Undoubtedly, you’ve seen merchandise with Scripture on it, and if you are a Christ-follower, there’s a good chance you own some. It’s not uncommon to see coffee cups, T-shirts, art, jewelry, and signs adorned with the Word of God. There’s nothing wrong with this, and in fact, the Bible encourages visual reminders of Scripture (Deut. 11:18-22). But if we aren’t careful, there’s a chance we can forget that the Word of God is far more than a pithy saying on a coffee cup or a cross-stitch craft hanging in our Grandma’s kitchen. The apostle Paul described the Word of God as a sword (Eph. 6), and in Matthew 4, we see Jesus use it as such.
Jesus had been fasting in the wilderness for forty days. The enemy of our souls knows when we are most vulnerable and tends to strike when we are down. When Jesus’ hunger reached a high point, the enemy approached Jesus and told Jesus that if He was indeed the Son of God, He could turn the stones into bread (Matt. 4:3). Notice that the enemy not only preyed on Jesus’ physical hunger, He questioned Jesus’ identity and wanted to back Jesus in a corner where He felt the need to prove himself. But Jesus didn’t take the bait. Instead, Jesus responded to Satan by quoting Scripture. Jesus said:
“It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matt. 4:4).
The words Jesus quoted to Satan were from the book of Deuteronomy, and when Jesus was growing up as a Jewish boy in the synagogue, He would’ve memorized them. But Satan wasn’t finished tempting Jesus. Two more times, the enemy came at Him and tempted Him to disobey God (4:6, 4:9). Again, each time, Jesus responded to Satan’s taunts with Scripture. Finally, after three attempts, the enemy went away defeated.
This passage of Scripture should give us hope because it demonstrates the power of God’s Word in dealing with temptation and the enemy. Regardless of what type of trouble we are dealing with, if we know Scripture, we have a weapon at our disposal. The Word of God is called the “sword of the Spirit,” and it’s a powerful weapon in dealing with the enemy of our soul. Keep in mind it’s not something that should be used against other people—God’s Word is intended to help others—not destroy them. But, Scripture can and should be used when fighting temptation or dealing with the enemy’s taunts. So the next time you are dealing with temptation and oppression from the enemy,—remember that God’s Word is powerful and true, and we need to know it well enough that it comes tumbling out of our mouths at the first sight of trouble.
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2 Responses
Hi Susan, as usual I want to thank you immensely for such a vibrant word from scripture. The fact of being a follower of the Lord Jesus means total immersion in His word (The Holy Bible), why ? because it’s our total defence against the enemies lies and critique of our Triune God. So it is recommended to read and meditate and digest scripture reading along with prayers on a daily basis to be armed and prepared for the defence of our very souls. This is in no small measure the game the enemy is playing, our eternal souls are on the line.
Be Prepared.
Amen.
Ronnie.
So true, Ronnie. Thanks for reading!