In the wilderness, the devil tempted Jesus to command that stones be turned into bread. Though Jesus was hungry and though He could have done what the devil suggested, He did not. Instead Jesus replied, “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).
This important concept of living by the Word of God has its roots in the Old Testament. Moses recounted Israel’s experience while they were in the wilderness going toward the land God had promised them. He told the people that God had humbled them and suffered them to hunger “that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord” (Deu. 8:3, NASB).
Notice how God brought them to this important revelation. He humbled them by causing them to hunger. The point is that we are less likely to feel the need to live by the Word of God when all is well, and we have everything we need.
So, what if God allowed some of the things we value to become unavailable to us for a season? Those things might include food or finances, for example. Hopefully, this experience would lead us to dig into His Word more to help us get through our “wilderness experience.” In doing so, we will discover that life is about more than bread and money.
My Personal Experience
I know what that test feels like, personally. I found myself in that very situation during my previous pastorate. Several years after leaving my job as an engineer to pastor a small church full-time, my family and I experienced financial hardship for about three years. That’s because the church did not grow as I had expected.
For the first time in my life, my family knew serious hunger and what it meant to not be able to pay your bills on time. What did I do? I started spending more time in the Word of God to build myself up spiritually and to starve my doubts and to feed my faith.
During that time, prayer and the Word of God were my mainstay. I more fully understood what Jesus meant when He said we don’t live by “bread” alone. I am happy to report that, eventually, God brought me out of that ordeal big time.
The Key to Standing Strong
When the devil tempted Jesus, He was hungry. He had fasted for 40 days. But though He was weak in the flesh, He was strong in the Spirit. No doubt, He had been living on the Word of God and prayer. How else would He endure such a long fast?
We too can stand strong when we are tested if we learn how to live by the Word of God. But we can do that only if we study and apply the Word to our life daily. The psalmist puts it this way: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). Those words sum up what living by the Word of God is all about.
Living by the Word of God should be the way of life for every believer. But those who chose to live by bread alone will be anemic and void of faith. These will not be able to stand strong during the hour of temptation.
Copyright © 2023 by Frank King. All rights reserved.