Not By Bread Alone

"For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin."
--- Heb 4:15

The Word of God is full of comparisons and contrasts. One of my favorites is Genesis 3 vs. Matthew 4. In Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament we are given an example of what happens when we have no knowledge of the Word of God. In Matthew, the first book of the New Testament, we are given an example of what happens when we do have knowledge of the Word of God. God puts these comparisons and contrasts in His Word as real world examples for us to see the difference in the right and wrong way to approach situations.

Throughout human history, God has always revealed Himself to us in some form. In Genesis they obviously did not have the written Word as we have it today, but God literally spoke to Adam and Eve in the garden. Different form of revelation, but the same principle. The Word of God is always the same. Back in chapter 2 of Genesis, God gave Adam specific instructions, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you do eat of it you shall surely die" (Gen. 2:16-17 NKJ). Though Adam did not have this command from God in written form, it was still just as valid as the commands we have today in the complete canon of scripture. Now Eve was not created until after God gave Adam this command, but there is no question that she was taught it.

We all know the story. When Satan comes to tempt Eve in chapter 3, he asks Eve if God really said they could not eat from any of the trees in the garden. In verse 2-3, Eve answers with "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'you shall not eat it, nor touch it, lest you die." Go back and read what God said. See the difference? At this point Eve is in serious trouble. Satan knows he has her because he can see that Eve does not take the Word of God seriously. Though she has not yet eaten of the fruit, the battle is already over. Any good lawyer knows how to examine a witness for weaknesses, and if that weakness is uncovered the witness is finished. From then on it's just a matter of time and torture for the witness. If the witness has no weaknesses, there is nothing the lawyer can do about it. Once Satan found Eve's weakness (ie. her lack of knowledge of God's Word), she was finished. Satan had her on cross-exam and the jury was snickering at her. Genesis 3 is Exhibit A of "how to fail in the Christian Way of Life."

Now look at Matthew 4. Jesus is led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by Satan. When Satan comes, he tempts Jesus 3 times. Each time Jesus responds by quoting scripture from the book of Deuteronomy. Unlike Eve, Jesus is on top of His game. He is ready for the toughest cross-exam the world has ever seen. Satan comes at him with all he's got, but Jesus never breaks a sweat and calmly rebuts everything Satan throws at Him. There is nothing Satan can do because Jesus has the Word of God mastered. Jesus never allows Satan any room to work with because He is prepared. Jesus knows the only way He can resist Satan is by clinging to the Word of God that He had memorized. Matthew 4 is Exhibit A of "how to succeed in the Christian Way of Life."

When Jesus made the choice to leave heaven and "tabernacle" among us, He also chose to abide by the limitations of the human realm. Jesus had to study and learn scripture just as we do. He spent 30 years of his life preparing for 3 years of ministry. What was He doing all this time? Luke 1:52 tell us that He "increased in wisdom." He was studying God's Word. Why do we think we can withstand the assaults from Satan without having adequate knowledge of God's Word? The bottom line is we can't and we won't. Jesus has 1934 verses of statements attributed to Him in the New Testament. Of these 1934, 159 of them are direct quotes from the Old Testament. That's a little over 8%. Now that may not sound like a lot, but think about how many times during the day you quote scripture. Think about all communication you have at home, at work, at the grocery store, etc. Now how much of that is scripture? I don't mean how many times do you bring up a doctrinal point or a principle relating to the Word of God. I mean how many times do you actually quote, verbatim, a verse of scripture? Could you defend your faith by quoting from the book of Deuteronomy? How about Leviticus or Hosea? Jesus could and did. He lived by it. There is no substitute for an extensive knowledge of God's Word. Just as a witness must spend days preparing for an hour of testimony in a court of law, we must spend time studying the Word to prepare for our testimony in this spiritual conflict.

Reaching Potential

"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." --- Matt. 9:37

I am proudly from South Georgia. My father's family is from Lee County and my mother's family is from Mitchell County, both of which are historically rural farming counties. If you have ever been to South Georgia you know that agriculture is and always has been the lifeline of the economy.

"Back in the good ole days," (or so my grandfathers told me) when harvest time came, everything else in the family's life was put on hold. Kids did not go to school during the harvest because their labor was of such importance to the family's survival. For some families, like my grandfather's on my mother's side, it was a very tough time to live. Survival literally depended upon what they were able to provide for themselves. Whether the crop was sold or actually consumed by the family, everything hinged on the outcome of the harvest. The importance of the harvest was understood by everyone in the family, and sacrifices were made accordingly.

