Don't lie to me....
Reading Plan: The Book of Matthew
June Memory Chunk: Psalm 23
Prayer Requests go here.
New to SHINE? Go here.
The Book of Matthew is rocking my world. In ways that I never dreamed!
I'm stuck on chapter 4. Not stuck in a bad way, but stuck in a way that is reshaping my heart and my mind. Stuck in a way that means I am entrenched in the best way possible, and I am not ready to move on.
I have read this chapter before, perhaps several times over the last couple of years. However, as always, He is showing me something new. Something I didn't see before. His Word is breathing, it's alive, remember?
In this 4th chapter of Matthew verses 1-4 it reads: "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting for 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 shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
The last sentence of that scripture context is what stops me in my tracks. "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
THIS is the reason we do this, girls. THIS is why we are studying scripture together. THIS is why we are taking our time, reading God's Word, discussing God's Word, learning God's Word, absorbing God's Word.
We are to live on "every word that comes from the mouth of God".
Wow!
Imagine how lives would change. Imagine your life and the life of your loved ones. If only.....we lived on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Where do we find these words?
In HIS WORD.
The next part of this scripture is what really gets my heart pumping.
Matthew 4:5-7:
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’" Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
June Memory Chunk: Psalm 23
Prayer Requests go here.
New to SHINE? Go here.
The Book of Matthew is rocking my world. In ways that I never dreamed!
I'm stuck on chapter 4. Not stuck in a bad way, but stuck in a way that is reshaping my heart and my mind. Stuck in a way that means I am entrenched in the best way possible, and I am not ready to move on.
I have read this chapter before, perhaps several times over the last couple of years. However, as always, He is showing me something new. Something I didn't see before. His Word is breathing, it's alive, remember?
In this 4th chapter of Matthew verses 1-4 it reads: "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting for 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 shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
The last sentence of that scripture context is what stops me in my tracks. "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."
THIS is the reason we do this, girls. THIS is why we are studying scripture together. THIS is why we are taking our time, reading God's Word, discussing God's Word, learning God's Word, absorbing God's Word.
We are to live on "every word that comes from the mouth of God".
Wow!
Imagine how lives would change. Imagine your life and the life of your loved ones. If only.....we lived on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Where do we find these words?
In HIS WORD.
The next part of this scripture is what really gets my heart pumping.
Matthew 4:5-7:
Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’" Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
I have to be honest and tell you something here.
This very verse is the reason we are doing this study together.
A few weeks ago, I was already in the book of Matthew, before I brought you all along on this new journey.
As soon as I read this scripture, the Lord showed me something so clear and so transparent. It all but slapped me in the face. Perhaps it did!
Satan knows scripture better than we do. He knows God's Word front, back, behind, below, inside, and outside.
The enemy is so atrocious in nature, that he will try his best to trip us up with God's Word.
Have you ever heard someone quote a scripture way out of context and you knew immediately that they were very, very off? You knew immediately that they were twisting it and distorting it to make it sound like a defense for a certain behavior?
Satan does the same thing to us.
Girls, we must know God's Word so well that we don't fall for this trick of the enemy's again.
When the enemy tried to trip Jesus up in the wilderness, Jesus immediately quoted the Word right back to him. Jesus knew the enemy's scheme, and He wasn't falling for it.
Jesus didn't know God's Word just for academic sake, He knew God's Word because He loved it. He absorbed it. He craved it. He hungered for it.
Jesus read the Word faithfully, gaining wisdom and knowledge with each word by precious word He read.
If you aren't sure why or how you landed right smack in the middle of this study with us, please allow me to give you one suggestion.....
God desires you to know Him. Deeply.
God desires you to know His Son, Jesus. Intimately.
When we know Him, we don't fall so quickly for the enemy's schemes. We become wiser. We become equipped for those darts the enemy throws.
As we know from reading a few more lines down from the enemy testing and tempting Jesus, Jesus prevailed. Jesus defeated that wily enemy with a bang.
v.11"Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him."
Let me leave you with one last thought before you get your sweet nose back in the Word today....
The very next subtitle of scripture after Jesus' testing in the wilderness states: "Jesus begins to Preach".
Jesus's ministry began.
This shows us that quite often out of our greatest testing and temptation come our greatest fruit and victories.
A lot of the time, our life purpose starts falling into place after a time of attack or hardship. The clouds part and we see clearly. Vividly clear.
Almost every victory and awakening I have ever had in my life, came just after a deep and dark time in the valley. The deeper and darker the valley, the sweeter and greater the victory.
We must not give up in these valleys. If we stay strong, stay faithful, stay prayerful, stay in God's Word, we will overcome. Victoriously.
The enemy will tell you that you're finished. You're done. You're worthless. You will never recover from this. You're life is over.
Lies, lies, lies, and more lies.
What if Jesus would have fallen for the enemy's lies? What if Jesus would not have known God's Word and fell for the enemy using God's Word against him?
I cannot even fathom.
Thank goodness He didn't.
I wonder what's around the corner of your valley. I wonder what life changing plans the Lord has for you after you come out of your deepest valley.
"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16
I can see you shining from here.
It's a beautiful sight.
soaking up Matthew,
jill
