The Devil Tempts Jesus – Part 2

Colossians 2:8 NKJV
Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

What values, principles and doctrines do you live by? WHOSE teachings, philosophies and words do you live by?
Do you feed your mind and spirit with what proceeds out of the mouth of the world and various people, or do you feed your mind and spirit with what proceeds out of the word of God?
For example, people who do not believe in God tend to live by what proceeds out of the mouth of the men who devised the Theory of Evolution and also the Big Bang Theory – of which these theories and ideas deny the existence of God. Therefore whatever information you feed yourself with has an effect on your worldview and how you see life.

Matthew 4:3-4 NKJV
Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'”

While Jesus was fasting, the very first temptation that the devil proposed to Jesus had to do with fulfilling FLESHY DESIRES by suggesting to Jesus that He turn stones into bread. Jesus had gone without food for several days and naturally His body must have felt the desire for food. But Jesus had not completed His fast yet and by fasting & praying Jesus was nurturing, nourishing and edifying His spirit & spiritual desires. Jesus was not interested in listening to any suggestion or any idea that proceeded out of the mouth of the devil no matter how physically hungry He might have been. Jesus’ spiritual goal was MORE important for Him to achieve than inappropriately satisfying a temporary fleshly desire at that time.
Therefore the devil’s first temptation, appealed to the FLESHLY desires. The scriptures sometimes call these desires “THE LUST OF THE FLESH”.
Just as the devil tried to make Jesus turn the stones into bread, today, the devil has still been tempting masses of people with suggestions that we feed ourselves with our own SELF-MADE / MAN-MADE doctrines and philosophies INSTEAD of living “by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

The devil has tempted and suggested to mankind issues, teachings and acts that are clearly forbidden by the word of God such as evolution, homosexuality, abortion, fornication, pornography, materialism etc, all of which satisfy the fleshly needs and desires – but only temporarily. These current worldviews, suggestions, teachings and doctrines are temptations which proceed from the mouth of other people and NOT “from the mouth of God”.

Therefore I believe that Jesus’ response to the first temptation wasn’t just about food, but it was also about ideas & teachings. Jesus said to the devil , “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
Jesus was telling the devil – man lives by the words and teachings of God ONLY and NOT by anything that the devil or tempter has to offer or suggest which only satisfy the flesh.

TODAY. From whose mouth are you feeding from? Is it from the mouth of men & the tempter – or is it STRICTLY from “what proceeds from the mouth of God“?