Introduction

This chapter is very iportant. Why? It talks about the response Jesus gave to Satan.

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)

After hearing this, many people still believe they need to have a lot of money, and food to live. I must tell you today that we live on every word that comes from the mouth of God!

Therefore, the main subject of this chapter is that we live on every word that comes from the mouth of God! It may sound easy but not as easy as you think. It's easy only when you believe! You may wonder that even if you don't, you are still alive. However, believe it or not, determines the quality of your life.

Here we need to underscore "every word". If you read the Bible carefully, you will realise the importance. Just imagine you park your car somewhere you aren't supposed to, you have gone through the red light when you aren't supposed to, have you broken the law? Even if it's a minor offence, it does not negate the fact that you have broken the law. Some people just believe they won't get caught, and nothing will happen to them. What would happen if you go through the red light every day? Bad things will eventually happen. Traffic rule does not aim to restrict the freedom of a driver, but to keep people safe.

Recently, we have got a few brothers and sisters who are preparing for their driving test. I showed them a video of a road accident that had caused death. There was a slow driver on the motorway on the outside lane which was supposed to be a fast lane, then a lorry came after and could not brake. As a result, it ended up in a tragic accident. This is a consequence of not abiding by the highway code. I am a very good driver and always follow the rules. Once, I borrowed a car from one of my friends, I was very cautious on the road. I made sure I did the exact speed in the 30mph zone or 60 mph zone. I made sure I went beyond and above to follow the law. Why? I don’t want to cause any accidents or kill someone. Brothers and sisters, God created a series of laws and commands for us to follow. If you break one of the rules, it may not be that serious, but it means you have not followed every rule that was created by God. We must follow every rule that was commanded by God. We must be clear to ourselves that we live on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Building a Complete Logic System

God loves us! A while ago, I racked my brain in an attempt to find out what it meant by “every word”. How could I remember “every word” of God? Later on, I discovered that the word of God meant a complete logic system. I was angry because I realised many of our brothers and sisters were not smart. I was stressed so I asked God what I should do to make them more intelligent. I soon found that I shall impart smart logic to them so they will understand how to think and make smart decisions. If you don’t have a logic system within your brain, then you will be lost in your life. On the other hand, if you have a logic system built inside you, you will know what you want in your life, and you will thrive.

If you pay close attention to the Art of War, and follow the logic and strategies written in the book, you will win the war. Every word that comes from the mouth of God is a complete system. Some of these are a foundation, and may not weigh that much. Some, however, are of paramount importance. You could easily become one of the Pharisees if you don’t have a full understanding of the word of God. And you will get held tight onto something trivial. Therefore, we must get smart at the word of God and know how to apply the logic in our life.

It's almost natural for me to give advice to people and yield good results. I am often asked how I do it. It's because I have established a comprehensive logic system so I can deal with all sorts of things very well. Whether you are going to be cheated or not depends on your thought process.

I later asked the Lord, " How can I learn every word?" I finally got it! We must have a logic system within us. It's just like building a house, we need the foundation, supporting beans, pillars, and dividing walls. Do you know why architects always build sound properties? Simply because they have studied hard and understood the ins and outs of the entire process. A while ago, I heard a joke and killed myself laughing. Someone built a 27-storey building but forgot to install the lift after all the work was done! How ridiculous is that?

What is the most important part of developing a logic system? God loves us! When you believe God loves you, your shepherd loves you, and everything they say is for your benefit, then you will not feel being accused of.

I spoke to a sister a while ago, whom I have been ministering to for the last three years. She still says the same things as she did three years ago. She has a string of accusations popping out of her. She says, "As soon as I listen to your Bible study, I have a feeling of being accused of." For example, it says in the book of Deuteronomy that some people were destroyed by God, and some survived. She felt she was one of them. But can you feel a sense of accusation here? Don't you know that God loves you? The Lord our God brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm! Why can't God discipline you or test you?

Dear brothers and sisters, we must know that our church is connected with love. Since day one, we have had a clear vision, we will never participate in anything to do with street protest, we will not cause trouble. My teaching is very strict with high standards. Do you know why? Because we live on every word that comes from the mouth of God. This is the command that comes from God. We must know by now that God is love, so there is no reason why He would harm us! Some people are like the Israelites in the wilderness, they complained about every petty thing.

