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“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
— Matthew 4:4
That is not a religious slogan. That is a statement of spiritual reality. According to Jesus, your life—your real life—does not depend primarily on physical food, but on the ongoing intake of the Word of God.
Let us look at what the Word of God says:
The central theme of this song—*Feeding the Soul*—is that the Word of God is not optional “religious information.” It is spiritual food. It is life. It is power. It is a sword. You cannot live a healthy spiritual life without feeding regularly, deliberately, and obediently on God’s Word.
When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, the issue was not just about hunger. It was about what sustains man. Satan said, “Turn these stones into bread.” Jesus replied with Scripture: “It is written.” In that reply He revealed a divine law: man’s life is sustained by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Many believers today are spiritually weak, confused, and easily defeated because they are spiritually malnourished. They are feeding their bodies and their emotions, but not feeding their spirits. This teaching is about feeding your soul with the only food that truly gives life: the living, Spirit-filled, powerful Word of God.
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### Matthew 4:4 – The Temptation in the Wilderness
Matthew 4:4 comes from the account of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11).
Jesus had fasted forty days and forty nights. Physically, He was hungry. At that moment of physical weakness, Satan came with a very reasonable suggestion: “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread” (Matthew 4:3).
The suggestion was not to do something obviously evil, but something apparently harmless. Eat. Satisfy your hunger. But Jesus refused. Why? Because the initiative was from Satan, and the method would place human need above divine obedience.
Jesus answered, “It is written”. That is His first weapon. He quotes from Deuteronomy 8:3:
> “…man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”
In Deuteronomy 8, Moses reminded Israel how God had humbled them in the wilderness, allowed them to hunger, and then fed them with manna. The purpose was to teach them that real life is not sustained by natural means alone, but by God’s spoken word.
Jesus, standing as the true Israel, the obedient Son, takes that Scripture and applies it directly to Himself—and to us.
### John 6:63 – The Words of Spirit and Life
In John chapter 6, Jesus has just fed the five thousand and then spoken about Himself as the “bread of life.” The crowd misunderstood Him. Many disciples found His teaching hard and offensive.
Then He says:
> “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit and they are life.”
> — John 6:63 (NKJV)
Again, He is emphasizing that true life is spiritual, not merely physical, and that this life is transmitted through His words—words filled with the Holy Spirit.
### Hebrews 4:12 – The Living, Powerful Word
Hebrews was written to Jewish believers facing persecution and tempted to fall back from Christ. The writer warns them not to harden their hearts as Israel did in the wilderness.
Then he says:
> “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two–edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
> — Hebrews 4:12 (NKJV)
The context is obedience to God’s voice. Israel heard, but did not combine what they heard with faith (Hebrews 4:2). Therefore they did not enter God’s rest. The writer stresses: you cannot hide from the scrutiny of God’s Word. It penetrates, it discerns, it judges.
So, Matthew 4:4, John 6:63, and Hebrews 4:12 together paint a unified picture:
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Let us focus on two key terms: “word” and “living”.
### 1. “Word” – *Rhema* and *Logos*
In Matthew 4:4, the phrase is:
> “but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
The Greek word here is ῥῆμα (*rhema*).
In contrast, John 1:1 uses λόγος (*logos*):
> “In the beginning was the Word (*Logos*)…”
*Logos* refers to the entire counsel, thought, and self-revelation of God, embodied in Christ.
For our theme:
We live not just by owning a Bible on a shelf (logos), but by receiving and obeying the rhema—God’s Word spoken, quickened, and applied to our situation.
### 2. “Living” – *Zōon* / *Zōē* and *Zōn*
In Hebrews 4:12, we read:
> “For the word of God is living and powerful…”
“Living” here is ζῶν (*zōn*), from ζάω (*zaō*), “to live, to be alive.” It is not static. It is active, energetic, functioning. The Word is not a dead letter. It contains life, and it transmits life.
In John 6:63, Jesus says:
> “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life (*zōē*).”
