But [Jesus] 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

Recommended Reading: John 8:43-44

Imagine it’s your first day at work in a new corporate job. A fellow employee greets you and gives you some free employee guidance: park your car wherever you like, take your lunch hour whenever you get hungry, dress however you like, and come and leave on your own schedule. Once you go through new employee orientation, you realize you were duped—all the previous advice was wrong. But how were you to have known? You didn’t know any better.

Something similar happened to Adam and Eve in the garden (bad advice) and later to Jesus in the wilderness. Jesus was approached by Satan three times with temptations (Matthew 4:1-11). But unlike the new employee, Jesus knew better—He had read the “handbook”! With each temptation—based on a twisted rendering of God’s words—Jesus answered with the truth from Scripture. Knowing he was defeated, the devil left Him alone (Luke 4:13).

The only way to defeat the lies and counterfeits of Satan is to know the truth. Begin or continue your daily intake of God’s Word in order to tell truth from error.

So the real question confronting you now is: How can you afford not to be in God’s Word.
Howard Hendricks

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Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?
Mark 4:40

Recommended Reading: Mark 4:35-41

Someone described daily life like having “a thick curtain hung across one’s path, a curtain that recedes before us as we advance, but only step by step. None of us can tell what is beyond that curtain; none of us can tell what events a single day or hour may bring into our lives.” This is what brings anxieties. Yet, “it is just as important to trust God as to obey Him.”¹

When we worry about the future or remain anxious, we’re not trusting enough in Christ to care for us. He responds: “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 8:26) And “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31)

The Lord is sovereign and eternal. His word cannot fail; His eyesight cannot dim; His love cannot fade. Trust Him completely to provide for His creation and to meet all your needs.

Ask the Lord for the ability to trust Him more.

When we fail to trust God, we doubt His sovereignty and question His goodness…. In order to trust God, we must always view our adverse circumstances through the eyes of faith, not of sense.
Jerry Bridges

1. Jerry Bridges, Is God Really in Control? (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2006).

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Casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
2 Corinthians 10:5

Recommended Reading: John 14:27

Have you ever experienced a surge of anxiety that felt like an electric shock running through your emotions as if you were being electrocuted inwardly? Psychologists tell us anxiety can feel like electrical charges flying though our bodies and minds. One anxious person described a panic attack that felt “as if electricity ran from my lower stomach down to my knee.”

We need to wrap the sheathing of God’s promises around our minds and allow the Bible to insulate us from this pain. The power of Scripture can cast down anxious thoughts, bringing every aspect of our emotions and minds into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

Find and claim the promises of God, being constantly in prayer for the peace of God that can and will overcome your high voltage thoughts of worry, anxiety, envy, hatred, unrest, and confusion. Picture the Lord wrapping you in the insulation of His promises, His peace, and His very presence.

Until you actually possess true peace with God, no one can describe its wonders to you.
Billy Graham

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Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Proverbs 4:23, NIV

Recommended Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:21

It seems that most law enforcement personnel today wear bulletproof vests while on duty. While those vests are usually made of tough, synthetic material, in many combat situations soldiers have vests with actual metal or ceramic plates covering their chests. Why the emphasis on protecting the chest from fatal gunfire? Because a wound to the chest may result in a wound to the heart. And a wound to the heart is rarely survived.

In Paul’s description of the Christian’s spiritual armor, he wrote that righteousness is the believer’s breastplate—that which protects the heart (Ephesians 6:14). The leather breastplate of the Roman soldier in Paul’s day has been replaced by today’s bulletproof vests—but the purpose is the same. Righteousness implies holiness or sinlessness. But how are we, as sinners, able to protect our heart from Satan’s accusations of sinfulness? By relying not on our righteousness but on the righteousness of Christ who never sinned: “For [God] made [Christ] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Protect your heart by depending on Christ’s righteousness rather than your own.

