But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘ man shall not live on bread alone , but on every word  that proceeds out of the mouth of  God .'”

              Jesus was about to undergo a series of tests, and He knew going into the situation that it wouldn’t be easy. For forty days He would deny Himself the most basic human needs, and He would do so for the purpose of drawing on the Father’s strength. Why would Jesus, the Son of God, need to fast? Wasn’t He God in the flesh? Absolutely! The fact remains however, that He knew that to make it through, He would need to draw on God’s strength, and to truly accomplish this great task, He would have to deny Himself and make God His source of power.

              “I’m hungry!” If you’re like me, you say these words numerous times a day, and you never wait too long to satisfy the desire to eat. If you have children or grandchildren, you certainly hear these words even more often. We usually think of fasting as something foreign, or perhaps unnecessary in modern times. The fact is, this couldn’t be further from the truth. In this passage, Jesus was about to tempted by the devil. Sure, He is the Son of God, but in the flesh, He struggled with many of the same things we do. Jesus put on flesh so that He could be that perfect sacrifice God required to for humanity’s sins. Why fasting though?

              Jesus Fasted for the purpose of drawing nearer to God and drawing on God’s strength. He knew that He could never make it through these tests without it! He denied Himself food because He needed something more important: An uninhibited connection with God that only comes from denying oneself. Jesus knew that it wouldn’t be easy. He knew that He would be weak and hungry at the end of it all. He even knew that the lack of physical strength that comes from fasting would make these trials even harder. The most important thing He knew though, was that He would make it through with God’s strength, and so He didn’t need His own. So, what do you need to hand to God so that you can lean into His strength instead of relying on your own? Have you not realized that your own strength only leads you so far? Why not let go of the unimportant and grab hold of the most important. I can promise you that God’s strength will take you further than your own ever could.

~Pastor Jimmy