The Power of God's Word

Jesus was led into the desert. After forty days and nights, He was hungry. At that moment, the first temptation came to Him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” What a considerate “suggestion”! Wasn’t food among His basic needs? Didn’t Jesus have supernatural power? If both answers were “yes,” then why not do that? However, Jesus answered, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” By God’s Word, Jesus defeated the lust of the flesh, even though it came with the most reasonable excuse.

In the same way, through the Word of God, Jesus defeated Satan for the two other temptations. He didn’t use His power to win a large following by miracles or magic or when He was tempted to jump down from the highest point of the temple to test if God would protect Him. Jesus also didn’t compromise when Satan offered Him the splendor of the world. Do we believe in the power of God’s Word? Do we believe that, at all times, we can simply escape to God’s Word when faced with any temptation that comes our way?

Think: Read Hebrews 4:14-16. What do you learn about Jesus from this passage? How does it complement the story of Jesus’ temptation? How do these passages challenge or encourage you?

Pray: Today, spend some time in prayer asking God to help you discern the ways that Satan tries to tempt you in ways that seem excusable and don’t seem to cause any harm. Then, ask God to give you guidance in how you should respond to Him in an honoring way.

Respond: God’s Word is powerful. It enabled Jesus to defeat all Satan’s temptations. Are you spending time in God’s Word? Do you have a plan to continue to remain in the Word after you finish this devotional? If not, spend some time this week coming up with some ideas of how you can stay grounded in the Bible throughout the year.

Author: Christine Liang, Chinese Translator + B4Church Culture Leader