558-Overcoming Temptation with Truth 1#
(JP Text Group - shalom 整理)
Peace, dear family, welcome to your arrival. Today is Sunday, and let us look at God's word together.
The topic of sharing is: Overcoming Temptation with Truth.
Luke 4:1-4:
1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
Let us pray first.
Heavenly Father, thank you for starting our new week of life, and thank you for leading us to your truth, supplying us with strength through the truth, and allowing us to overcome in our lives by relying on your word. No matter what we encounter, we take God's truth as our standard and center our lives on God's word, believing that we will surely experience victory. Thank you and praise you. We also entrust this time to the Holy Spirit, supplying us with what we need through your word. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.
Today we share the first temptation that the Lord Jesus experienced when He began His work. After Jesus fasted for forty days and nights, He was hungry, but at this moment, although Jesus was physically hungry, He was filled with the Holy Spirit. Why fast? The reason is simple; it is not a must-do thing, but it tells us that Jesus did this with His intention. Because man failed in the wilderness, man failed at the weakest moment, and one of the reasons for failure is that there is no truth in the heart. When a person's heart is filled with truth and is filled with the Holy Spirit, even at the weakest moment, even in the wilderness, victory can be achieved.
Jesus gave us an example; the Holy Spirit led Him to fast in the wilderness for forty days. After the days were fulfilled, He was indeed hungry in the flesh. After forty days without food, a person is certainly hungry; this was the weakest moment physically. Those who have experienced hunger know that when a person is hungry, emotions can become unstable, and irritability can arise, bringing many inner issues to the surface. For example, a strong desire for food; when someone mentions something to eat, it becomes particularly attractive.
At this moment, the tempter came to Jesus and said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” From here we can see that the devil's attack on Jesus began from the material aspect.
From our perspective, what is the big deal about eating a loaf of bread? Jesus had not eaten for forty days; He was indeed weak in the flesh and hungry. But at this moment, Jesus did not accept the devil's suggestion; He rejected this temptation from the devil. Because Jesus knew that if He listened to the devil's words, turning a stone into a loaf of bread today would lead to turning more things into food for Himself tomorrow; once such selfish desires begin, they cannot be stopped. And Jesus always knew why He came to this world; He knew what His mission was. Some might say, “Isn't that making a mountain out of a molehill? It's just a loaf of bread; how serious can it be?”
Let’s look at a passage from Genesis 2:15-17:
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
What does this verse say? Just a piece of fruit; is God being too harsh? In fact, God is not concerned about the fruit but about the human heart. When Eve chose to believe the serpent's words, her heart began to doubt God's words, denying God's words; this is the most serious problem. From a spiritual perspective, this is a shift from being God-centered to being self-centered.
Look at the various wars and conflicts in today's world; ultimately, they are all caused by people judging everything from a self-centered perspective. When problems arise between two people, the first thought is whether they have suffered a loss, and then they use their own standards to judge others as wrong, constantly judging others, and all of this began when Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, right?
If Adam and Eve had placed God's words at the forefront of their hearts, unshakeable, the serpent would have had no opportunity at all, and the world would not be what it is today. It is because of the shaking of God's words in people's hearts that led to today's results.
Let’s look at another passage from the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 8:1-5:
1 “Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. 2 Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. 3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. 5 Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.”
God led the Israelites in the wilderness for forty years to humble them and test them, to see if they were willing to believe in God's words and act according to God's words. God gave them commandments and laws because they did not know how to live correctly. They had been slaves in the past, and their way of life was not correct. Now God was leading them to live a completely new way of life; as long as they followed God's words, God would make them increase in number and enter the promised land. Entering that land was not for them to suffer but for them to be blessed.
The forty years in the wilderness were not God's intention; it was because their hearts had not changed. Although people had left Egypt, their thoughts were still in Egypt, and God's words did not hold much place in their hearts. This is similar to many people who believe in Jesus today; perhaps they have believed for forty years, but their understanding of God is very limited, and they may not have even read the Bible once, nor do they know what God's will is. When encountering situations in life, they still act according to their past thinking, and they have not experienced any testimonies; isn't this just like the Israelites?
