What sustains you?
Reverend Joel Gaertner
“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Deuteronomy 8:3)
Whom do you count on to take care of you in difficult situations? For a Christian, there is only one correct answer to that question, God. But you are probably aware how often you fail to fully rely on God.
Our verse for this week was quoted by Jesus when he was tested and tempted by the devil in the desert (read Matthew 4:1-11).
With his head likely still wet from being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert to face the temptations of the devil. Before Jesus faced those temptations, he fasted for 40 days only drinking water. Think of how you would feel if you went 40 days without food. I know I would be famished and weak.
The devil tested and tempted Jesus on whom he would rely on as true man in his weakened state.
He knew Jesus was hungry and said to him “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” In other words – Jesus, are you going to rely on your power as God and make stones into bread to sustain yourself or are you going to trust that God will take care of you?
Jesus showed us a way we can sustain ourselves in difficult situations. We can lean on the strength and power of God’s Word. Jesus showed us that when we are feeling weakened or doubting, we can sustain ourselves, we can do the same thing and fight off the devil with God’s Word.
Where is a place you find yourself weakened and tempted to rely on yourself or something else besides God? Is it worry, doubt, fear, shame or something else in your life? Find a Bible passage you can use to remind yourself and fight off the devil like Jesus did.
Often, we doubt if this will really work. If you find yourself feeling like that, remember if it worked for Jesus, it will also work for you.
Understand the devil will keep looking for weak areas in your spiritual armor as long as you live on this earth. Once you have fought off a temptation or test with the Word of God, he will either try to attack the same area again or find another area to attack.
As Christians, we should plan to always have Bible passages we know and love to throw at the devil. When we are tempted to try to sustain ourselves instead of trusting God to sustain and guide. May God bless you as you trust in him and rely on his Word to sustain you in the battle against the devil.
Blog entry used by permission of The Lutheran Home Association. For more information, visit tlha.org