Jesus was sustained by the Word. (Matthew 4) So are we. We are not just brought to faith by the Spirit, we walk by the Spirit. We keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:25) We are not only brought to faith by the Word, we are sustained by the Word.
It seems to me that many of us who say we are followers of Jesus somehow have bought into the lie that once heaven is secure by faith in Jesus, we can navigate through life without the daily and personal sustanence of the Word of God recorded for us in the Bible. And since we have bought into this lie, we largely seek to get our sustenance from other places. We look to and depend on this list of places for our guidance, direction, encouragement:
personal insight/ wisdom,
friends' advice and counsel,
feelings,
special visions or experiences,
personal interpretation of circumstances,
media,
family of origin rules,
denominational historical documents,
traditions...
What others would you add to the list?
Don't misunderstand. All of these sources of sustenance alongside of and interpreted by the Word of God can be beneficial to our life in Jesus, but alone, apart from the Word of God, they can actually be damaging to our life in Jesus. Apart from the Bible they can give us a false sense of guidance and insure that we will actually be led "by the flesh."
The only sure way to be led by the Spirit; to keep in step with the Spirit, is to be sustained by the Word.
Watch Jesus in Matthew 4. What do you notice?
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