For forty years, they did not know this God, and during those forty years, God was humbling and testing them, hoping their hearts could change. Even though they were in the wilderness, God did not abandon them to find their own way but provided for their food and drink. You must know that there was no food in the wilderness, and it was not suitable for survival, but God sent down manna for them to eat. Through these miracles, God hoped the Israelites could understand that His words could supply all their needs.
In the wilderness, God could send down manna for you and provide water for you to drink; can He not give you even more abundant supplies when you reach the promised land? Now God hopes that the Israelites will believe in His words and willingly act according to His words. God supplies them with everything they need, including food and clothing, which are physical needs. For forty years, God has been training them to understand this. Did the Israelites learn? No, for forty years they constantly tested God for food and drink.
Some say, “As long as I can see miracles in my life, I will not test God.” The Israelites saw miracles every day: the cloud and fire pillars, manna; this was unchanging for forty years. They saw it, and after seeing it for a long time, they felt it was nothing. When problems arose, when it got hot, they complained to God; when they got tired of eating manna, they complained to God, feeling that it had no taste and wanting to eat meat from the ground. God gave them that too, but they still did not believe in God.
For forty years, they did not believe that God's words were completely powerful. When problems arose, the only thing they did was complain, which actually showed their inner disbelief in God. But God was very patient, continually training them, just as a person trains their son. However, these people became increasingly rebellious; some even said, “I don't want to go to Canaan anymore; we definitely can't enter; we want to go back to Egypt.” Many people had this idea. “Believing in the Lord, I haven't gained anything; why should I believe in you? Why should I follow you? I want to go back to Egypt.” When God wanted to strike the people, Moses pleaded with God.
Let’s look at a passage from Numbers 14:19-24:
19 “In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.” 20 The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked. 21 Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the Lord fills the whole earth, 22 not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times 23 will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. 24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.”
Through this passage, we can see God's provision. Did the Israelites lack food and drink in the wilderness? No, but their hearts were not satisfied; they even loathed the manna that God sent down from heaven and preferred the food of the earth. God gave them that, but their hearts were still not satisfied. Through the Israelites, we can see that the problem was not with the food but with the people's hearts not believing in God; they had their own ideas, which repeatedly provoked God's anger.
Moses saw this, so he pleaded for the people, saying, “In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now.” Here it points out that the Israelites often provoked God's anger, while God often forgave the people's sins. Yet even so, the Israelites seemed not to see God's great love; instead, they felt it was nothing and became increasingly demanding.
But this time, because of Moses' plea, God still forgave them, saying, “I have forgiven them, as you asked. Nevertheless, as surely as I live, the glory of the Lord will fill the whole earth.” This is God's promise to us; that is to say, the earth will be filled with God's glory, and His love will fill the land. Those who believe will see and receive it. But what about those who do not believe? They will not receive it.
The Israelites belong to this category. Although they saw God's glory and the various miracles He performed, they still did not believe in God and did not obey His words. Some say, “What does it mean to believe in God?” In fact, it is very simple; when a person believes in God's words in their heart, they will willingly act according to God's words.
If a person says, “I believe in God's words, I believe in God's power,” but in life, they still act in their old ways, it shows that they do not believe. Therefore, through their actions, we can see what they truly believe in their hearts.
Take the Israelites as an example; when they encounter difficulties, they complain to God and want to go back to Egypt. What does this indicate? They do not believe in God, which is why God said they tested Him ten times. Testing indicates disbelief; it means, “Do you really think you can accomplish this for us?” That is testing. “I don't really believe you can do this; otherwise, show me…” That is testing.
For example, while Jesus was bearing our sins on the cross, someone at the foot of the cross said, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross, and I will believe in you.” This is also testing. They did not believe in Him before He went on the cross; now that He is on it, they want Him to come down, indicating that these people do not believe, which is exactly the same as the Israelites; this is the true state of their hearts.
