Matthew 4:1–4 – “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The temper came to him and said, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.’ Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every words that comes from the mouth of God.’ “

Knowing that Jesus was hungry, Satan tempted Him with bread. Satan always use our situation to tempt us. What is our situation? Are you sick? Satan can start telling you, “That sickness you have, remember they have died from that sickness” or, “That sickness you are in is a generational curse; it was what killed your grandmother.” Maybe your marriage is a bit delayed. Satan will tell you, “Your senior brother had the same situation.” “Remember, no one in your family has ever got to a certain position. That’s why you have not got there.” Satan uses our situation to distract us from running the straight race with God.

You want to be faithful to God, you want to be kind, you want to be honest. But this situation does not allow you. You know you are created for the glory of God. You know the right thing is to live for God but because of your situation, you keep lying. Today, you are born again but next time there is an altar call, you will come out and say that you want to rededicate yourself.

“Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every words that comes from the mouth of God’ “ (Matthew 4:4).

Jesus’ answer here implies, “I may be hungry but I am not anxious for food.” The problem we have now is that we are anxious. When you are poor and anxiously in need of blessing, you will not mind the source of your supply. Whether it is from God or Satan, you will take it.

The steps of a good man are led by God and He is happy in his way. We fail to understand that a man may be poor and yet be a friend of God. A man may want bread and yet be a candidate of Heaven. A man may be sick in body and yet be a favourite of Heaven. You should not let your condition misled you, i.e you should not be misled by your condition.

The mind of a man plans his way but the Lord shows him what to do. The rich must not concentrate on their wealth while the poor should not concentrate on their poverty. The sick should not concentrate on their sickness if they want to serve God in truth and faith. Look around you. How many ministers are here? How many presidents are here? How many governors are here? They are too busy.

But when they were looking for that position, they were not busy. The rich must not concentrate on their wealth while the poor should not concentrate on their poverty. The sick should not concentrate on their sickness if they want to serve God in truth and faith.

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set  your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:1–3).

If you seek those things that are above, no matter the situation you are in, it will not break your joy because the Bible says in John 14:27 — “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

The peace that God gives is put for all good. Everything about it is good – not the kind of peace that will leave you in the face of trouble. While the one the world gives is time bound.

In this difficult time, Jesus is our hope and if Jesus is your hope, let your mind rise and seek the things that are above so that you will be comforted under the present situation — no matter what the situation may be. When you seek things that are above, you will not base faith on your improvement after prayer. If you pray for bread and you do not have bread after prayer, that does not mean you don’t have faith as a Christian. Jesus knows the best. The bread may not be the best for you. If your prayer for a better condition had been answered, who knows what would have happened to you?

It is never proper to base faith on our improvement after prayer. Each time you pray and it doesn’t change, you say you have no faith. You become faithless. It discourages you from pressing forward. It honours Jesus to believe even when every sense contradicts Him. If there is a mountain in front of me and I pray for God to move the mountain for me, if I open my eyes and the mountain is still there, if truly I am a man of faith, whether Jesus moves this mountain or not, He is my God; whether He moves this mountain or not, He is my Saviour, whether He moves this mountain or not, He is my Redeemer; whether He moves this mountain or not, He is my Healer. But in your own case, each time your mountain seems not to move, you stop running the straight race; you begin to look for alternatives; you pray less; you fast less instead of praying and fasting the more.

If truly you are a Christian, your situation may be to preserve you, to prepare you for the challenges ahead, to keep you for a new level in life, to reform you for a better position in God. It may be to stop you awhile.