Begining Matthew 4

I'm starting the Study of Matthew 4 today for the skate ministry. It is about the temptations of Jesus in the dessert. Where Satan tries to tempt Christ while Christ is at a weak point in his life. As a kid I used to be afraid that Satan would do the same to me and I wouldn't know scripture to help me fight off the temptations presented to me. Little did I know how valid a fear that was. It was so valid that I never saw that I was falling prey to those temptations.

You see we are in that dessert daily with temptations being hurled at us every second of the day. The world is the dessert and reading the bible gives us the armor we need to fend off the temptations. I love how Jesus uses scripture to fend off Satan. In doing so we see the armor of God in action. If you want to know more about the armor of God read the book of Ephesians it is all about how to use and apply it to our lives.

Satan loves to use our weakened state to get a grip on our lives. If we let him he uses our weakness to make us stumble and fall so that our light is put out. However with what is learned in Ephesians and other scriptures we are able to fend off his attempts to keep us smothered in the dark. God however turns our weakness into great strength! Just look at David and Goliath or Mosses and the Pharaoh of Egypt! It was because those two were faithful and used the armor of God that they prevailed through God. Satan wants you to think you are weak and can't tackle that mountain or giant before you.

Matthew 17:20

Jesus says;“I assure you, even if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”*

With faith in God and knowledge of scripture we can overcome those massive problems or temptations that stand in our way. David knew this and slayed the Giant before him and brought Glory to God and Israel all with a small stone and a sling shot.

Reading the bible is extremely important not only physically but spiritually as well. Just like the body needs food to survive, so does our Spirit. Our physical lives will reflect how healthy we are spiritually. Now which of the two is more important to you? Body or Spirit? Both are important however there is one that will determin where both will endure for eternity. If you starve the spirit both destined for death.

While being tempted by Satan in the dessert.

Jesus states in the beginning of Matthew 4

1 Then Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted there by the Devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he ate nothing and became very hungry. 3 Then the Devil* came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, change these stones into loaves of bread.”
4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
‘People need more than bread for their life;
they must feed on every word of God.’* ”

In reading this it is clear to me that reading the bible is far more important then even the food we eat daily. If that is the case then why do most people leave their dusty bible on the shelf? If we were hungry we surely wouldn't leave a plate of good food on the counter only for it to cool so we had to through it away? We wouldn't waste any time rushing over to grab that plate and scarf it down.

So if feeding the spirit is more important then feeding the body, why do people continue to starve what is most important? I encourage you who aren't reading the bible daily to start doing so. You eat daily and so should you read the bible daily. Don't neglect your spirit who hungers for the word of God. You might not notice how hungry your spirit is but, once you start reading the bible you will realize how hungry your spirit is. Try reading the book of John for starters and then I encourage you to read the bible straight through. Really read it and you'll see the desire to read it will increase.

Make it as routine as brushing your teeth. It isn't too hard to do. The hardest part for me was to start. I always found something else I wanted to do. I had to put aside time in the morning just for reading the bible. Find some time just for reading the bible and maybe even read with your wife or kids. You'll find great happiness in doing so. Start doing it right now! You took the time to read this blog so you have time to read the bible after you are done here.