Who Does God Say You Are

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”- Matthew 4:4

Jesus faces down the temptation to disconnect from the Father’s love and fix his situation by recalling this verse from the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy. He remembers God’s word in scripture. And that word from scripture no doubt reminded Jesus of the most recent “word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Immediately before this scene of temptation in the desert, Jesus was at baptized in the Jordan River, and God spoke to him. What’s interesting about the Tempters three attacks on Jesus in the desert is that they line up exactly with the three blessings the Father spoke over Jesus at the baptism. It’s as if the Father knew what was coming and prepared Jesus specifically for the temptations he would face!

The first phrase that the Father spoke over Jesus was this: “You are my son.” There’s nothing Jesus could do to make himself more or less the Father’s son. It’s a statement of beingnot a statement of doing.Throughout this first temptation to fix things – to do something! – Jesus stayed grounded in that word from the mouth of God, that he was something. He was a beloved son, and that cannot be changed.

Over 80 times in the New Testament the scriptures tell us that we are ‘in Christ.’ That means that the Father’s blessing over Jesus is his blessing over us as well. God has prepared us for the temptations we face every day to focus on doing instead of being. So take some time and rest in your true identity as a son/daughter of God.

To rest in that true identity, pray through Psalm 46:10. Speak each line one at a time and reflect over it in silence for a few moments before moving on to the next line, emptying yourself of all distractions, and allowing your mind, heart and body to reconnect to the Father’s love.

Be still and know that I am God

Be still and know that I am

Be still and know 

Be still

Be