How much more important is the spiritual harvest we are called to work in? I know in theory everyone reading this will agree that it is very important, but in practice only a "FEW" of us (out of all Christians) truly believe it is so important. Or we might believe it is that important, but we are not disciplined enough to actually go and do the work it takes to make a difference in the harvest. Don't get mad at me, I'm just repeating what Jesus said over 2000 years ago.

"Workers" here is ergates, which refers to a "hired worker" or "a labourer." Someone who is paid to actually get down and "get a little dirt on their hands" (bonus points to anyone who can tell me who sings this song) and get the job done. Jesus means there is only a small number of believers who are going to "present their bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is (their) spiritual service of worship." (Rom. 12:1). The number of Christians who are going to press on is very minute. Only a small percentage will take this invisible warfare seriously. Only a "few" of us will accept and run with the responsibility of honorably representing Jesus Christ to the rest of the world. We are called to make a difference for Jesus Christ, but most of us will never answer the call.

The Christian Way of Life is similiar to a basketball team. As believers, we are all like lottery picks (very high 1st round draft picks for those of you who don't watch sports). God has invested a lot in us. Being an ambassador for Jesus Christ means we inherit a lot of responsibility. Lottery picks are drafted for one reason...to make a difference on the court in games. They are not intended to serve as dummies in practice. Nothing is more dissapointing and damaging to a team than to waste a lottery pick on a player that does not make a difference for the team in the games.

So far in his young career, Kwame Brown is an example of a wasted lottery pick. This guy is a 7 footer who can handle the ball, rebound, and play defense. He has all the physical tools, he has the ability to do it all. He was drafted #1 overall straight out of high school by the Washington Wizards, and unfortunately he has never lived up to his potential. This year he was so useless to his team that he did not even travel to Chicago for a crucial deciding playoff game. There is no doubt that he has the potential, he is simply not willing to put forth the effort to effectively participate in the Wizards system of basketball. Eddie Jordan (the Wizards coach) has no power over Kwame's willingness to apply all the tools he has. Kwame still gets a paycheck, but he is in no way helping the franchise.

In the same way, we all have potential to effectively participate in the spiritual harvest. We already have all the tools we need. Philippians 4:19 tells us "God will supply (us) with all (our)needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." The only question is will we put forth the effort to make a difference? If you read on to Matthew chapter 10, you will see that after Jesus declares there are only a "few" workers, he sends out 12 who are willilng to be part of the "few." With these 12 the world was changed forever. God will use those of us who will choose to make ourselves available to Him, but it's a choice we have to make. Do you want to participate in the harvest or do you want to sit on the bench? The choice is yours!

Mind Bending

2 Corinthians 11:3 “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

Psychological Operations is defined as influencing or an intent to influence the mind or emotions. The most dangerous course of action that Satan can implement is the influence of your mind. Because according to Proverbs 23:7, “As a man thinks within his heart, so is he.” Satan understands this and has developed a system of thought that we have been buying into since the Garden. Satan uses this system of thought (worldly thinking) to influence our mind, because as the mind goes, so goes the person. Satan employs this system of thought through (to the naked eye) accepted, organized, popular thinking such as religion, science, politics, philosophy, psychiatry, media, education, etc., etc.

“ Government, morals, education, art, commercialism, vast enterprises, organizations, and religious activity are included in Satan’s plan to deceive the human race.” L.S. Chafer

The battle is won or lost in your mind. If you are not committed to a daily renewing of your mind in the word of God, then your thoughts will be taken captive to worldly thinking. Romans 12:2 “ And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Everyday we choose to think thoughts that are influenced by Satan’s system of thought, which is in opposition to the Word of God. In order to combat this, we must become disciplined to diligently study the Word on a daily basis. It is an either or!! We are either studying the Word of God and being continually renewed in our minds or we are not studying the Word of God and becoming continually conformed to the world. There is no middle ground.

Matt 18:7a “Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come;”

The stumbling block of this world is religion. The stumbling block of this world is success. The stumbling block of this world is happiness. The stumbling block of this world is philosophy. The stumbling block of this world is science. But you are probably saying, “All of those things are good!” That is the psychological warfare of the angelic conflict: Getting you to believe that the “good things” of this world are more important than the plan that God has for you.

