Matthew 4:4

Matthew 4:4

Thoughts from Stuart Poteet

Dive Deeper

Armor of God- Swipe
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But He answered and said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 4:4

Armor of God- Behind the Scenes
Slide

Today’s verse comes out of a story in Matthew of when Jesus was tempted by Satan. I love this story so much and I think it is so applicable to our discussion about how the word of God is a weapon we can use to fight back and win against our enemy because that is exactly what Jesus does.

Slide

Three times Satan tempts Jesus. The first time, knowing that Jesus is hungry, Satan tempts Jesus to turn stones into bread. No big deal for the Son of God, right? But what we can so easily miss about this temptation is that Jesus is hungry after fasting for 40 days and nights. He is physically suffering. Satan offers Him an easy fix, a way to end the pain and satisfy the flesh. But Jesus sees through his temptation and reminds Satan that we were made to live on more than just physical satisfaction. We need spiritual satisfaction instead.

Slide

Jesus uses scripture in His time of struggle. When His flesh was weak and I can imagine the temptation to do as Satan suggested was great, Jesus goes back to the word of God. He leans on the truth there more than His physical urges or desires. That’s a powerful lesson for you and me.

Slide

Interestingly, Satan picks up on what Jesus is doing and throws some scripture back at Jesus, tempting Him even more. What a crafty enemy! He misuses scripture for his own game. But Jesus hits that curve ball out of the park, again relying on the truth of scripture used for its correct intent. Satan, seeing he is getting nowhere pulls out the big guns and tries one last time to tempt Jesus with everything he can imagine. But for a third time, Jesus calls on scripture to be His defense and to send the enemy packing!

Armor of God- Make it Real
Slide

You and I face the same enemy with the same old tricks. He loves to appeal to our flesh, tempting us into making choices that are a quick fix but that lead away from the will of God. He loves to twist scripture and use it to tempt us to make decisions that are not God’s design for us. And he loves to promise us the moon, hoping that we’ll buy his lies and fall for his schemes.

Slide

But, like Jesus had, we too have a powerful weapon that slashes through the lies of the enemy and causes him to flee- the word of God. It is our bedrock and our foundation for referencing back to the truth of God when the temptations swirl around us.

Slide

Every word of God lines up with the character of God. Every lesson reveals more of His heart. Every story helps us to understand what God’s desire is for us. We can see ourselves through the characters in the Bible. We can learn from their humanness. And we can see the loving hand of God weaving His story through even the darkest times.

Slide

The word of God is something so much more than just a story, or a book of important facts. It is the very breath of God, recorded and preserved for us! The depths of its riches are boundless. And if we commit to being good students of the word, searching and seeking inside our Bibles to know the Author more, we will find truth and life.

Slide

And it is our defense against the enemy of our souls who would love nothing more than to see us confused, misguided, and irrelevant for the kingdom. He would love to convince us to leave our Bibles on our shelves and nightstands, unopened and unread. Because he knows that inside its pages lay the very weapons we need to render him completely inept!

Slide

So, friend, I want to challenge you today to arm up. Get into the word. Store it deep in your mind and heart so that when the temptations come, you have something to fight with. When the battles rage and you are feeling so unsure, go back to what you know is true. Go back to the word and use it to guide you safely to Christ.

Armor of God- End in Prayer
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Heavenly Father,

Thank You for Your word! Thank You that it is powerful and strong, and I can rely on it. Help me to not wait until the temptation is here before I turn to it. Help me to create a rhythm of reading Your word every day so that I can be ready to wield this amazing weapon when the enemy strikes. Teach me Your ways and make me grow in Your truth.

In the name of Jesus Christ,

Amen

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But He answered and said, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes out of the mouth of God.’” 

Matthew 4:4

Behind the Scenes

Today’s verse comes out of a story in Matthew of when Jesus was tempted by Satan. I love this story so much and I think it is so applicable to our discussion about how the word of God is a weapon we can use to fight back and win against our enemy because that is exactly what Jesus does.  

Three times Satan tempts Jesus. The first time, knowing that Jesus is hungry, Satan tempts Jesus to turn stones into bread. No big deal for the Son of God, right? But what we can so easily miss about this temptation is that Jesus is hungry after fasting for 40 days and nights. He is physically suffering. Satan offers Him an easy fix, a way to end the pain and satisfy the flesh. But Jesus sees through his temptation and reminds Satan that we were made to live on more than just physical satisfaction. We need spiritual satisfaction instead.  

Jesus uses scripture in His time of struggle. When His flesh was weak and I can imagine the temptation to do as Satan suggested was great, Jesus goes back to the word of God. He leans on the truth there more than His physical urges or desires. That’s a powerful lesson for you and me. 

Interestingly, Satan picks up on what Jesus is doing and throws some scripture back at Jesus, tempting Him even more. What a crafty enemy! He misuses scripture for his own game. But Jesus hits that curve ball out of the park, again relying on the truth of scripture used for its correct intent. Satan, seeing he is getting nowhere pulls out the big guns and tries one last time to tempt Jesus with everything he can imagine. But for a third time, Jesus calls on scripture to be His defense and to send the enemy packing! 

Make It Real

You and I face the same enemy with the same old tricks. He loves to appeal to our flesh, tempting us into making choices that are a quick fix but that lead away from the will of God. He loves to twist scripture and use it to tempt us to make decisions that are not God’s design for us. And he loves to promise us the moon, hoping that we’ll buy his lies and fall for his schemes. 

But, like Jesus had, we too have a powerful weapon that slashes through the lies of the enemy and causes him to flee- the word of God. It is our bedrock and our foundation for referencing back to the truth of God when the temptations swirl around us.  

Every word of God lines up with the character of God. Every lesson reveals more of His heart. Every story helps us to understand what God’s desire is for us. We can see ourselves through the characters in the Bible. We can learn from their humanness. And we can see the loving hand of God weaving His story through even the darkest times.  

The word of God is something so much more than just a story, or a book of important facts. It is the very breath of God, recorded and preserved for us! The depths of its riches are boundless. And if we commit to being good students of the word, searching and seeking inside our Bibles to know the Author more, we will find truth and life.  

And it is our defense against the enemy of our souls who would love nothing more than to see us confused, misguided, and irrelevant for the kingdom. He would love to convince us to leave our Bibles on our shelves and nightstands, unopened and unread. Because he knows that inside its pages lay the very weapons we need to render him completely inept!  

So, friend, I want to challenge you today to arm up. Get into the word. Store it deep in your mind and heart so that when the temptations come, you have something to fight with. When the battles rage and you are feeling so unsure, go back to what you know is true. Go back to the word and use it to guide you safely to Christ. 

Crystal Garnett

Crystal Garnett

ACF Digital Discipleship Director

End in Prayer

Heavenly Father, 

Thank You for Your word! Thank You that it is powerful and strong, and I can rely on it. Help me to not wait until the temptation is here before I turn to it. Help me to create a rhythm of reading Your word every day so that I can be ready to wield this amazing weapon when the enemy strikes. Teach me Your ways and make me grow in Your truth. 

In the name of Jesus Christ, 

Amen 

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