But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”
Matthew 4:4 NKJV
There is such a beautiful hidden message within this Scripture for our understanding. The bible is often called the ‘bread of life’ because it contains spiritual food and nourishment for our spiritual growth and development. In addition to this, the words of Jesus give us life. Jesus tells us that He is the bread of life (John 6:35) and we know that He gives us life when we come to Him, turn away from our sins and obey all that He has commanded us.
I believe that the hidden message within this Scripture (Matthew 4:4) as the Holy Spirit has revealed it to me is that man cannot live by bread (the written word of God) alone, but also by every word or utterance that comes to us through His Holy Spirit.
Reading the bible is important and the Lord does speak to us through His Word to give us messages, guidance or instructions. But God also speaks to His people in other ways, therefore we should always be attentive to what the Holy Spirit wants to tell us. We know that God can speak to us through things like dreams, visions, pictures, signs and wonders, our thoughts, songs, and even through hearing and recognizing His voice when He speaks to us. Just as His written word gives us instructions or messages, God speaks to us in other ways for the same purposes. Sometimes the things God shows us can be specific answers to our prayers or even confirmation of something we have been asking Him for.
I would like to share with you 2 examples of what this can look based upon my personal experiences.
- A few days ago, while I was reading the bible the Lord spoke directly into my heart. But what He spoke into my heart had absolutely nothing to do with what I was reading. Even so, I knew wholeheartedly that the message I received in my heart was from Him. Thank You Lord! God in His faithfulness will help us to know if the message is from Him, but if we are uncertain, we can ask Him to send us confirmation. I have asked God many times to send me confirmation on certain matters, and I have experienced how He does so with love and patience.
2. The other way the Holy Spirit spoke to me that day was through a picture He gave me in my mind while I was driving. With the picture, He immediately gave me the understanding of what the picture meant. Again, I knew the picture was from Him and I was so grateful, because this picture was a direct answer to my prayer from the previous day, when I had asked God to give me faith in a certain area of my life. The understanding of the picture instantly gave me the faith I needed. Thank You Jesus!
I pray this message will encourage all of us to cultivate a close intimate relationship with the Lord through His Holy Spirit. I will always encourage my brothers and sisters to read God’s word for yourself, because God’s primary way (I believe) of speaking to His people will always be through His written word. God’s voice sounds like His Word. I believe that we learn to hear and recognize God’s voice when we spend time with Him in His written word and in prayer. However, we know that God can choose to give us a message any way He chooses.
We may go through times of doubt or uncertainty as to whether or not we accurately hear God’s voice. I’ve been there myself, so I’d like to encourage you with these last words:
- We have a promise from the written word of God. Jesus promises us that if we are His sheep, we hear His voice – so we can stand on this promise.
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
John 10:27 NKJV
2. In all things we can pray for discernment and confirmation. God is patient and loving towards us, so He will not be offended if we ask Him for these things. Based on my personal experience, He delights to show us His faithfulness. Thank You Lord Jesus.
I pray this message will bless and encourage you in Jesus’ precious name.
Until next time – God bless!