We need to realize that Satan is vying for control over every thought that we choose to think. Our attitude should be that of Paul in 2 Corinthians 10:5 “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” We can either take every though captive to the obedience of Christ or be taken captive to Satan’s system of thought. The choice is up to you; be renewed in the Word or conformed to the World.

"It's hard to fight an enemy who has outposts in your head!" Sally Kempton

The Place of Trust

"It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man." --- Psalms 118:8


In the Bible, there are 594 chapters before Psalms 118 and 594 after Psalms 118. Psalms 117 is the shortest chapter in the Bible, and Psalms 119 is the longest. 594 plus 594 equals 1188. The exact middle point in the Bible is today's subject verse, Psalms 118:8. Of the ten essences of God, "Coincidentiality" is NOT one of them (I doubt that's even a word, but you get my point). However, "Sovereignty," "Veracity," and "Omnipotence" are. In the complete canon of scripture there are no coincidences. The character of God demanded that every "jot" and "tittle"of His Word be Divinely revealed to us, and in 96 AD this revelation was complete.

I worked for an architect my first year in college (we built a Jewish temple of all things!!!!). I can tell you from experience that no part of that building, down to the smallest detail, was constructed unless it got the approval of the architect. God is the master architect and His Word is His greatest Work. It should come as no suprise that the middle verse, the exact middle point in the Bible is a crucial concept that we must remember. It's a reminder put there by God for us so that we cannot miss it. It reads "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man."

There is nothing more dangerous than to place all your faith in a human being. I have to remind myself of this all the time. I have met some absolutely amazing people in my 13 years as a Christian. Men and women whom God uses to mentor and pray for me to become the man God wants me to be. I communicate with these people on a daily basis. Thankfully, they understand this verse and have taught it to me so that I would know it is not them that I should place my faith in. I understand the truth of God's Word is not dependent upon the lives of fallen people.

Anytime free will is placed in the arena of spiritual warfare, the possiblity of disaster is always present. The reason God put this verse in the middle of His Word is because He knows we have a tendency to place "impressive" and influential people on a high pedestal. We hold them to a higher standard than other people because they are such an integral part of our lives. They are the last people we expect to take a hard fall. When these people don't live up to the standard that we set for them, our natural reaction is to view their shortcomings as evidence of the ineffectiveness of God's Word. This is completely wrong and very dangerous, and it happens everyday. I don't expect any of my mentors to fall and I don't expect to fall, but if they do or if I do it is only because we are not living what we are teaching. It will be a result of our lack of application of God's Word, not the ineffectiveness of God's Word.

Each of us has our own race to run. The only one worthy of our complete faith is Jesus Christ, and He is perfect so we do not have to worry about being let down by Him. We can use others to help us along the way, but we cannot allow them to trip us up and cause us to fall short of the finish line. As long as we keep our focus on Christ and Christ alone, we will finish. The reason why blinders are put on horses is because it forces them to focus on their individual route. In the same way, we need to put on our blinders everyday and not allow anyone to keep us from getting where we need to be.

The All-Sufficiency of Grace

2Corinthians 12:9 a “And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness."

Is the Grace of God sufficient for you? Are you content with the provision that God extends to you in your life? Do you trust God and His innerrant Word? Do you try to fill your life with the things that your eyes desire? Why is it that we look for contentment and provision from the things of this world when God’s marvelous Grace is sufficient? One of the “schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11) is to deceive man into believing that God’s grace is not sufficient. Therefore, man abandons the perfect grace provision of God in order to seek contentment for his desires from an imperfect world. This is not a new concept. In fact, we can trace it all the way back to the Garden of Eden with the first man and woman that God created, Adam and Eve. Just like the cliché, “History repeats itself”, we have repeatedly abandoned the Grace provision of God in the same way as Adam and Eve. We need to learn from history and not repeat it.

Dr. W.H. Griffith makes this statement regarding Genesis Chapter 3: “It is hardly too much to say that this chapter is the pivot of the Bible, for if we take it away, the rest of Scripture becomes meaningless. With the exception of the fact of Creation, we have the record of the most important and far-reaching event in the world’s history – the entrance of sin.”