Therefore, God said to these unbelievers, “They will never see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors.” Did God abandon the promises He made to them? No, it is because people do not believe, so they cannot see.
Just like some people do not believe that God can heal them; they keep saying, “Can God really heal? I just feel that this won't be so easy.” When they do not believe, they indeed cannot see the result. In the end, they say, “Look, I didn't receive anything; God just doesn't want to give.” This thought first arises from their hearts not believing in God.
Later, God says, “No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it.” God's words have already stated that He will bring them into the land of Canaan, but these people despised God's words and did not believe, resulting in none of them seeing it. God accomplishes things according to their faith.
Verse 24: “But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.” This does not mean that all the Israelites died in the wilderness; there were still some who believed in God's words. Why could these people believe? Because they took God's words seriously, believing that God's words would surely be fulfilled. Although the environment may seem bad now, they believe that God's provision is abundant.
Caleb had a different spirit, which means he followed me wholeheartedly. What does it mean to follow wholeheartedly? It means that regardless of the surrounding environment, he believes that God's words will surely be fulfilled. This is relatively difficult. When we pray, God fulfills it for us, and we say hallelujah and praise the Lord; anyone can do that. But if you pray and it seems that nothing in the environment has changed, and you still believe in God, that is called following wholeheartedly.
Take Abraham, for example; how much he wanted a son. He lacked nothing in terms of money, status, and reputation, but he did not have his own son. He prayed to God, and after more than ten years, nothing happened. As he and his wife were getting older and could no longer bear children, their faith remained strong; this is called following wholeheartedly.
He did not think, “I have prayed for so long, and God has not fulfilled this matter; I will not believe anymore; I want to go back home.” Abraham never thought this way; this is called following wholeheartedly. He did not say, “Lord, I don't want to believe anymore; you can't even fulfill this small matter.” He did not say that; he still believed that God would surely fulfill it.
In fact, this is faith; it is not affected by what others say or by the environment. Because God has given me this word, I will hold on to it and look for the fulfillment of God's word. Caleb believed in God this way and followed God wholeheartedly; indeed, he saw it, and he entered the land of Canaan, and his descendants inherited that land, proving that God does not lie. But what about those unbelieving Israelites? Because of their disbelief, they died in the wilderness and received the results they wanted. Therefore, we see that when you have truth in your heart and believe in that truth, you can overcome the environment.
After looking at the failure of the Israelites, let’s look at Jesus. At this time, Jesus had fasted for forty days and was at His weakest moment physically. I don't know if any of you have fasted; those who have fasted for more than three days know that at the end of the fast, you can really remember many delicious foods you ate as a child. Even the smell of food wafting from someone else's kitchen can seem so fragrant. This is just a few days; what if it were forty days? Everything looks like food; this is the weakness of the human flesh. At this moment, the devil came to tempt Jesus.
In verse 3 of this text: The devil said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
“If you are the Son of God” is a tactic that is very effective for many people; Adam and Eve failed this way. The devil made them feel that they did not have God's image and glory, and that by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they could be like God, discerning good and evil. In fact, they already possessed God's image and likeness because God created them in His image and likeness. Unfortunately, they did not understand this and instead believed the devil's words, ultimately failing.
For Jesus, the devil used the same method. The devil meant: Turn the stone into bread to prove that you are the Son of God. At the weakest moment of a person, it is easy to waver when they cannot see God's provision. If Jesus had finished fasting for forty days and found that angels were lining up to serve him porridge, the devil's temptation to turn stones into bread would not have worked.
After Jesus finished fasting, He found Himself alone and was very hungry. At this moment, He felt very weak; the weakness of the flesh, not the weakness of the heart. The devil came to stimulate Him, saying, “Why are you still all alone? You have finished fasting; why is there no provision?” Such words and temptations are extremely damaging.
For example, when a person is ill and prays for a while, but nothing changes, many voices will arise in their hearts. Some voices tell them, “God does not love you; otherwise, why doesn't He listen to your prayers? Why doesn't He heal you? You are not believing correctly; you are not saved; otherwise, why doesn't God turn your finances around? Why doesn't God fulfill your prayers?” Similar voices are all temptations.