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
Edward Mote

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Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults.
Psalm 19:12

Recommended Reading: Psalm 19

Last Christmas, a woman in Texas put up and decorated her Christmas tree. Shortly after, she heard a noise in the branches. Some kind of animal was hiding. Cladding herself in thick gloves, the woman reached into the tree and pulled out an opossum. It’s hard to know who was more shocked, but the creature was soon out of the house!

The Bible compares us to trees (Psalm 92:12). We need to make sure no unwanted sins are lurking in our branches. Our Adam-like nature is riddled with sin, and some of it is undetected. Psalm 19:12 gives us an important prayer: “Cleanse me from secret faults.”

As we acquire the truth about God through our study of the Scriptures, it should cause us to become more transparent. We should grow to be people of integrity. If we give the devil any foothold in our lives, we’re giving him an opportunity to gain influence. Ask God to reveal to you any hidden sins that may be in your heart so you can ask forgiveness and continue to walk in truth.

Search Thou my thoughts whose springs Thine eyes can see; from secret faults, O Savior, cleanse Thou me.
Fanny Crosby

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Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth.
Ephesians 6:14

Recommended Reading: Psalm 119:160

In recent years, a new phrase has entered the cultural conversation: “My truth” or “your truth” have, for many people, replaced “the truth.” Social media has made it possible for every person to speak his or her truth to the world. This trend is fallout from the rise of the postmodern worldview that says there is no truth. Instead, truth is in the eye of the beholder; truth is whatever you say it is.

Truth is like the rudder on a giant ship—the thing that keeps the ship on track regardless of how high the waves or how strong the winds. A life that is not based on “true truth” (a phrase from Christian philosopher Francis Schaeffer) will be tossed about by life’s circumstances like a ship without a rudder. Jesus prayed that God would sanctify believers with His truth, concluding, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17). There is no “my truth” or “your truth”; there is only God’s truth which is found in His Word.

There is no better way to “gird up the loins of your mind” (1 Peter 1:13) than by meditating on the truth of Scripture.

The Word of God is perfect; it is precious and pure; it is truth itself.
Martin Luther

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Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
Ephesians 6:16

Recommended Reading: Hebrews 11:1-3

Do you remember the Pythagorean theorem from high school geometry class? “The square of the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle equals the sum of the squares of the lengths of the other two sides.”¹ Some mathematicians consider it the most important mathematical formula. In many areas of life we find a truth that is of primary importance.

In the spiritual life, faith can be seen as that primary truth. For instance, Paul wrote that the shield of faith can quench “all the fiery darts” Satan throws at us. Not hope and not love—faith is the protective shield. And what is faith? It is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” (Hebrews 11:1, NIV1984). When discouragement sets in, we lose faith in God. We are no longer “sure” and “certain” of what we hope God can do. When we drop the shield of faith, we are more likely to be struck by other fiery darts: anger, depression, despair, resentment, and more.

To remain sure and certain, feed on God’s promises in Scripture. God never fails to fulfill His Word (Isaiah 55:10-11).

Assurance is the fruit that grows out of the root of faith.
Stephen Charnock

1. “Pythagorean Theorem,” Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

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You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:4

Recommended Reading: 1 John 4:1-6

In his first epistle, the apostle John had a lot of say about the devil. He wrote to his churches, telling them they had overcome the wicked one (2:13). The devil, he said, has “sinned from the beginning” and tempts others to do the same, but Jesus came to “destroy the works of the devil” (3:8).

John wrote, “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (5:19). The One in us—Jesus Christ—is greater than he who dominates the world.

Satan may be a prince, a ruler, and the god of this world, but his power is limited, and his abilities can never match God’s omnipotence. Through Christ, we have overcome the devil, we are of God, and we belong to Him who is greater than Satan by far.

Let’s live like overcomers—unafraid, unintimidated, victorious. Be thankful Satan has limitations and our infinite God knows how to protect us from all evil.

