But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4 KJV
Jesus too was tempted. Think about this: the Son of God, who cannot be tempted of evil, came to the earth as one of us, so He could identify with us, and provide us with the strength, information and guidance required to live a life of victory. In his human nature, He gives us hope that we are also able to overcome if we apply the principles that He applied and lived by. Let no man think s/he is above being tempted; there is no experience or encounter with God that will keep you from tough times or decisions. It is really odd to pray not to encounter the devil and his schemes. I must keep reminding myself of how Jesus lived; He has all that I need for a life of victory and He can help me overcome too.
What did Jesus do? He knew and understood the schemes of the devil, and was able to apply the one thing the devil cannot fault: The Word of God. Needs are important, and it is good to eat. After all, Jesus had just finished his fast for 40 days, and was hungry. The next thing would be to eat. At the heart of the temptation to turn stones to bread was pride. The devil knew that Jesus is the Son of God, so proving it was absolutely unnecessary. Be careful of men pushing you to push yourself forward; be careful of a desire to be in the forefront, unless God has placed you there. Is God the source and author of my present pursuits and priorities? Can I confirm that God is behind my current focus?
The response of Jesus is quite instructive: Life is not all about the physical things that go in or out of the body, but by that which God supplies. Bread is good, but it is limited in its impact. It will satisfy a kind of hunger, but there is a deep hunger that all the bread in the world cannot satisfy. That is the hunger that only the Word of God can fill. Men have tried to fill that hunger with all sorts of things: power, position, possessions and privilege, but until the presence of the Word of God is secure, men will continue to labour without eternal impact. Until God speaks, the devil can make all the noise; once God has spoken, it really does not matter what else anyone, even the devil, has to say. Get a Word from God today; He has an answer for all that is troubling me. His Word is the sole guarantee of victory over the devil. God's time of favour is here.
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