These are things that arise in a person's heart; we can hardly see them on the surface, but such inner battles are very common, and similar temptations have strong attacking power. If a person does not have truth, looks at the surrounding environment, and sees what they are experiencing, it is easy for them to be hurt.
But Jesus did not rely on these external miracles to prove that He was the Son of God because He knew that no matter what, He was the Son of God and did not need any other proof. Just like you are your father's son; this does not need proof. No matter what others say, you believe you are your father's son; what proof do you need? But what is scary is when others present some so-called evidence to prove that you are not your father's son, a person can easily waver.
You know how many people could have received God's blessings and promises, but the devil attacks them at their weakest moments, making them deny God's words, making them not believe in God's words, and trying to prove through some events that God loves them. This method is not correct. You must know that what enables us to stand strong is not these proofs but knowing who we are through God's words, confirming our identity. For example, God's words have already told you: You are a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ.
Since you believe that Jesus accomplished this on the cross, you are a child of God and do not need to prove that you are the Son of God through miracles. John the Baptist performed no miracles, yet was he not a person used by God? Was he not a prophet? He still was. So we must not fall into the devil's traps; we must keep God's truth in our hearts. What gives Jesus confidence is not miracles but God's words.
In verse 4 of this text: Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Please note this statement; Jesus did not say that man does not need food, but rather that man does not live by food alone; more importantly, it is every word that comes from the mouth of God. Many people say, “The flesh is evil, so we should not think about the flesh. Once you start thinking about the flesh, that is worldly, and God will abandon you; God will not be pleased.” This is not the case; we should take good care of our bodies, but that is not the main thing. What should be prioritized? It is God's words; this is a matter of order. If a person puts God's truth first, the truth will give us the faith and wisdom to solve our food problems.
Let’s look at a passage from the Old Testament, Leviticus 25:18-22:
18 “Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws, and you will live safely in the land. 19 The land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety. 20 You may ask, ‘What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?’ 21 I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years. 22 While you plant during the eighth year, you will still be eating from the old crop, and you will continue to eat from it until the harvest of the ninth year comes in.”
This is a very practical example. At that time, God gave the Israelites a rule: you shall farm for six years, and in the seventh year, let the land rest for a year. The meaning is simple; in the seventh year, you should not farm anymore, but let the land grow by itself. The wild animals in the fields and the poor can freely use the produce from the land. What should the Israelites do? Naturally, they should rest; they can travel, see the world, or do things they want to do.
This was originally a very good thing for the Israelites, but they were worried, saying, “If we do not farm in the seventh year and do not store produce, what will we eat?” Isn't this a concern for everyone? The issue of food and drink is one of the biggest worries for people. However, when God's words were presented to them, it seemed they did not take them seriously.
Let’s see what God said: “Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws, and you will live safely in the land.”
These decrees and laws are closely related to our lives. The Ten Commandments relate to our lives; violating the Ten Commandments leads to death. However, the decrees and laws relate to our lives; if we violate them, we will not have blessings in our lives. God tells the Israelites: If you follow these decrees and laws, you will live safely in the land. What does it mean to live safely? It means not worrying about food and clothing.
Verse 19: “The land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill.” God first solves the issue of basic needs for them. Secondly, you will live safely in that land. God also gives them protection; when you live safely, it is because God has surrounded you with a fence for protection.
You must know that in those days, people relied on the heavens for food, and technology was not so advanced. If everyone around you is poor and cannot fill their stomachs, and you are well-fed, that is a dangerous situation because others might attack you. But God says, “You will live safely in that land.” Because God will protect them. This is God's provision; if the Israelites believed in this, how easy and comfortable it would be for them to live in the promised land!
But the Israelites were worried, saying, “If in the seventh year we do not do anything, what will we eat? There will be nothing to eat.” God knew their worries, so He said, “I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years.”