God would not throw us into the conflict if He did not also give us the resources needed to stand against the enemy.
Erwin Lutzer

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For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
2 Corinthians 10:3

Recommended Reading: 2 Corinthians 10:3-4

As of 2023, there were approximately 12,500 nuclear weapons in the world with 90 percent belonging to Russia (5,889) and the United States (5,244).¹ Those huge numbers are a holdover from the Cold War between Russia and the U.S. when the arms race was a way to intimidate each country’s main enemy. That has always been the way of the world: accumulate more and better material weapons.

The apostle Paul wrote that “we do not war according to the [ways of the world].” Paul doesn’t explain what war is. He assumes his readers know that we are in a spiritual war, and he wants them to understand the difference in the weapons we use. He goes on to say in 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 that our primary weapon is truth—“mighty in God for pulling down strongholds” of the enemy. His words remind us of God’s message to Zerubbabel: “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).

If you find yourself in a spiritual battle, don’t fight like the world. Turn to God and His truth, empowered by the Spirit, to find victory (Matthew 4:1-11).

Lies and false reports are among Satan’s choicest weapons.
J. C. Ryle

1. Einar H. Dyvik, “Number of Nuclear Warheads Worldwide 2023,” Statista, November 30, 2023.

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But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:31

Recommended Reading: Acts 16:6-10

It happens—sometimes we don’t know what to do. We think we know the path ahead, then the door which appeared open, closes. In our proactive world, it seems the reasonable choice is to choose another path immediately and forge ahead. But is that the best option?

There was a time in the apostle Paul’s life when he seemed not to know what to do. On his second missionary journey he intended to travel into the region of Bithynia “but the Spirit did not permit them” (Acts 16:7). So he left that region and traveled by land to the city of Troas, a seaport on the coast of Asia Minor—apparently without any clear direction. Then one night in Troas while he was sleeping, Paul had a vision of a man in Macedonia across the Aegean Sea, beckoning Paul to “come over to Macedonia and help us” (Acts 16:9). After waiting on the Lord, Paul got the answer he needed.

It’s always acceptable to “wait on the Lord” for direction and refreshment. Our timing needs to conform to God’s timing in all things.

Men give advice; God gives guidance.
Leonard Ravenhill

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Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come—and the books, especially the parchments.
2 Timothy 4:13

Recommended Reading: Psalm 119:49-50

If you were exiled to a deserted island, what one thing would you take with you? While something similar happened to the apostle John (Revelation 1:9) and likely to others throughout history, the chance of it happening to us is nil. But it does raise the question: “What do we value most?”

The apostle Paul was exiled to a “deserted” place near the end of his life—the Mamertine Prison in Rome. A notoriously dark and punishing place, Paul seems to have been confined with little or nothing in terms of possessions. When writing to Timothy, he asked his young protégé to bring his cloak, no doubt to ward off the cold in his damp confines. But he also asked for something else: “the books, especially the parchments.” These were no doubt copies of the Old Testament Scriptures, in whole or in part. With the end of his earthly life in sight (2 Timothy 4:6-8), he desired his most cherished possessions: his copies of God’s Word to comfort and sustain his spirit.

May we never take for granted our access to God’s Word. May it be our daily source of strength and inspiration.

The health of our souls requires that we take the whole Bible as it stands and let it do its work in us.
A. W. Tozer

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I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.
Philippians 4:18

Recommended Reading: Romans 15:25-27

When ending a conversation with a friend who is in the midst of a difficult situation, we often say, “I’ll be praying for you.” And that’s good; we should pray for those who are experiencing a season of difficulty. But often a time of trouble disrupts life’s normal routines, like grocery shopping, preparing meals, mowing the lawn, and taking children to school, not to mention possible financial pressures from missed work. So there is more we can do in addition to praying. Instead of asking, “How can I help?” we can take care of obvious needs that need to be met.

