And [God] humbled you and allowed you to hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you recognize and personally know that man does not live by bread only, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. … Know also in your [minds and] hearts that, as a man disciplines and instructs his son, so the Lord your God disciplines and instructs you. (Deuteronomy 8:3, 5 AMPC)
God allows us to be humbled and hungry so that we can learn that He is our only source. Proud people will not open their hearts and minds to learn because they see themselves as know-it-alls.
Because He loves us, God humbles us. If we will yield, we can learn from God and grow in intimacy with Him. “Know also in your minds and hearts that, as a man disciplines and instructs his son, so the Lord your God disciplines and instructs you” (Deuteronomy 8:5). But the proud are deprived of all of these blessings.
Verses 11-20 add a warning about forgetfulness. Success tends to make us think we have accomplished something in our own power, which stokes our pride. Twice we are told to “beware”…
…of forgetting that God is our Provider
…of thinking we are our own provider
Humility keeps us dependent on God and increasingly intimate with Him. Pride pushes God away.
Check out my series of posts about forgetfulness called Fading Gratitude.
At the end of your rope … down for the count … nothing but gray skies all around … unable to see any light at the end of the long, dark tunnel. Ever been there? The reality is, we all have been there.
But the good news is that we don’t have to stay there!
God is always at work to turn our apparent no-win, dark, hopeless situations into something bright and glorious! He is working in ways that no human mind could have dreamed up, and working on our behalf in a way no human power could ever hope to rival.
God specializes in turning grief into joy!
We are approaching the time of year where we remember the death of Jesus. Without a doubt that was the darkest, most grief-stricken day in all of history. Yet that time of mourning was completely forgotten in the overwhelming joy that exploded from an empty tomb on Resurrection Sunday!
Please join me at Calvary Assembly of God for this hope-filled series as we learn how God is at work in all of our grief-darkened circumstances to bring about something gloriously joyful!
Follow along with all the messages in this series:
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
The apostle Paul begins a lengthy series of commands for Christians with a simple statement: “Love must be sincere” (Romans 12:9).
Let’s define a couple of those key words. “Love” (Greek: agape) is not self-focused but others-serving. And “sincere” (anypokritos) means genuine, not hypocritical; or as the Amplified Bible says, “a real thing.”
Love is the motivating force for us to be able to carry out every one of the commands listed in verses 9-21 with God-honoring sincerity.
Love clings to what is good and drives away evil
Love is devoted to God and to its neighbor
Love honors others more than itself
Love is zealous
Love serves God in everything
Love is joyful in hope
Love is patient in affliction
Love is faithful in prayer
Love is hospitable to its neighbors
Love blesses persecutors
Love rejoices with those who rejoice
Love mourns with those who mourn
Love finds a way to live in harmony with others
Love is not proud
Love never repays evil for evil
Love always does what is right
Love lives at peace with everyone
Love doesn’t seek revenge
Love serves its enemies
Love overcomes evil with good
This is a great list—a lofty, noble, Christ-glorifying list!
How do I know if I am fulfilling these mandates? Quite simply, I could ask myself, “What does it sound like if I replace the word ‘love’ in those statements with my own name?” Do each of those statements sound accurate if I do that?
If not, that means I need to continue to offer my body as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1) so that the Holy Spirit can continue to sanctify me.
Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
Listen to these words of instruction Moses gave the Israelites—
A people great and tall, the sons of the Anakim, whom you know and of whom you have heard it said, “Who can stand before the sons of Anak?” Know therefore this day that the Lord your God is He Who goes over before you as a devouring fire. He will destroy them and bring them down before you; so you shall dispossess them and make them perish quickly, as the Lord has promised you. (Deuteronomy 9:2-3 AMPC)
With those encouraging words, Moses readied the Israelites to go into the Promised Land for a second time. The first time ended disastrously, as the people ran away in fear of these giants.
What gigantic problems might you be facing? Maybe you’re facing them again and again?
that addiction that’s always there?
that temptation that always seems to pull you down?
that depression that turns your whole world dark?
that satanic attack at the most inopportune times?
that relationship that seems to wreck every family get-together?
that monstrous financial debt that overshadows everything?
There’s no doubt about it: Those problems are gigantic!
It feels like they’re crushing you. It feels like they’re undefeatable.
That’s because they are.
Let me be more clear: YOU cannot defeat them on your own.
But listen again to what God said through Moses, “I will defeat them, I will subdue them, so that you can finish them off.”
James says it this way, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
The devil isn’t scared of you. The gigantic problems looming over you don’t tremble at your name. But every knee must bow to the King of kings. Every problem must crumble and give way before the Lord of lords!
Don’t try to tackle these giants on your own. Instead, submit to God. What plan does He have for this battle? What has He already spoken to you in the Scripture that will give you assurance of His victory?
I love this photo from We Lost Kings. The caption says—
“To defeat the obstacles before us requires more than mere strength—it demands a deliberate strategy. A man must approach his trials with discernment, understanding that raw power alone rarely conquers what lies ahead. Strategy calls us not to rush headlong, but to see clearly, to step wisely, and to strike with purpose. Every obstacle is a lesson in mastery, and every victory a testimony to the power of wisdom applied.”
It’s not your muscle or smarts or sheer determination that will overcome your gigantic problems. But your invincible, undefeated, and undefeatable God will knock every giant down to size, setting you up for the inevitable victory.
Kneel before God. Listen to His voice. Feel His power. Then—and only then—can you step forward in assured victory!
And [God] humbled you and allowed you to hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you recognize and personally know that man does not live by bread only, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. … Know also in your [minds and] hearts that, as a man disciplines and instructs his son, so the Lord your God disciplines and instructs you. (Deuteronomy 8:3, 5 AMPC)
Craig T. Owens 