In Genesis Chapter 3, man sins against God and falls from the Age of Innocence. God had placed man in the garden and gave him the freedom to eat from any tree, except one. God’s Grace Provision for man in the garden was sufficient. There was not one need for man that God did not provide in the Garden. Everywhere that Adam and Eve looked, they saw the perfect, sufficient Grace of God. Yet their eyes were drawn to the only thing that God had said they didn’t need. Why? (Learning Point: You may be completely dependent on the Grace provision of God, but never underestimate the “schemes of the devil”. He is diligently working to draw your focus away from God to the desire of things in life that you don’t need.) What we have to do is learn from history and not repeat it. Satan will tempt us into questioning God in the exact same manner that he deceived Eve into questioning God. We must learn from Eve’s mistakes or we too will be deceived by the “schemes of the devil.”

Satan deceived Eve by getting her to question God in three distinct areas: (1) Is God’s Grace sufficient? (2) Is God’s word true? (3)Is God the sovereign ruler of my life, or am I?

(1) Is God’s Grace sufficient?
In Genesis 3:1-3, Satan cast doubt on the sufficiency of the Grace of God by asking “Did God really say…?” By placing Eve’s focus on the prohibition, Satan was able to make the her forget about all the blessings, privilege, and provision that she enjoyed in the Garden. What distractions in your life are causing you to forget all of the blessing, privilege, and provision that God has for you? Don’t focus on what you don’t have, focus on what God has and will always provide for you by his all-sufficient Grace.

(2) Is God’s word true?
In Genesis 3:4, Satan called God a liar by saying “You surely will not die!" Being completely opposed to God, Satan is determined to keep man from obeying God's word. He does this by casting doubt on TRUTH. Satan has always and will always call God a liar, believing that he is right and God is wrong. Do you completely trust the Word of God as inerrant, infallible truth? Don’t let the world’s standards and norms allow you to question the reliability and absolute truth of God’s Word. In order to defend the Truth, you must know the Truth. Knowing God’s Word will allow you to expose the lies and “schemes of the devil”.

(3)Is God the sovereign ruler of my life, or am I?
In Genesis 3:5, Satan now calls into question the absolute controlling sovereignty of Almighty God. He tries to convince Eve that the reason God forbids her to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is that “you shall be like God”. The ruse is that Eve will have just as much control of her life as God does. Who is in control of your life? Do you live in complete submission to the sovereignty of God, or do you think that you are the ruler of your life? God is the sovereign ruler of the universe, and you are man. Don’t deceive yourself into thinking that this life is all about you. This life has always been and always will be about Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the One who controls history, not Eve, and definitely not you.

These “schemes” have been perpetuated throughout history. Today, Satan is no different in his methods and motives than he was in the Garden. He tries to take our focus of the Grace of God and place our focus on the “wants” of man. Study the Word, become wise to his schemes, and learn from the mistakes of our forefathers (and mothers) in history; Don’t repeat them!

A Gift to Give

2 Timothy 4:5 “But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."

In most churches there is only a hand full of people that perform all the ministries. Why is that? I mean with the millions of copies of “Purpose Driven Life” sold around the country in Christian bookstores, it would seem like every person in the body of Christ would see their calling for ministry.

People go to church in order to get something, not to give something. We go to church for the lesson, for the fellowship, for the entertainment, for the food, for the kids, for self-help, for counseling, etc. There is ususally an agenda attached to our attendance. We should go to church not for what we can get, but for what we can give. Your church needs you! Your church needs your Spiritual gift!

You have to understand that God the Holy Spirit gave you a Spiritual gift at the moment of salvation. That gift is for three distinct purposes: Glorifying Christ, Unifying the church, and Edifying other believers. The gift inside of you calls out for ministry; Its sole purpose is ministry. If you are one of those who has always gone to church to get something, try going this week to give something. Find out about the ministries in your church and see where they can use you. Even if you are not sure about your Spiritual gift, get involved. God will use you to fulfill the ministry that He designed for you in His soveriegn plan. All you have to do is make yourself available and He will do the rest. Get involved by giving yourself to ministry. Stop going to church to get something and start going to give something and you too can “fulfill your ministry.”