When the apostle Paul was under house arrest in Rome, the Philippian church sent material provisions to him. And they had done so before, multiple times, when he was in need in Thessalonica (Philippians 4:15-16). We don’t know exactly what they sent—food, clothing, or funds—but whatever it was, it reminded Paul that God is always able to meet our needs, often through fellow believers (Philippians 4:19).

When possible, tend to the material and physical needs, as well as the spiritual needs, of those going through a difficult time.

Love is service rather than sentiment.
John R. W. Stott

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Night and day praying exceedingly.
1 Thessalonians 3:10

Recommended Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

The author of an old book about prayer, The Kneeling Christian, said, “It is not too much to say that all real growth in the spiritual life—all victory over temptation, all confidence and peace in the presence of difficulties and dangers, all repose of spirit in times of great disappointment or loss, all habitual communion with God—depend upon the practice of secret prayer.”

When we think God doesn’t hear our prayers, it’s not because He’s far away. He is nearer than we can imagine. Perhaps He knows our request isn’t really for our good. Or maybe the timing isn’t right. Sometimes we must “wait on the Lord” (Psalm 27:14). Perhaps a sinful habit is hindering our prayers.

Remember—God is always very near and working on our behalf. When we see immediate answers to our prayers, we should rejoice. When He doesn’t answer immediately, we should trust. The time we spend in prayer is precious because we are entering into and recognizing the presence of a God for whom nothing is impossible. Give Him time to work!

A child of God ought to expect answers to prayer. God means every prayer to have an answer; and not a single real prayer can fail of its effect in Heaven.
Unknown

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But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret.
Matthew 6:6, KJV

Recommended Reading: Psalm 119:17-24

Dick Eastman wrote a book about starting and maintaining a daily time of Bible study and prayer. He called the book The Hour That Changes the World. Eastman said he grew up singing the old hymn “Draw Me Nearer,” yet it wasn’t until his thirties he discovered the secret of spending an hour each day with the Lord in prayer, praise, Bible study, and biblical meditation.

When we get alone with God and open His Word, we’re entering a nuclear reactor, a treasury building, a communications center, a vast library, an illumined chamber, a music hall, and a dear friend’s house—all at once. All of that is in our “closet.”

If we want to walk according to God’s Word, we mustn’t pick and choose things from it but follow all of it, accepting it cover to cover. We must follow it exclusively, not change it or hold any other words as more valuable. We have a treasury of wisdom and comfort between the covers of our Bible. Don’t miss the hour that can change both you and the world!

When we neglect the closet of prayer we remove ourselves from the focus of God’s power.
Dick Eastman

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This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Joshua 1:8

Recommended Reading: 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Imagine the biggest, most challenging task you have faced—or could face—in your life. Perhaps managing a life-altering medical condition, getting married and starting a family, moving overseas to a new country and culture, or starting over after surviving a natural disaster. Or, in the case of Joshua, leading a million or more people into a new land and setting up an orderly nation.

God promised Joshua he would be prosperous and successful if he would do one thing: meditate on and faithfully obey God’s Word. In God’s Word Joshua would not find detailed solutions to every problem he faced. But he would find principles of faith, obedience, guidance, service, and submission that would lead him to the answers he needed. Paul echoed the same sentiment centuries later in 2 Timothy 3:16.

Every day fill your heart and mind with life principles from Scripture. Let God use His Word to guide you and give you “good success.”

The Word of God is either absolute or obsolete.
Vance Havner

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When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.
Isaiah 43:2

Recommended Reading: Isaiah 43:1-7

One night last year, Shane McCrea, a retired Marine, was driving down a North Carolina highway when he saw a car on fire. He and another passerby ran to the burning car and saw a man inside, unconscious. They struggled to get the man out, and then gave him CPR. The man survived. One of the rescuers said he is seldom out late at night, but that evening, he said that it was God who sent him there.¹

The Lord has a million ways of getting us through the fiery crashes of life. When the three Hebrew boys were thrown into the fiery furnace, the Fourth Man came and walked among them.

