Open Heavens 15 June 2015: Monday daily devotion THE BREAD OF STONE

THE BREAD OF STONE

Memorise: Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. - 1 Corinthians 6:13

Read: Matthew 4:1-4 (KJV)

1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

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.

Bible in One Year: 2 Kings 3:1-4:37; Luke 8:4-21

MESSAGE

Food is one of the earliest weapons the devil deployed to destroy humanity (Genesis 3:6). It’s amazing that he still succeeds in using this weapon to destroy the destinies of many. He even deployed this weapon against our Lord Jesus Christ. After our Lord had fasted for forty days and nights, naturally, He became hungry. The devil, sensing an opportunity, came to Him saying:

“If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.” Matthew 4:3b

Unlike the first Adam who fell for the enticement of Satan, Jesus overcame the devil by the word of God (Matthew 4:4). He used the arrow of Deuteronomy 8:3 against the devil. Thank God He knew the word; of course, He is the Word of God. Beloved, the bread of stone when eaten will never digest; so, beware of the bread of stone in whatever form it presents itself.

The bread of stone can come in any form. For example, after four years of joblessness as a first-class graduate, the devil may dangle an employment opportunity at you that require you sleeping with the personnel manager to secure the position. “Do it just once and get out of the labour market”, the devil may suggest. It is a bread of stone, don’t fall for it. It may also come in the form of a government minister or the secretary of a government establishment luring you to join their occult group to guarantee the steady flow of contracts. The devil may say “it is just a networking club”. Please don’t join, because if you do, you may be turning stone to bread to satisfy your hunger.

Remember the case of Esau. The Bible in Hebrew 11:16-17 says this about him:

“Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.”

Your adoption as a child of God guarantees you of meat, it is your birthright. Don’t allow anybody or any situation to steal that away from you. The devil will attempt to justify why you need to turn stone to bread to satisfy your hunger, but remember he is a liar. Such “bread” will never digest in your stomach; it will produce spiritual ulcer and death. May the Lord be with your soul as you wait patiently for God’s time and means to meet your needs.

Prayer Point: Father, grant me grace to counter the deceit of the devil whenever he comes around to tempt me. As Jesus overcame, help me to overcome also.