It doesn't matter if it's in the New Testament or the Old Testament, what you believe in is what you will get. If you believe God is a bad God, what you receive is going to be bad. It's not because our God is bad, it's because what you have perceived is negative. We must abolish such false perceptions. Do you know the love of Christ is wide and long and high and deep? Why do we have a polarised reception of God? I firmly believe God loves me, everything I receive is love and kindness. You believe God is evil, everything you receive is evil. We cannot reflect on the environment, we must reflect what’s inside us. What you receive is what you believe.

Moses spent forty years in the wilderness eating manna, did he complain? Moses, Joshua, and Caleb were victims of the lie about the land of Cannan. As a result, they had to stay in the wilderness with the rest of the Israelites for forty years. If we were in that situation, we would have moaned every second. However, they did not say a word, as they believed that God wanted to train them, kept them hungry to let them know that man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. And it was a preparation for them to enter the promised land.

Man Shall not Live on Feelings

Some people don’t understand that man lives on every word that comes from the mouth of God. No matter how much they have been through in the wilderness, they live by their feelings. They may think their feelings are very accurate. One thing they don’t know is that their inner feelings could easily kill them off. We must know that there is nowhere in the Bible says that man shall live on their feelings. There was a girl who came to see me and wished to be trained in our church. Then she soon left, because she had her own church at that time, then came back again. She went back and forth a few times. I didn't know what she was doing, and she must have thought I was at her disposal. I did not have time to waste on her. Do you know why? Many churches don’t know how to test their church members. If you come to our church, one thing I can assure you is that you will have to go through a multitude of tests. I have trained many team leaders who will do the same. As a result, you will be tested on many things, they will tell you off, and take you to task when you are wrong. All these are the means to test whether you believe we live on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Don’t think that I am a mean person because I know what I am doing. Just like what it says in the New Testament that we need to build a victorious church! A church that can proclaim freedom for the prisoners and set the oppressed free. Yes, I do work and I do make money and I live my daily life, I however know very well that I live on every word that comes from the mouth of God! The key message of the New Testament is building a victorious church. But what do we need to do? And how to do it? Well, if you don't share the same vision as what we set out to do, you have the choices to go anywhere you wish after you have been set free. I don't need someone who doesn't share the same vision. I will not pressurise you to do something you don't want.

God's Desire is for us to Live Long and Well

We must know that the Lord our God wants us to live well. If you don't know this, then how could you commit to Him? The tests in the wilderness will help you find out whether you are the real deal. Tere was no water in the wilderness. It came out of the rock after striking it three times. It was bitter to start with, then the Lord told Moses to throw a piece of wood into the water and it became fit to drink. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, you have to know that every word that comes from the mouth of God will resolve any problem in our life! We only live for that! This is not my word but it is black and white in the Bible. Even if we have to stay in the wilderness for forty years, it will not change anything! We still live on every word that comes from the mouth of God!

They ate manna in the wilderness, there was no food, but God provided. It was not because they deserved to have the food, it was given to them. During these forty years, their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell. Don’t you think it was crazy? Although they were in the wilderness to accept necessary tests, God provided water from the rock, fed them with manna when no food was around. Do you know why? This was because God wanted us to know that we lived on every word that comes from the mouth of God! Their feet should have been swollen while walking, but they did not. It was not because of you. It was because of the word of God!

Keep His Commands and Follow Them

Don’t ever think that God wants to harm you, He wants to discipline you, He wants you to observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to Him and revering Him. Have you ever thought about what happened in the wilderness? And where did all problems come from? Today, I will give you the answer and the answer is we need to go and fight! We are not fighting against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the power of this dark world, and the spiritual force of evil in the heavenly realms. This is the definition of fighting in the New Testament. The reason why we don’t have a prosperous life is because of the dark force. That’s why we need to fight against the spiritual force of evil in the heavenly realms.