God promises to be with us when we walk through the fire. He is with us in whatever circumstances we find ourselves: illness, divorce, financial issues, joy, loss, and so on. He promises to be with us, and He keeps the flames from harming us. Offer God a prayer of thanksgiving that we’re never alone—we can experience the presence of God even when things get hot.

When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply.
“How Firm a Foundation”

1. Michael Hennessey, “‘God Sent Me There’: Men Reunite After Saving Unconscious Driver From High Point Car Fire,” Fox8, September 29, 2023.

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Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies.
Psalm 5:8

Recommended Reading: Psalm 5

Life doesn’t always go our way from the looks of things. Satan attacks us in ways we can hardly discern; problems arise from nowhere; burdens descend in multiples; and sometimes our own emotions work against us, causing layers of sadness, weariness, or discouragement to radiate through us.

That’s when we need Psalm 5! David begins by asking God to hear his voice (verses 1-3). He reminds the Lord of His righteous power (verses 4-6), and offers himself as a worshiper who prays, “Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies” (verses 7-8). David describes his enemies to the Lord, and then he exhorts himself and all of us to rejoice and put our trust in our Almighty God (verses 9-12).

When we find ourselves attacked by the enemies of God, we should remember our Lord is in control. You can do that today by turning Psalm 5 into a personal prayer. Remember God’s character of faithfulness and remind yourself of His constant care. Make up your mind to rejoice today.

In singing these verses, and praying them over, we must engage and stir up ourselves to the duty of prayer, and encourage ourselves in it, because we shall not seek the Lord in vain.
Matthew Henry

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Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
Romans 8:37

Recommended Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:57

El Capitan is the famous rock formation that rises three thousand feet from the floor of Yosemite National Park in California. From the ground, the granite face of the formation looks smooth and nearly vertical. But it is the bumps, cracks, and small ledges that provide handholds and footholds for climbers as they ascend to the top. In fact, it is the bumps on the surface that make conquering El Capitan possible.

When Paul says Christians are “more than conquerors,” he uses a form of the Greek word nike—a word we associate with a brand of sportswear. In ancient Greece, Nike was the winged goddess of victory, thus an appropriate image to associate with athletic victory. Greek nike gave rise to nikao which meant “to conquer or prevail.” The prefix huper (“more than”) produced hupernikao—the word Paul used in Romans 8:37, “more than conquerors.” We don’t just overcome or prevail in life through Christ—we “hyper-prevail.” Bumps don’t defeat us; they provide a path to victory.

Life can look like El Capitan at times. Rather than being defeated by bumps and cracks, we use them as footholds and handholds from the Lord to conquer in Christ.

Mountains can only be climbed with the knees bent.
Unknown

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If children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.
Romans 8:17

Recommended Reading: Romans 8:31-35

Salesmen speak about the features and benefits of a product. What if one of the features described was suffering that resulted from using the product? Sometimes new Christians are surprised to discover that they still have troubles in life after becoming a follower of Jesus. They feel the “product” wasn’t presented fairly.

Jesus told His disciples that “in the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). That was not to scare them but to prepare them. Paul explained further: In Christ, we are “joint heirs” with Him. As “joint heirs,” one of the things we inherit is to “suffer with Him” that we might also share in His glory (Romans 8:17). Paul then spent the next 22 verses of Romans 8 (verses 18-39) explaining the suffering we may experience in this world but that in Christ we are “more than conquerors” (verse 37). God uses everything we experience—even our troubles—to conform us to the image of Christ (verses 28-29). Nothing in this world—not even our sins—can separate us from the love of God (verses 34-39).

Whether our troubles are from the world or of our own making, God is faithful. Give Him thanks today for His faithful love.

Shall light troubles make you forget weighty mercies?
John Flavel

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