Day 18 Daniel Fast Devotional_Delighting in God’s Word_Paul and Camilla Barrett

Do we know how much power the word that comes forth from the mouth has?  Are words simply air passing through a hole in a man’s head?  Do we then listen in like manner, letting the air pass through the holes on either side of our head?  The mouth is not only for the production of audible noises that form recognizable words, but the mouth is also used in the consumption of food, which passes on to the stomach and gives our body its nutrients, that it can use to sustain itself.  What sustains us during this fast? Jesus answered the challenge of the enemy Satan in Matthew 4:3-4:

3The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

4Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[a]”

As coinheritors in Christ, taking on the identity of sons and daughters of God in Christ know this, oh brethren; ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’.  The source of life in the entire universe is God.  The Creator spoke life into existence and with the words ‘let there be light’ all matter in the universe has the same reverberating words imbedded in them.  The stones that Satan tempted Jesus to turn into bread had this same reverberation of energy, yet it was made altogether separate from their Creator.  Why would the Creator of the universe EVER turn to his creation for His sustenance?  Jesus knows this, that He isn’t simply matter floating around in space into obscurity. He is the Son of God, Giver of life.  If He desires life He goes directly to the Creator of life for life, and it is in His words there is life for Him to consume.

Furthermore, we can look to Proverbs 18:20-21 to tell us just what kind of power words have:

20 From the fruit of his mouth a man’s stomach is filled;

with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied.

21 The tongue has the power of life and death,

and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Let us break off the chains that bind us, and speak words of life to fill our empty bellies in this time.  We are more than just bread and stones; we have the Living God inside of us, and what we need to sustain ourselves body, soul, and spirit is the powerful life-giving words of the Maker.  Let us turn away from those things we consider be our sole source of sustenance, and be sure to speak with the power of Christ within us those life-giving words of His Spirit.

Next to none had any one man ever needed the life giving words of His Father in Heaven as much as did Jesus in His suffering.  Next to Jesus there are others that can be found in scripture, which for their part leaned on the sustenance of God in the midst of an outward lack in worldly eyes.  Like Job who said, ‘I have not gone back from the commandment of His lips; I have esteemed and treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.’

Even in our apparent lack and suffering our sustenance for life can be found in His words.  Let’s take the time to delight in His words more than we enjoy our 3 square meals.  For His words are not simply winds being blown in one ear and out the other, but it is food for our body, soul, and spirit.

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