4 But He answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” ~ Matthew 4:4
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, ~ Ephesians 6:10-18
No matter how long or how short of a time my dog is outside, as soon as she comes in, she checks one of two things immediately. If she heard, saw, or smelled one of us in the kitchen or eating food of any kind, she checks her snack bowl to see if someone gave her something. She could’ve just finished eating, and it wouldn’t matter. She’s checking for food. The other thing she checks is the front window that can see the door, driveway, lawn, etc. These are the two things she checks, without fail, as she comes inside. Food and security. How many of us can say the same thing? How often do we check our own spiritual food and security?
Paul tells us that we are in a spiritual war, whether we like it or not. Whether we signed up or not. We are each born into a spiritual war. That means that in order to even begin to fight back in this spiritual war, we need a spiritual weapon, we need armor to protect ourselves. How do we obtain armor? By feeding our spirit and starving our flesh. When we feed our spirit, we strengthen our faith, righteousness, and our connection/relationship with God. How do we do this? By reading, studying, meditating on, and putting into practice the Word of God.
When we learn the Word of God, it begins to change us. It begins to strengthen our faith because we learn who God is through His Word. He didn’t leave us here to figure things out by ourselves. To just guess and each one deciding what is right and wrong in their own eyes. No. God has given us the tools, plans, and Words from His very own lips in order to help us find Him. So, dwell in the Word and put on the armor, so that this war might not overtake you.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Seek Food And Security.