*Zōē* is the same root. It is the God-kind of life, not mere biological existence (*bios*), but spiritual, eternal, divine life.
So:
This deepens the lyrics’ meaning:
“Not bread alone, but His living word—it feeds our soul, it makes us whole.”
It is living because it contains the very life of God. It feeds because it is spiritual nourishment. It makes whole because it penetrates, discerns, and heals what is broken in the inner man.
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We will move through the main themes of the lyrics and connect them with Scripture.
### A. “Man shall not live on bread alone…”
> “Jesus answered,
> ‘It is written:
> Man shall not live on bread alone,
> but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
This opening stanza quotes Matthew 4:4 directly. It presents a fundamental contrast:
This is not a denial of the legitimacy of bread. Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us today our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). But He is establishing a priority: the spiritual over the physical.
Paul writes:
> “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
> — Romans 14:17 (NKJV)
The kingdom of God is not sustained by what sustains the physical body. It is sustained by the Word and the Spirit.
Whenever believers elevate physical needs, emotional comfort, or worldly security above the intake and obedience to God’s Word, they are reversing the divine order. The result is spiritual weakness and vulnerability to temptation—exactly what Satan intended in the wilderness.
### B. “We live by every word… it feeds our soul, it makes us whole.”
> “We live by every word
> that comes from the mouth of God.
> Not bread alone, but His living word—
> it feeds our soul, it makes us whole.”
Notice the emphasis: “every word.” Not selective, not occasional. The life of the believer is tethered to ongoing, comprehensive submission to God’s Word.
Psalm 119 repeatedly affirms this:
The lyrics say, “it feeds our soul, it makes us whole.” Here we see two vital functions of the Word:
1. Feeding the soul – The inner man (spirit and soul) requires sustenance. Peter appeals:
> “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.”
> — 1 Peter 2:2 (NKJV)
Growth is impossible without the Word. No word, no growth. Little word, little growth.
2. Making us whole – The Word is an instrument of healing and restoration. Psalm 107:20 says:
> “He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” (NKJV)
The Word not only informs—it heals, delivers, restores. Many believers seek healing or deliverance without realizing that the primary agent of God’s healing is often His Word, received, believed, and obeyed.
### C. “The words I have spoken to you are full of the Spirit and life…”
> “The words I have spoken to you
> are full of the Spirit and life.
> Every word I say to you is Spirit
> and brings true life.”
Here the lyrics reflect John 6:63. Jesus makes two critical statements:
Let us be clear: the flesh profits nothing. That means all purely human methods, intellect, effort, tradition, and religious activity without the Holy Spirit produce no spiritual life. They can stimulate, organize, or entertain, but they cannot impart *zōē*.
Where then is life? In the words of Jesus, which are:
This is why the apostles gave themselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4). They understood that life does not come from methods, but from the Word and the Spirit.
Whenever we expose ourselves to the words of Jesus—written in Scripture, illuminated by the Spirit—we are exposing ourselves to life-giving power. Every time you receive His words in faith, some measure of that divine life enters your inner being.
### D. “Your word is living, powerful, sharper than any sword…”
> “Your word is living, powerful,
> sharper than any sword—
> feed on it daily, live by it fully.”
This stanza alludes directly to Hebrews 4:12.
The Word is:
It penetrates “even to the division of soul and spirit.” Often, believers are confused because they cannot distinguish between what arises from their soul (mind, emotions, natural personality) and what arises from their spirit, regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
The Word performs spiritual surgery:
Many seek inner healing but resist this cutting work of the Word. However, there can be no true inner healing without the exposing, dividing, and discerning action of Scripture on the inner life.
The lyrics rightly apply this: “feed on it daily, live by it fully.” The Bible is not given merely for occasional reference, but for daily feeding and total obedience.
Jesus said:
> “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
> — John 8:31–32 (NKJV)
Notice the condition: “If you abide in My word…” Abiding means staying, living, remaining. Only then do we know the truth in an experiential way, and only then does it set us free.
### E. Spiritual Warfare and the Word
Although the lyrics do not explicitly mention warfare, Hebrews 4:12 and the concept of a “sword” bring us directly into that realm.
