peace. They get themselves out so they can clear their thinking, get a better view to see things and situations from a different perspective. When going into seclusion there is a refocusing of goals and expectations, maybe even a realignment of purpose. Isolation is generally when someone else puts you in a place by yourself while seclusion is you putting yourself in the place by yourself because you know that environment can position you to rethink how you got to where you are and how to reposition yourself to get to where you want to go.
The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness. God decided now was the time for Jesus to encounter the tempter. It was not the tempter to called Jesus out into the wilderness. It was time for the shaking to begin. When you enter someone else's domain you address them first, you knock and see if they will answer the door. The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness and the tempter opened the door when he asked the first question.
If the tempter did not recognize who Jesus was then what could Jesus have done to make the tempter believe that his time was soon coming to an end, and the end was about to begin? But Jesus does address the tempter's misuse of the Word. Jesus was about to teach the people how to use the power of the Word to remove the hold of the enemy and regain the dominion Adam and Eve had surrendered 4,000 years earlier in the garden. There is power in the Word, because every Word was inspired by God. God breathed upon every word and brings it to life just like when Adam was formed from clay. God breathed into him and he lived.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV) All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Just was we hear God speaking to us, His breath upon us, so did each person who penned the Bible. God spoke. He breathed upon them and they wrote His Word. So when Jesus responds to the temper's question and statement, He pulled from a revelation the devil knew nothing about. In that revelation there was and is power.
Verse 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’
We need to grasp what this means. It is so important for living the abundant life, Jesus died to give us. When God speaks to us it is His breath flowing through us, igniting every fiber of our being, giving us hope and renewing our faith. His Word to us is not just a breath of fresh air; it is freedom from the strongholds and chaos in our life. It is the open door our eyes now see. It is the strength when we didn't think we had any more to give. God's word spoken to us is exactly what we need to be free from the lies of the enemy because truth has now been established. The Word of God is more powerful than a double-edged sword. When God speaks, and believe me He speaks to each one of us, it is to bring freedom to some area of our life and position us fulfill our destiny.
We live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. This includes the every Scripture in the Bible and every Word He speaks to us. Is it time for you to find a place and take the time to be secluded to hear God speak to you?
Father, You are amazing! You desire to speak to me and have me know Your ways for my life. You desire to empower me with Your Word. You are my Rock and I will position myself upon Your Word. Your Word is my bread. It not only sustains me but empowers me to overcome and to press on for all You have positioned me to do. Your Word is the strong tower I run to for protection and preparation. Within Your Word I find strength to be the victor over the enemy. I feast on Your Word and make it apply to my life. I live with the fullness of Your banqueting table when I read Your Word. I never leave hungry. When I feast from Your Word, I have the nutrition I need to strengthen my walk and achieve the dreams You have placed inside of me. I will daily get my bread and live on the strength of Your Word in Jesus Name, amen.
A Warrior in the Lord’s Army,
Veridee Joy Hand
My hope is for Believers in Jesus Christ to join together each day to pray, to push back the enemy as we release God’s power here on earth against the coronavirus, riots, and lies. The prayers will be listed each day as Warriors Arise. I will put a date with it so we can keep them straight. If you have any questions please feel free to make a comment or private message me. If you would like this to come to your email directly please go to verideehand.com and subscribe.
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