This July, I’m challenging myself to share one specific lesson from my daily quiet time each day—31 lessons in 31 days.
I started by capturing these lessons in videos, but I realized I prefer reading my writings to re-watching my videos. So, I’ve decided to switch to writing. This way, I can easily come back and reflect on these lessons long after July has ended.
My goal is to have all 31 lessons posted by July 31. I pray they encourage, strengthen, and build your faith just as they have mine.
Here Lesson #!1
Text: Matthew 4:1-11
4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted there by the devil. 2 For forty days and forty nights he fasted and became very hungry. During that time the devil[a] came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’[c]”
7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’[d]”
8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me.”
10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’[e]”
11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.
There is so much to learn from Jesus’ encounter with the devil but today we would glean just a few lessons that I believe would help us win and establish our victory on the earth.
The first thing I notice is that this warfare was a battle of words. Jesus never responded to the enemy with silence. Every time the devil spoke, Jesus answered. He continued to respond with the Word of God until, as the Bible records, “Then the devil left Him.”
This reveals an important truth: we win with words. Not just any words, but the consistent declaration of God’s Word until victory is established. If victory comes through God’s Word spoken in faith, then it follows that a believer who neglects to declare and speak God’s Word is forfeiting one of the primary weapons God has given for overcoming the enemy.
I remember a day, when I felt like I was being bombarded with negative thoughts and circumstances, the Holy Spirit whispered to my heart, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21)—not in the hands of the devil. He said this to remind me of the power in speaking and declaring God’s word. This truth strengthened me to rise and begin to declare the Word, knowing that it was key to my victory.
I was reminded once again that if we allow the enemy to keep speaking while we remain silent, we give room for the death and destruction he seeks to bring, because that is all he has to offer. But Jesus came that we might have life, and have it abundantly. Yet our experience of that abundant life is closely connected to our words. To experience life, we must learn to speak life, especially in moments of warfare when the enemy assaults our minds with lies and negative thoughts.
Jesus overcame by speaking the Word. We, too, overcome by speaking the Word. He continued to declare God’s truth until the devil left Him. In the same way, don’t stop speaking God’s Word until what is established in heaven is manifested on earth. Keep declaring His promises until it is on earth as it is in heaven.