Wandering in the wilderness for 38 years was not part of God’s plan, it was a consequence of disbelieving in God. Under normal circumstances, it would only take two years to enter the land of Cannan. But where were those people who did not believe in God? They were all killed by God! At the time when Moses was writing the book of Deuteronomy, the whole generation who came out of Egypt and were twenty years old or more were all gone because they did evil in the eyes of God. We must be able to tell good from evil. We must not blame our God for disciplining us. He showed us the consequence of not following His commands. If we don't believe in Him, the only way out is death! Observing the commands of the Lord your God, and how you react to the tests faced in the wilderness is a great way of showing your true colour!

My father was very strict when I was a child, even though I was very good and very rarely made mistakes. Once I skived off school and was belted by him as a result. I never held any grudge against him, because I knew he loved me very much and wanted me to do well in my life. Since then, I studied hard and managed to get into Beihang University. I continued with the same attitude throughout my life. My father disciplined me because he wanted me to live a prosperous life.

I know many people hold grudges after being disciplined. The first thing that comes to their mind is negativity and self-accusation. You must tell yourself that life in the wilderness is a consequence of your own choice, no one has forced it upon you. None of those who died in the wilderness came to God and repent. If they did, I believe God would have let them enter the promised land the same as Joshua and Caleb.

I went to Israel many years ago. It looked barren and desolate. I did not think it was as good as what I presumed. However, the strange thing is that it produces the best dates and grapes in the world. We can't judge a book by its cover. Just like in the northeaste of China, the home of black soil that is so fertile and yields the best crops in China. I think northeast China is much better than Israel. But I do believe Israel is the best place in the world because it is the land of milk and honey.

For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. (Deuteronomy 8:7-9)

Do you know why every country wants to take control of Diaoyu Island, also known as the Pinnacle Islands? It's because of the rich oil reserves underneath the island. Don't be fooled by its barren terrain. Likewise, we cannot judge anything by its look. The most important thing for us in our life is to know that what God has prepared for us is what no eyes had seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived.

However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” — the things God has prepared for those who love him— (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Today, I am going to encourage all of you to make a decision: we firmly believe what God has prepared for us is good. He will never harm us. No matter what kind of situations we are in, we just believe He wants us to enter the Promised Land, not the wilderness. Although we have to go through the wilderness, the Red Sea, but this is not His plan. His plan is for us to live well forever.

Don’t Forget His Grace, Serving Him When You are in Abundance

Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. (Deuteronomy 8:11-14)

We need to reiterate the testimonies from our brothers and sisters! It's never enough to repeat what our Lord has done for us! Not only do we share new testimonies, but also remind ourselves of what we have experienced from the Lord. Therefore, we shall never forget our God! All these are to make us understand that we don't live on bread alone, but every word that comes from the mouth of our Lord!

Do not turn back! March forward! We must not forget the Lord our God when we are satisfied. Don't ever think that your wealth is produced by your hands and become so proud. It's very easy for us to rely on wealth, thinking it's our strength that produces the wealth, then forget about our God. But remember that our God gives us the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to our ancestors, as it is today.

But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8:18)

What would you do when your life is satisfied? It's crystal clear in the book of Deuteronomy stating that when you are satisfied, you are not willing to serve the Lord your God, you will serve the enemies that are sent by God, and you will be destroyed. We must engrave this in our heart that if we forget the Lord our God, we will be destroyed! If we fail to follow His commands, we will be destroyed!

Our attitude towards our God, when we are satisfied, is critical. I'm grateful that I always want to serve our God, no matter whether I was in a good or bad situation. When I was a leader in the Bible study team, I helped people and ministered to them with all my heart and with my soul, and strength. Even when I was working at the university, I tried my best to help as many students as I could. I had never wanted anything back from them. I only know one thing that we live on every word that comes from the mouth of God. He is the reason why I am here! He is everything that I live for! I trust in Him in everything I do! So I can live a prosperous life!

Don't be fooled into believing that God is Father Christmas! From what I have read in the Bible, I have never come across such an impression of Father Christmas, and you can get away with anything, no consequence attached. All I can see is that if you follow every command that is given by the Lord, He will bless you in abundance. If you disobey His commands, follow other gods, and worship them, you will surely be destroyed!

My brothers and sisters, after learning all these, do you understand the word of God? To be destroyed or be blessed, that is the choice we need to make. I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses to convince you to choose blessings, not misery; to choose life, not death. We shall never forget that man does not live on bread alone, but every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord!

Amen!