Let’s slow this down and take a look at the steps as they happened.

1. First, Satan sent a flaming arrow or sword strike at Jesus.
2. Then Jesus blocked it and kept it from contaminating His mind. He did this by obtaining a strategic, relevant Scripture in His mind; this was Jesus using the shield of faith to protect His heart and mind.
3. After that, Jesus attacked Satan with the same Scripture He used to block the attack in His mind; this is Jesus using the sword of the Spirit to drive Satan back.

The Word of God (shield of faith) that protected Jesus from yielding to the attack of Satan will be the same one that stops Satan in his tracks (sword of the Spirit). Jesus doesn’t use two different Scriptures; the same one is effective as a shield and as a sword.

1. Jesus blocked with the shield of faith and the arrow attack was stopped before it could even get to Jesus’ breastplate of righteousness.
2. The flaming Arrow hit the shield of faith that then extinguished the flame.
3. Jesus’ shield of faith Scripture kept Him completely intact and ready to strike back.
4. Then Jesus applied the same Scripture to His sword of the Spirit and struck Satan with it.

Notice how there was no further discussion about the bread issue? Why didn’t Satan pursue the issue further? It wouldn’t have done any good. The thought in Jesus’ mind would have remained the same. The same Scripture would be used to block the concept in Jesus’ heart and mind. Jesus wouldn’t start hunting all over the Bible for a better Scripture. If Satan wanted to reintroduce the same temptation, Jesus would simply think the same thought of Scripture and quote the same Scripture to Satan. No matter how many times Satan tries to attack us with an issue, if we always stick to our same Scripture in our mind and heart and quote it out of our mouth, Satan will give up.

Satan droped this bread issue with Jesus because He knew Jesus doesn’t change. The same Scripture would be used to strike Satan with over and over again. Satan doesn’t like being hit with Scripture. It is extremely painful to be hit with the sword of the Spirit. The sword of the Spirit cuts deeply into Satan’s being. So Satan decided to try something else. Satan knew that Jesus doesn’t suffer from faith duration problems. His faith isn’t on one minute and off the next. His shield of faith is up constantly. He didn’t block the flaming arrow and then put His shield down. When we do everything to stand, we stand ready for battle at all times. We have the armor on, the shield up, and the sword ready.

Mat 4:3-4 (NIV) The tempter 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 word that comes from the mouth of God.’” The satanic attack was: “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” This was the flaming arrow that was trying to get into Jesus’ mind and heart. Jesus needed a Scripture that would block this attempt to get Him to try to prove that He was the Son of God by turning stones into bread.

What would be wrong with Jesus trying to prove that He is the Son of God by turning stones into bread? It was a Scripture that said: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” This Scripture CAUSED Jesus to be able to block off this temptation. When it popped up in His mind, it gave Him His reason for not yielding to that temptation. It became a part of His shield of faith and it protected His mind and heart. It was a Scripture that told Him what to do and what not to do.

Mat 4:3-4 (NIV) The tempter 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 word that comes from the mouth of God.’” After Jesus got a Scripture that convinced Him that turning the stones into bread would be wrong, He needed a Scripture to drive Satan off. So, He didn’t just get the answer for Himself as to what He was supposed to do, He needed one that resisted Satan and his words as an attack against Satan. James 4:7 (NIV) Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. He didn’t just get a Scripture that would block off Satan’s attack against His mind and heart. He didn’t just apply it to His shield of faith; He applied it to His sword of the Spirit.

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Jesus didn’t just think this Scripture so as to block Satan’s attack off from His heart and mind, He also spoke it out of His mouth. James 4:7 (NIV) Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. First, Jesus went to God and allowed Him to bring a Scripture into His mind that would defeat this satanic attack. This was Jesus submitting Himself to God. Then He took that Scripture that God brought into His mind and spoke it out of His mouth; this was Him resisting the devil.

Then the devil took Him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

Notice anything different here? The devil is quoting Scripture. You wouldn’t use your shield of faith to block a Scripture, would you? Yes. Why? The Scripture is being used out of context. The Scripture is talking about angels protecting someone who accidentally fell. Satan is trying to get Jesus to “throw” Himself down on purpose. Blocking Scripture with Scripture is tricky but vital. We don’t want to keep a good Scripture from entering our lives by blocking it. But, we don’t want a flaming-arrow scripture to injure us either. A flaming-arrow scripture is a set of words from the Bible that have been given erroneous meaning. It is used in a way that God had not intended it to be used.

Acts 17:11 (NIV) Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

The Bereans show us a block with the shield of faith without a strike with the sword of the Spirit. They may strike back with the Word of God depending on further research. But, the Bereans did block the Scriptures they were being given. They didn’t just believe what they were being told without additional Scriptural proof. They were exhibiting noble spiritual character. God wants us to search the Scriptures before we believe anything we are taught.

Jesus didn’t have to do further research on the scripture Satan quoted because He already knew the applicable Scripture. Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Falling off the temple would have been a legitimate angelic need. Jumping off the temple would have been testing God to see if He would catch Him. In this case the research had already been done. Block/strike. Sometimes our battle will look like the Bereans. Block, research, respond accordingly. In other cases it will simply be block/strike.