Man Does Not Live On Bread Alone...

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.' " - Matthew 4:1-4



"Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." - Deuteronomy 8:2-3



When Jesus was tempted, as we also have been and will be again, he wielded the sword of the scriptures. He used the truth of God to resist temptation. He not only set an example for us to follow, but also showed us the way to battle temptation: by the word of God. In order to battle this way, we must know the word of God, trust the word of God, and use the word of God as a weapon against the blows of the enemy. Psalm 119: 9-11 says: "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let my stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." How can we live pleasing to God if we do not know what He says? How can we battle the everyday temptation to succumb to our flesh, in turn pleasing ourselves and the devil? We must devour His word daily. Not as a law, but as life! Our Lord Jesus, the maker of us and all things, whose love knows no bounds declares: "Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." Therefore, let us seek God in His word, let us fill up with spiritual food, and let us prepare for battle against the enemy! If we do not, because He loves us, He may along with the Israelites humble us and cause us to hunger, so that we will learn that man does not live on bread alone...

Naked Before God

"And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts..." (1 Chronicles 28:9)


"Then they prayed, 'Lord, you know everyone's heart...' " (Acts 1:24).


We cannot go anywhere that God is not. We cannot hide from Him physically or mentally. He knows our deepest thoughts. This means that He knows the depth of our sin. Just because I have never done "so and so" does not mean that I haven't thought about doing "so and so." That is sin: "But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment" (Matthew 5:22), and "But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:28). Our God is so awesome and huge that he knows all things. This is why we must make it a habit of refining our thought lives. God knows our motives. We must live knowing that we have an ever-present accountability. I do not mean to paint a picture of God as waiting with a whip for us to "mess up." He is way better than that. But I do want to recognize that our thoughts do matter, and we should consider that God knows all of them!

I want to also mention the greatness of God knowing us so intimately. The fellowship is great between two beings who know one another well enough that one can anticipate the other's next word. However, even my best friend does not know me like the living God. Jesus knows all of our tendencies, and can sympathize with our weaknesses in our thought lives. Knowing that God knows all of my thoughts helps me to understand the never-ending fellowship that I have with Him. We always have access to Him because of Christ. God is so awesome that we can pray to Him without speaking a word. O how joyful it is to know that the One who knows us better than ourselves loves us beyond comprehension.

Does Our Father Have Favorites? Will I Be Left Out?

Have you ever feared as a child of God that you are going to be left out? I guess as a youngest child, I can relate to the reality of being "left out" of things. Growing up, it seemed to come around often that I was "too small to play," or "too young to come along." Perhaps this reality in my life has developed within me a tendency to believe the lie that I will be "left out." Can you relate? Now that I am older, I am no longer bound by the fear of being left out of games or events or friendships, though those too can tend to wound me. Now, I tend to slip into the fear of being left out of the awesome things that are happening in God's kingdom. There is a longing inside of me to know that Jesus has a specific plan for my life and that He will use me amidst His amazing plans to glorify God. I must admit that these fears rear their ugly head most often when I turn my gaze away from God and onto humans. I see what others are doing and begin to covet; then, I begin to fear being left "behind" or being "left out." Ultimately, I think that I fear that God has favorites, and that I am not one of them. If you are one who struggles with these fears alongside me, go with me to God's Truth. It is there that we will see the truth and be set free:

As the Lord declared to those "...carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon...'For I know the plans I have for you'..."(Jeremiah 29:4,11), so I believe we can hold onto the same declaration today: that God has a plan for us.

"Then Peter began to speak: ' I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right' " (Acts 10:34-35).

"For God does not show favoritism" (Romans 2:11).

"And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him" (Ephesians 6:9).

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism" ( Colossians 3:23-25).