Discover how Jesus overcame temptation in the wilderness by wielding the power of Scripture—not just as words to memorize but as a source of identity and transformation. This Sunday, learn how internalizing God’s Word can equip you for life’s battles and invite you into deeper freedom and purpose. Don’t just read the Bible— eat it.

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Scripture: Matthew 3.16 – 4.11

(Additional Reading: Ezekiel 3.1-3; Revelation 10.9-10; Deuteronomy 8.3; Matthew 27.40)

Warm-Up:

If someone asked you why reading the Bible is important, what would you tell them?

Turn the Text:

Is it powerful?

memorize

internalize

“We have to work hard to achieve freedom. That takes rituals, whose repeated performance creates new neural pathways and new rapid-response behaviour. It requires a certain calibrated distance from the surrounding culture, if we are not to be swept away by social fads and fashions that seem liberating now but destructive in retrospect. It needs a mental mindset that pauses before any significant action and asks, 'Should I do this? May I do this? What rules of conduct should I bring to bear?' It involves an internalised narrative of identity, so that we can ask of any course of action, 'Is this who I am and what I stand for?'”

- Jonathan Sacks -