Please Note ~ As you progress through each affirmation, please have your Bible with you, and read each passage as you go, this way you might experience each word to its fullest extent. I recognize the readability is affected by all the references, but the reason for them is to point you back to the Bible for your own benefit.
A major part of spiritual growth is learning to fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim. 6:12). Our born-again beings, just like our physical bodies, have senses that must be fed, tested and exercised in order to grow fully in Christ (Heb. 5:11-14, 1 Tim. 4:6-8). The war for the soul of man lasts a lifetime, and the battle is every day (1 Pet. 2:11).
In Exodus 13:17, when Pharaoh finally lets the Israelites leave Egypt, God knew that the children of Israel would not be ready for war against the Philistines. He knew that they would rather return to Egypt (the house of bondage), so that they might rely on the Egyptians’ strength to fight the Philistines, instead of entrusting God to fight their battles for them. This would be “fighting evil with evil”, according to Romans 12:17, as both the Egyptians and Philistines were enemies of Israel. So, instead, God led them into the desert to wander in the wilderness for 40 years so that they would depend on Him, rather than their former masters.
The devil tries to steal away our present (John 10:10), by reminding us of our past disobedience and sins (Eph. 2:1-3), so that we sow to the flesh (Gal. 6:8) and reap corruption in the future. Even though it is hard, the reason for the “wilderness” is so that we can learn to fully hope and trust in God (Prov. 3:5) and not our own carnal nature which is susceptible to the devices of the devil (2 Cor. 2:11)
Ecclesiastes 3:2 states that there is a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what has already been planted. We are to pluck up and put to death the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-22), or our sinful habits, that feed the carnal man. These habits make him stronger and, in turn, weaken our new self in Christ (Eph. 4:24). Over time, we become backsliders at heart and reject Jesus Christ, as a result of a hardened heart (Rom. 2:5) or a debased mind (Rom. 1:28).
Matthew 4:4 is a great verse to keep in mind every day because it reminds us that, by continually feeding our new self with His Word (Matt. 6:25), we become spiritually mature and are able to discern between good and evil (Heb. 5:14), thus improving our future and our walk of faith in Jesus Christ.
More to come,
Michael Apa
(and thank you to my most beautiful wife, Meliah, for all her hard work on the web design and social media graphics)
