“Man does not live by bread alone, but by every expression that comes from the mouth of God”, is a biblical quote that reveals a spiritual realm, key for the believer in these times.
Where the Babylonian structure has thousands of people trapped in an earthly system, where we were taught from childhood that without material things, without work, without university degrees, we cannot have an acceptable and comfortable level in society.
Yes, it is true that God wants us to have all the comforts, but it is distorted to such a tragic point, that we leave the kingdom of God last, it is in that eagerness to search humanly, without trusting in a God, who is clear in his word.
“Nothing material is eternal, but the word of God never passes” This is the key so that satan does not play with our needs and we can resist temptations…
Man does not live by bread alone meaning
Jesus said that “man does not live by bread alone, but by every expression that proceeds from the mouth of God,” he meant more than just a response to the tempter.
One needs to eat to live, and to drink. They are basic needs. Jesus was hungry and thirsty, he needed food and water.
But, beyond the need for food and drink to live, he said that his life would be sustained not only by bread, but rather by the word of the father, this word brings spiritual life, and whoever is spiritually alive can penetrate the kingdom of God, and do the will of the father.
No system in the world can prevent, when the principles of dying to the flesh, and to temptation are firmly established, this will undoubtedly lead to the life of the spirit and the eternity of the kingdom of God.
Temptation came to Jesus. How did he respond?
In three different areas satan tried to make Jesus fall, and he did it through the word, indicating that even the demons know the word, how much more the believer who must breathe and walk in its total form, through the word of God …
1. Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil
And after he had fasted for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came to him; And he told:
If you are the Son of God, say that these stones become bread. He answered and said: It is written: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4.4
Bread represents sustenance, life and the needs of this world, earthly concerns. The first temptation is also our first temptation, to live according to the laws and the cares of this worlddoand not according to the kingdom of God… “Man does not live by bread alone”
2. “Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him:
If you are a child of God, throw yourself down; for it is written: His angels will command over you, and, in their hands they will hold you, so that you do not stumble with your foot on a stone.” Jesus said to him, It is also written: You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” – Matthew 4.5-7
The second temptation has to do with our fellowship with God., with our holiness and with not tempting him with our plain way of thinking. If we were to paraphrase, adapting the text to our days, what the devil is saying would be something like this: “Use your power in Christ to be admired, to get rich, to manipulate people; act independently. You are great! You are holy , Christ keeps you, the angels are at your service, what do you worry about?
Jesus always guarded against being at the center of the will of the Father. He submitted, was obedient to death, in humility, in love, in denial and service to others. The scripture says:
“and they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and despised their lives to the point of death”-Revelation 12.11
We will be victorious warriors when we learn the true denial of ourselves for love of the gospel, when our testimony is of faith and of praise to God, and not of complaints or self-pity. And when we understand what the blood that was shed truly is, and what its power is.
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” -James 4.7
Jesus knew, through intimate communion with the father, that the authority Coming from the very essence of the father, it flowed and moved through him. Being with his father was what satiated his soul, nourished his bones, and filled him with peace. Many times, when we spend a good time or perhaps a season surrounded by unconverted people, we feel bad; we long to talk to someone who speaks our language, that of the spirit.
We are looking for Christian people to talk to and this is certainly a real refreshment. Jesus had no one to talk to as an equal. He alone was clothed and filled with the spirit of God; only he understood what it was to deny the flesh and live by the spirit.
Jesus was terribly lonely. Only with his father could he speak freely, and his victorious life was based on this.
“I have many things to say and to judge of you; but the one who sent me is true; and what I have heard of him, this I speak to the world… and that I do nothing of myself, but as the man taught me. Father, so I speak.” John 8.27, 28
Jesus submitted 100% to the will of the Father. I was in continuous communion with him, submitted to him. And this made it so that the devil could not touch him in the slightest. There were surely thousands of needs surrounding the ministry of Jesus, but the Lord only did what he heard from the Father. In the pool of Bethesda there was a multitude of sick people waiting for the angel to come down to move the waters; however, Jesus only healed a paralytic.
