“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
Recently God has been showing me the importance of having a continual hunger for His Word so that I’m constantly feeding myself on His truths. In Deuteronomy 11:19, it says that we should constantly be meditating on God’s Word, day and night:
“Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
The Lord has put in me a deep desire to not only know His Word, but daily feed on it. Lately I’ve been trying to read a good bit of the Old Testament, the New Testament, the Psalms and the Proverbs every day. In general, it is important to read the Bible every day and I strive to do that, but recently I’ve been challenging myself to go deeper and truly fill myself with the Word in large portions. When I do this, I typically see a difference. I usually dive deeper in the Word when I’m getting ready to speak, but by doing this every day, I notice a difference in my life. When I’m filled up on God’s Word, it’s only natural that His truths come up in every conversation I have. While talking with others I’m reminded of a certain passage, verse, theme or story that I’ve just read that applies to the conversation. That’s God speaking to me; that’s Him filling my spirit with His Spirit. When I’m so full of spiritual food, it’s easy to share the abundance with others.
The other day I was on the phone with my friend and we were talking about how thankful we are for our strong friendship. It reminded me of the relationship David had with Jonathan in the Old Testament. Even though Jonathan’s father, Saul, was pursuing David to kill him, Jonathan stuck by his friend, even to the point of Jonathan helping David escape from his father’s pursuit! Then when Jonathan and Saul died in battle, David had the utmost respect for their family. This is just one example of how to see an earthly situation and equate it to a Biblical one.
You never know how far a small conversation with someone might go. Just one phone call or conversation can really bless someone in a time of need. When I think of all the conversations Jesus had with others during his ministry, I’m reminded of the talk he had with Nicodemus. At the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, when it was time for Him to be brought down from the cross, guess who was there? Nicodemus had been so impacted by his conversation with Jesus that he was by His side at the worst of moments.
By remaining in God’s Word, with a deep hunger for His truth to impact both my life and others, God has been showing up in amazing and powerful ways.
— Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints linebacker
The Increase, part of the Sports Spectrum Network, is a community of Christian pro athletes sharing their personal stories of the decrease of self and the increase of Christ (John 3:30). Visit TheIncrease.com for more stories and videos.