From this, we can see that in the sixth year, the land produced three times the harvest. How did this happen? Through God's words. Therefore, truth produces wisdom and power to solve our food problems. But people do not necessarily believe this; the fact is that when the Israelites saw the land yielding three times the harvest in the sixth year, they still did not rest in the seventh year. This reflects human psychology.
Logically speaking, if you have already had three times the harvest, can you not take a break? They did not; they wanted to continue earning more and did not let themselves rest. How well God arranged this for them! In the eighth year, you will plant and eat the old grain, meaning you will not finish eating at all. When the harvest of the ninth year comes in, you will still eat the old grain. What does this mean? It means you will not finish eating at all.
Why did they not take a break in the seventh year? God has already said you will not finish eating; why must you work so hard and store so much? Ultimately, it still comes down to not believing God's words, not believing that truth will make them prosperous. How many people still have the same mindset as the Israelites? They rely on their hard work to solve their food problems, to address issues of eating, drinking, and clothing. In fact, if they understood God's truth, they would know that this truth will supply all their needs.
God's words produce miracles, allowing the Israelites to be abundant; this is a fact. If a person understands these truths, then in their heart, they will take God's words as a standard, as the most important thing, and the devil's temptations will have no effect at all. Take the current situation, for example; when it comes to not farming in the seventh year, will there be worries in the heart: “What will we do? If we do not plant in the seventh year, will there be enough food?” God knows their worries, so before this worry arises, God's abundant provision has already come, with three times the harvest.
Unfortunately, if a person's heart does not change, even when they see three times the harvest, they will still worry: “What if something else happens and there is not enough to eat?” Do you see? This is the problem with people. Since Adam and Eve fell, human worries have increased; even when given abundant provision, they still worry. At this moment, the devil's temptation takes effect, amplifying their worries infinitely, and people begin to become busy, absolutely not allowing themselves to rest.
Matthew 6:31-34:
31 So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
When people worry about food and drink, it indicates that they have not seen God's provision. It does not mean that God has not provided; it means they have not seen God's continuous provision. Perhaps this person already has a lot, but if they do not see God's provision, they will still worry.
The Israelites had already seen three times the harvest in the sixth year, but they did not see that this was God's provision; they thought it was the land producing, and did not recognize it as God's provision, so they worried.
Pagans worry because they do not know God, which is normal for them, but we are different. We understand that all things come from Christ, and all we need is in Christ. The heavenly Father knows our needs; when our focus is on God's kingdom and God's righteousness, faith and wisdom arise. With faith and wisdom on this earth, everything you need is not a problem.
Some say, “Is it really that easy?” In fact, it has always been like this; in every era, those who possess both faith and wisdom are not affected by that era. Just like in this era, when everyone says business is difficult and money is hard to earn, there are still many people thriving in this era. The wisdom they possess is something others cannot imitate; that is what is most powerful. God can also give you similar wisdom to solve your current worries.
So, dear family, you must seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. What does this mean? It means to focus your attention on heaven, on above; God's kingdom is the source of your supply. The earthly nation may experience famine and economic downturns, but that heavenly kingdom does not, and all your supplies come from that heavenly kingdom.
What does God's righteousness refer to? It refers to the righteousness of Jesus Christ. When Jesus shed His blood on the cross for our sins, His righteousness was given to us. We possess the righteousness of Christ, so the blessings of the kingdom of heaven will continuously flow down upon us, just as God promised the Israelites.
There will be two outcomes: the first, those who believe will receive, like Caleb, who and his descendants received and were blessed; the other group is the unbelieving Israelites, who fell dead in the wilderness. In fact, God was willing to give them, but they did not believe, so they ultimately did not receive.
We must overcome temptation with truth. The devil always hopes you do not believe in God, deny God, and doubt God, but we must place God's truth first. When you place God's truth first and believe that this truth is powerful, your behavior will naturally change. You will treat God's words as a priority every day, meditate on them, and read His words, for this is your source of strength, faith, and wisdom. You do not need me to emphasize this; you will willingly read the Bible and meditate on God's words because they will bring real help to your life, Amen. Some may say, “Even if I have faith, I still do not have food; what use is that? Can faith produce food? Do we survive by thoughts?” Well, let’s see what happened after Jesus overcame the devil's temptation with truth.