When they came to tell him that Lazarus was sick, he calmly waited two days. Jesus saw the purpose of God; he was attentive to the direction of the Father. It was also with a purpose that he did not get into the boat when the great storm came but he went walking on the water.
Being committed in this way to hearing the voice of God to take each step, he became invincible against the wiles of the devil. The sad thing is to see so many lives so anxious about earthly things, that they do not have time to listen to the voice of God.
It is so much easier to go to the pastor and tell him to pray for direction in your life, than to bend your knees into the Holy of Holies and, face to face with God, hear from him his perfect will.
This implies disciplining the flesh and subduing it, this implies being committed and in love with the Lord. That’s where the real victory is, in listening to him! resisting the devil is a powerful determination.
The problem is that we are not totally fed up with the enemy of our souls. “Fed up leads to spiritual violence of such magnitude that you declare war to the death on your oppressor. You are determined to win at any cost.”
You have to make decisions that lead to radical changes in your life!»
“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.” -Matthew 11.12
Patience is a fruit of the holy spirit. The devil has no patience, and when he sees that you, far from believing his lies, are causing losses in his kingdom, he will walk away faster than you think.
Find out more about it here: The Fruits of the Holy Spirit
3. The third temptation has to do with worship
Again the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and said to him: All this I will give you, if you prostrate yourself and worship me. Then Jesus said to him: Go away, Satan, for it is written: The Lord your God you will worship, and him only you will serve. The devil then left him; and, behold, angels came and ministered to him. Matthew 4.8-11
The third temptation has to do with worship.. With the human tendency to covet the greatness of this world, with the desire to be seen and honored by men, seeking recognition. How many people suffer terribly if they are not praised for what they do.
They spend their lives looking for titles in the world, in the church, seeking to obtain their identity and value from them; and they are continuously defeated by the devil, vulnerable to demonic humiliation because they have their values and their strength in the glory of this world, which is like the flower, which is one day and has ceased to be the next, and is thrown into the fire. Jesus clearly lays out the basis of his strength and his victory:
“You shall adore the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.” Matthew 4.10
Among the most powerful weapons for spiritual battle are praise and worship of God.
Psalm 34. King David wrote it in one of the most difficult moments of his life. He was alone, pursued to death by King Saul. Abimelech, the king of the Philistines who had protected him, now turned his back on him and cast him out.
His women were kidnapped, and he had no livelihood. The situation could not be more desperate for young David.
However, there is something that keeps him firm and strong in any circumstance, and it is knowing that his security is Jehovah, that he has a strong, powerful God, a God who listens to him, who fights his battles and keeps him from his enemies.
A God who is your refuge in times of tribulation and a strong castle to protect you. David had learned to stop looking at circumstances and lift his spirit into the presence of God. No matter how big his problem was, he had learned to see the greatness of his God.
Be sure to read the following article: How To Enter The Kingdom Of Heaven And Be A Part Of It.
Jesus established the beginning of a spiritual kingdom
A kingdom that is governed not by the human deficienciesyes and the limited laws of the earthly, but by the creative word of God. Jesus is decreeing to the devil that the Word of God is the ultimate authority.
That the one who is determined to defeat him is him, and not vice versa. He is speaking and establishing principles totally contradictory to the laws of nature, he is decreeing that his life is totally and absolutely supported and protected by the Word of God.
The first step to victory is, then, to determine in our hearts and let the devil know that we live and depend 100% on the Word of God, and that it is infallible, almighty, unlimited and eternal.
This is not something dogmatic, nor mere letters recorded in our fleeting memory, but it is living word, impregnated in our spirit; it is knowledge revealed to the depths of our being.
Because we know that heaven and earth will pass away, but his word will not pass away, because the Lord has said so. While you think that your livelihood depends on the effort you make, you are under a curse. Because God cursed the man and said:
“You will earn the bread of your mouth with the sweat of your brow.” But “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (because it is written: cursed is he who is hung on a tree).”
And while you are cursed, the devil will eat the dust of which you are made; he will steal and devour his sowing, because he will have been sowing among thistles and thorns, and he will not see the fruit….