Mind Field

2 Corinthians 10:3-4 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.”

Gettysburg is by far the most recognized battleground in the United States. Although the battle of Gettysburg did not end the Civil War, it remains the greatest battle in the war between the North and the South. During the three-day battle at Gettysburg, more men fought and died than any other battle fought on American soil. On the third day alone, July 3, 1863, during the infamous Pickett’s charge, 10,000 Confederate soldiers became casualties of war in the span of 50 minutes. The actual numbers are staggering for both the Union and the Confederacy. The Union had 3,155 dead, 14,529 wounded, 5,365 missing, with total losses amounting to 23, 049 men. The Confederacy had 3,903 dead, 18,735 wounded, 5,425 missing, and 28,063 in total losses. Those numbers sound as if they came from a ten-year war between nations, rather than a three-day battle between brothers. It is no wonder that the battleground at Gettysburg is studied, talked about, and remembered more than any other battleground in the great history of The United States of America.

Gettysburg was a battleground fought upon in a physical war. Where is the battleground upon which Spiritual warfare is fought? In 2 Corinthians 10:3, we learn that we are combatants in warfare. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.” And from Ephesians 6:12, we learn that we war against a highly-organized enemy force. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” But where is the battleground in which this unseen warfare takes place? The battleground for Spiritual warfare is in the mind. Rom 7:23 “but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.” Satan and his forces, through his system of evil and sin, are desperately trying to re-claim control of the strategic piece of land that was once their stronghold, your mind. Before you became a believer, Satan had control of your mind through his organized system of thought. (worldly belief system) 2 Corinthians 4:4 “In whose case the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” Now that we are believers, Jesus Christ has enlightened our minds, but the battle still continues for supremacy and control of every thought. Our minds need to be guarded and fortified in order to counter any and every enemy attack. Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Sally Kempton writes “It is hard to fight an enemy who has outposts in your head.” Satan has outposts or fortresses (2 Cor 10:3-4) already built inside our minds. Those fortresses are fortified with the desires of our Old Man. (The sin nature) The only way to thwart the assault on the battleground of the mind is to “destroy all speculation and every lofty thing (fortresses) raised up against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Cor 10:5) How do we go about taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ? In order to make the Spiritual battlefield of the mind a stronghold for Jesus Christ, we must analyze, memorize, and exercise truth from the word of God.

(1) Analyze Truth
It is imperative for Christians to study the word of God on a daily basis. We have no problem putting fiction, news, sitcoms, and conversational rumors in our head, so why is it such a struggle to study the Word every day? Because the war is over your mind and the Word is the only thing that can win the daily battles in the struggle for superiority over your thoughts. Proverbs 23:7 “For as a man thinks within himself, so is he.” The more we analyze Scripture, the more we “think” from the mind of Christ. (1 Cor 2:16)

(2) Memorize Truth
There will be times (probably more than less) when you will be without your Bible. Memorization of Scripture is important because it helps us to meditate on the Word throughout our day. (Psalms 119:15) When we have commands, principles, and promises memorized, we stand ready to defend against a small skirmish or a great battle. The enemy is poised and always ready. Prepare yourself for battle daily by memorizing and meditating on Truth from the Word of God.

(3) Exercise Truth
Exercising in the Truth is to apply Scripture to experience. To be ignorant to Truth is to go into war without a weapon, but to know Truth and not apply it is to have a weapon with no bullets. Applied truth is your loaded gun in Spiritual warfare. Every time we apply truth to experience, we press the attack on the enemy. Stand your ground (Ephesians 6:11) and take the enemy’s ground by exercising in the Word daily. Proverbs 22:17-19 “Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge. For it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, that they may be ready on your lips. So that your trust may be in the LORD,”

There are more casualties in Spiritual Warfare every minute of the day than there were in 3 days on the battlefield of Gettysburg. Form a perimeter around the battlefield your mind with the Word of God, and be victorious in the daily battle for superiority of your thoughts. “Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” Don’t surrender one thought to the enemy. One thought can turn into an outpost. One outpost can turn into a stronghold. “Guard your mind in Christ Jesus” and become continually victorious on the battlefield of the mind. (Philippains 4:7)

"You may be physically exhausted; you may be completely defeated, as far as the odds are concerned; you may be deprived of your liberty; but no one can stop you from THINKING those things which eventually will overcome the pressures and adversity of your situation." R.B. Thieme Jr.(Mental Attitude Dynamics)