Matthew 4:11: Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
When the devil failed to tempt Jesus and Jesus saw through the devil's schemes, he left. The devil left Jesus, and angels came to attend to Him. Isn't that supplying Jesus' physical needs? Too many people, before God's provision arrives, try to find their own way, resulting in losing the best blessings.
Let’s look at a passage from Colossians 2:6-10:
6 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, 7 rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. 9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10 and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.
This passage is very important to us. Since you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, you must continue to live your lives in Him. A person who believes in Jesus knows that Jesus will supply us with everything; He will take responsibility for our lives and our living, so what should we do? We should follow Him, meaning do what Jesus says and do what Jesus does; this is following Him.
Being rooted and built up in Him means to meditate on God's words; do not always pay attention to what the world says. Even if many of the words spoken by the world seem reasonable, they are not worth your constant meditation. You should meditate on Christ's words because Christ's words will produce faith and strengthen your faith. What does it mean to be strong? It means that no one can shake you.
You see, when building a house, there will be load-bearing walls; those walls are immovable. If you shake it a little and the wall falls, it means that the building is not good and cannot be lived in. The meaning of strong faith is that no matter who shakes it, it cannot be shaken; this is called strong faith, Amen.
Just as you were taught, your heart of gratitude will also grow. When we continually receive God's teachings, our hearts of gratitude will keep growing; this is a virtuous cycle, how good it is! You continually receive God's teachings and experience His words, resulting in a constant outpouring of gratitude. Because you see God's power in your life, you see God's provision, and you will continually thank Him.
This is why some people, when they understand God's truth and experience God's words, are more willing to draw near to God; they will experience more of God's power, and their gratitude towards God will increase. Conversely, those who have not experienced will drift further away from God because they increasingly feel God's absence.
Verse 8 actually tells us the part we need to pay attention to; in the Bible, whenever it mentions being cautious, we must be cautious and not take it lightly. What does being cautious mean? It means being careful that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which refers to words that are not grounded; they sound grand but are actually useless, similar to self-help platitudes that seem comforting but are of no real use; this is called hollow and deceptive philosophy. However, God's words are not like this; God's words are real, Amen.
Not according to Christ, but according to human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world, they will take you captive. They do not take Christ's words as the standard but follow traditional words and the inheritance of the ancients. These may sound reasonable, but they do not align with the truth; we cannot believe them. Do not let these words influence you, taking you captive and making you feel, “What others say seems more useful than God's words.” Do not believe this.
Once you are taken captive, you will not receive God's promises, and these blessings will not come upon you. Why? Because all the fullness of the Deity lives in Christ in bodily form; this is why we must follow Christ's words, for all blessings are in Christ.
You have been brought to fullness in Him. Spiritually, God has already prepared these for you, Amen. At the moment you believed in Jesus, God transferred you to the kingdom of His beloved Son; you are in Christ. When you are in Christ, you are already spiritually abundant. Now you must hold on to God's truth and live by this truth.
When you bring this truth into your life, it becomes faith and wisdom, and this faith and wisdom will change your life and impact your life, Amen. Why? Because He is the head over every power and authority. Jesus is that head, the head over all things, Amen. May our brothers and sisters receive revelation through today's words and renew our thoughts and minds, allowing us to place Christ's truth first, which can change your life.
Let us pray together.
Heavenly Father, thank you and praise you. Thank you for helping us through today's words, so that when we encounter problems in life, we can overcome with truth. We need to rely on your words to live, especially when facing difficulties; your truth can produce faith and wisdom. We can also overcome all kinds of temptations through truth. We do not live by food alone; more importantly, your words will be our strength. Thank you and praise you.
A new week has begun, and I believe this week will be a blessed week. I am willing to let your truth become the standard of my life, to overcome with this truth in my life. I believe your words will produce power and allow me to witness your glory in my life through truth. All glory be to our Father in heaven. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray, Amen.