Paul says:
> “And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
> — Ephesians 6:17 (NKJV)
Again, the word used is *rhema*. The sword of the Spirit is not a closed Bible on your table. It is the Word of God spoken out of your mouth in the power of the Holy Spirit, in direct confrontation with the enemy.
This is exactly what Jesus modeled in Matthew 4:
That is spiritual warfare in its purest form: the righteousness of Christ, armed with the Word, empowered by the Spirit, resisting the devil.
Therefore:
A believer who does not daily feed on Scripture is like a soldier going to battle without his sword and without food. He will be both weak and weaponless.
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We must move from theory to practice. How do we actually “feed our soul” on the Word so that it makes us whole?
### 1. First, We Must Acknowledge Our Dependence on the Word
You must accept God’s verdict: you do not live by bread alone. Your spiritual health, your victory over sin, your discernment, your peace, your growth—all depend on your relationship to God’s Word.
Proclamation you can make:
> “Lord, I confess that I do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from Your mouth. Your Word is more necessary to me than my daily food.”
Job said:
> “I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.”
> — Job 23:12 (NKJV)
Make this your attitude. Place the Word above natural food, above entertainment, above human opinion.
### 2. Second, We Must Feed Daily and Systematically
The lyrics say, “feed on it daily, live by it fully.” This requires discipline.
Practical steps:
Joshua 1:8 gives God’s success formula:
> “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night… For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (NKJV)
Notice:
### 3. Third, We Must Obey the Word We Receive
Life does not flow from hearing alone, but from hearing and doing.
James 1:22:
> “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (NKJV)
Deception enters when we listen, agree, and yet do not obey. The same Word that should heal and deliver then becomes a witness against us.
Whenever the Spirit highlights a verse, a command, a warning, or a promise, respond:
Obedience turns Word into experience. It is in obeying that the Word “makes us whole.”
### 4. Fourth, We Must Speak the Word in Faith
To overcome in spiritual warfare and to experience the Word as a sharp sword, we must not only read it but also speak it.
Romans 10:8–10:
> “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart… if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart…” (NKJV)
The pattern is clear: the Word in the heart and in the mouth. Faith is released when we believe with the heart and confess with the mouth.
Derek Prince often used declarations like this: “I overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of my testimony, and I do not love my life to the death” (Revelation 12:11 personalized).
This is how we wield the sword of the Spirit—by speaking the rhema of God.
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### Proclamation
Make this proclamation aloud, thoughtfully and deliberately:
> **I affirm that I do not live by bread alone,
> but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
> The words of Jesus are spirit and they are life to me.
> The Word of God is living and powerful in my life,
> sharper than any two–edged sword,
> piercing to the division of my soul and my spirit,
> discerning the thoughts and intentions of my heart.
> I choose to feed daily on God’s living Word.
> His Word feeds my soul and makes me whole.
> I submit my mind, my emotions, and my will
> to the authority of Scripture.
> I receive God’s Word as spiritual food, as healing,
> as deliverance, and as a weapon of warfare.
> By the Word and the Spirit, I choose life,
> and I walk in the freedom and fullness
> that God has provided for me in Christ.
> In Jesus’ name, amen.**
### Prayer
Lord God,
I thank You for Your living, powerful Word. I confess that many times I have tried to live on bread alone—on natural strength, human wisdom, and earthly provision. I repent of neglecting Your Word. I choose today to submit to Your Word as my final authority and my daily food.
Holy Spirit, breathe upon the Scriptures as I read. Turn the written Word into a living rhema in my heart. Use Your Word to expose what is false in me, to heal what is broken, to deliver me from every bondage, and to equip me for every battle.
Lord Jesus, You are the living Word made flesh. Let Your words, which are spirit and life, saturate my inner being. Teach me to feed on Your Word daily, to obey it fully, and to speak it boldly. May Your Word truly feed my soul and make me whole.
I ask this in the name of Jesus, the Living Word.
Amen.
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