The Bread of Life

Matthew 4:4

"But he answered and said, "It is written. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

Deuteronomy 8:3
"And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live."

Bread of itself does not feed the whole of a man; it keeps him alive only. To live means to be alive, to have movement in our lives; to think, plan, act out. God does not say we need only bread; he says man shall not live by bread alone, which indicates that a man needs something more.

The Scriptures say (every word), so we know that we need God's wisdom if we are to understand how we are to live.

Proverbs 3:1, 2 tells us to keep God's commandments so that he can bless us with long life and peace. We are to hold tightly to mercy and truth; to bind them upon our necks, to write them upon the tables of our hearts.

Proverbs 3:5, 6 tells us to trust in the Lord with all our heart; to trust in Him, not ourselves. It tells us that if, in all our ways we acknowledge Him, he will direct our paths.

 Fear is one of Satan's favorite weapons, and for many years he used this weapon against me.
    I've always been, before finding the Lord, a fearful, insecure person. When I was that fearful person, I found night time very frightening- sleep an elusive thing because of the nightmares. After Jesus became Lord of my heart and life? Well, everything changed. I discovered the truth about his WORD, that there is LIFE in it..literal life.
     As I began to memorize Bible verses, the fear began to fade. One day I realized that fear was no longer running my life. It no longer runs my life but  does raise its ugly head once in awhile. Since Johnny's death, seven and a half months ago, I began having trouble sleeping again- the horrible dreams began to return.
    I was prepared this time. As soon as I began to feel afraid I'd say Proverbs 3:24 out loud "When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and they sleep shall be sweet." My sleep was.

Isn't God wonderful? I love him so very much. He remembers our frame, that we are but dust; has provided an exit door we can use when we feel hemmed in by life's trials.
     When we find ourselves afraid, discouraged, lonely, feeling rejected, angry, resentful- any negative thing, we don't have to remain in that state. All we have to do is walk away from what we're feeling, just have to use the exit door (Christ).

Let's remember, when we prepare our meals, that God felt it necessary, to make us know, that bread alone is not enough to sustain us. If we find ourselves unable to cope with the trials of life, perhaps we've forgotten what God wanted us to know.

Hope each of you had a wonderful day today, that you didn't miss the SHINY moments God sent you. I'm appreciating, and praising God, for the freedom that is mine through Christ, and thanking Him too, for those who gave their lives to protect us- and for those, who are at this very moment, at the other side of the world, doing what they have to in order to keep us safe. Please don't forget to include them in your prayers.

Love you much,
Barb