Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4)
The word diet can simply mean the food and drink we consume to have the nourishment we need to stay alive. “Diet” can also mean a carefully controlled regimen of food and drink that is intended to accomplish some intended goal—weight loss, weight gain, improved performance, positive change in blood chemistry, etc. Today’s word of encouragement is about a different kind of diet, one that every that every child of God should be on and never come off: that diet, beloved, is the Divine Diet.
Jesus went forty days without eating and drinking earthly food; if God so willed it, we could do the same. But how long can we go without the Word of God? Not one, single, solitary second! You see, the Word of God is Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith. Our next breath and heartbeat come because He graciously gives them to us. The author of Hebrews explains that Jesus sustains “all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3). And that “all” includes you!
In the beginning God spoke His Word, and everything came into existence. In salvation, God speaks a Word of recreation, and we are raised from death to life. Take away the Word of God and you take away life itself. The enemy does everything within his power to keep us from that Word. He bombards us with busyness; he distracts us with delicacies; he entices us with entertainment; he sidetracks us with strongholds. But he will only succeed when we forsake our Divine Diet. A week without a diet of the Word makes us weak! And when we are weakened because we have neglected time in the Word, we are vulnerable to Satan’s slings and arrows.
So . . . what have you been feasting on lately? There is nothing that will satisfy the hunger of your soul other than the Word of God. The stuff of this world may seem to satisfy for a while, but you will soon grow faint and fall into the snare of Satan. Nothing can truly slake your thirst except the Truth Himself.
Jesus knew this truth when He did battle against Satan, and He countered every attack with the Word of God. You will remember that the devil knew the Word of God also, but here is the key difference: both Jesus and the devil were in the Word of God . . . but the Word of God was only in Jesus.
It is not enough to merely be in the Word. You must let the Word get inside of you. Meditate on it. Marinate in it. Make it your pillow at night and your guide by day. The more you get into the Word of God, the more the Word of God will get into you. Perhaps today is a good day to renew your commitment to your Divine Diet. God will be glorified and you will be blessed!
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 