The Lord Said

Benedict XVI said, "Christians enter the Lenten desert in spirit in order to face with Jesus the fight against the spirit of evil." We know that the desert brings forth the struggle, the evil, within ourselves. Have you ever felt that you were your own worst enemy? Many times we are.

This was the big temptation. Satan said to Jesus, "If you are the Son of God..." That is interesting isn't it? "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread!" And Jesus responded, "It is written; one does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God." There is a lot there. I encourage you to take that to heart. Take it to prayer yourself and see what God reveals to you.

First of all, Jesus often says, "It is written". One of the reasons, and there are others, that we encourage people to journal is because then it is written. We have it into the light. We have whatever words we are saying right there. It is written. Then the dialog begins and whatever we understand in prayer, we write that down too. It is a tremendous safeguard against the enemy because he will try to bring forth doubts, tremendous doubts. He will try to say to us what he said to Eve, "Did God really say that?" Or, "Have you ever wondered...." And before you know it, you are thinking, "I thought He said.... but maybe I misunderstood the meaning of it..." This can go on and on. But if it is written, we just flip back through our journals on such and such a date and there it is. "It is written! God said!

I think it is interesting that Jesus said, "We do not live by bread alone but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God". That is very interesting. That is excellent discernment, but of course, Jesus is the discerner. Now, satan was quoting scripture in the desert; he knows scripture and he knows that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He also knows that we are not always aware of that. He cannot change God's word, but he will try to change our belief in that word.

We must always remember the beautiful indwelling presence, that He who is within us is greater than he who is in the world. Still, we must be able to discern, "Is this word from God?" People can quote scripture and think that because it is scripture that it was God's word for them at this moment. This is not always the case. Have you ever heard that? Scripture is quoted but it is not the Lord at that time? It is not coming from the mouth of God, even though it is His word.

Jesus saw that the word that was being spoken was not being spoken from the mouth of God. We need good discernment. We have to be very, very careful whenever we ourselves say, "The Lord said." We very rarely use that phrase. We have to be careful that we are not dogmatic in that area. We must always maintain an element of humility. It always has to be tested. The fruit of it will tell you if it is from the Lord.

I think only once in my life have I ever said, "the Lord said" and it had to do with Bellwether, our formation center in Omaha. This man that was going to buy it for us and there is a piece of property that is attached to it. We really wanted that piece of property because we would not have been able to go between the two houses without that particular piece of property. We met with the real estate people who said that this piece of property was not for sale. The gentleman who was going to buy the property for us said, "Why do you think you have to have that piece of property. It isn't for sale." Well, that was the first time, as I said, that I have ever said, "Because the Lord said." You could have heard a pin drop! Everybody just sat and looked at their shoes. "The Lord said!" Silence was reigning and it seemed like an eternity to me. Then, this gentleman said to the real estate people, "Then bid for that piece of property because the Lord said". So must be sure that what we are saying, or hearing, is coming from the mouth of God.

There was the big temptation there in the desert. The enemy said, "If you are the Son of God." Jesus is the Son of God and yet He did not turn those stones into bread. That same temptation came at Calvary. Those of you that saw "The Passion of the Christ" may remember it. Once again satan tried to use that kind of temptation, that kind of suffering. "If you are the Son of God, come down off the Cross". "If you are..." Well, He was.

The enemy will try it with you as well. "If you are a child of God, you don't have to take this. You don't have to take that. Come off the Cross!" Why did Jesus not succumb to the temptation? Because it was not the nails that held him to the Cross; It was love. There is nothing as powerful as love. Jesus tells us, "Man does not live by bread alone". He is not saying that you cannot have bread, but not bread alone, not things that are natural, not things of the world. He said, "We must live by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God."

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