Protected by God’s Word

This week, we are exploring what it truly means to be protected by God’s word. Take a moment to reflect and begin with a simple prayer.

Heavenly Father, I come to You in praise for all of the gifts in my life. I pray I always seek Your word and remember to thank You for my blessings. Remind me to lean into You and go to You first when life gets overwhelming. Help me submit to Your truth, resist the enemy’s attempt to steer me off path, and focus on Your calling for my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Matthew 4:1-11 (NLT)  
4Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry.

3 During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”

4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
‘People do not live by bread alone,
    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,
‘He will order his angels to protect you.
And they will hold you up with their hands
    so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”

7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”

8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”

10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say,
‘You must worship the Lord your God
    and serve only him.’”

11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.

We need to know the author of the Bible deeply, personally, and intimately. The word of God, the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17), was not forged by human hands. Only God gives the sword it’s edge. Being a Christian without God’s word means we will have no weapon to use in spiritual warfare. We must arm ourselves with God’s truth, just as Jesus did when satan, the great deceiver, tempted Him. Jesus could have defeated satan with the genius of His intellect or legions of angels alone, but instead, He took up the sword of the Spirit in the ultimate spiritual battle.

What are your thoughts on fasting? Take a moment to reflect on what fasting truly means and why it is necessary.

Jesus had just fasted for forty days and forty nights, and He was alone in the wilderness. He was 100% divine, but He was also 100% human. He experienced human emotions and physical pain. The word of God is food for the soul. Jesus did not need bread from rocks. He fed His soul rather than His stomach (verse 4). We fast because we want to feed on God’s word.

Reflect on your weaknesses or areas in your life that need improvement. Do you believe God’s word is strong enough to stand in the face of trials and temptations?

Our enemy, satan, has studied our human vulnerabilities thoroughly. He has existed the entire life span of humanity. He knows our susceptibilities and is equipped to seize upon them. If we rebuff him with our own intellect, we are puny and inept. We must arm ourselves with the sword of the Spirit in order to protect the calling Jesus has on our lives. Only with God’s word can we stand strong against satan’s fiercest temptations.

Have you truly contemplated God’s sovereignty? He wants to lead us through temptations with the truth of His word.

We often find ourselves in difficult seasons of life. But if we remember who our Father is, and rest in our identity as His child, then we also must remember His divine design in creating us. Walking in the destiny God has for us is the greatest of all fruit. Just like satan attacked Jesus, he attacks us, also. God’s word isn’t just extraneous reading. It is given to us as an example and instruction for how to rest in God’s sovereignty.

As we close today, spend some time talking to God about His truth and the importance of submitting to Him. Here is a prayer prompt to get you started:

Ask Him to challenge you in preparing your armor with the sword of the Spirit.

Let Jesus be your motivation to dig deeper into God’s word!