Posted on in Kingdom Life

Wonder Bread

Finding It

Before crossing into the promised land, Moses would tell the children of Israel to “remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord” (Deut. 8:2-3).

Now the Israelites called this bread from heaven ‘Manna’ which literally means, ‘What is it?’ (Ex. 16:15, 31). It was unknown, unfamiliar and unusual, yet they had to learn to live on it. In the same way, countless believers today are wandering through life trying to figure out, ‘What is it?’ saying, “God, what is your will for my life?” We are perpetually searching for relevance, longing to hit the mark we were intended to hit, yet we never seem to fully find it. As distractions and fears surround us, it will become harder and harder to discern His voice. Now is the time to follow Him to the wilderness, to fast, pray and learn to live on His wonder bread.

Though this world’s fingerprints are all over us, it is the Lord’s mission to mold us into the people He created us to be from the beginning, even if it means leading us through the inconvenience of a wilderness. He created us to trust, obey and follow His leadership with hearts full of love; therefore, He allows us to hunger. He will never force you, but He will starve you out of your comfortable, self-dependent shell until you finally choose to let go of your pride. Jesus came on the scene teaching that He Himself was the Bread from heaven, the Bread of life (Jn. 6:28-40). This offended many and several of His disciples left and walked with Him no more (Jn. 6:66) because they weren’t willing to receive His words as spirit and life. Just as those who complained and died in the wilderness, they wanted to follow God on their terms. Even today, we prop ourselves up with college degrees, personal accomplishments, large savings accounts, and honor before man, while genuine faith in Christ becomes a last resort (not that these are wrong in and of themselves).  God’s will is found in the place of dependence, where we have nothing left to fall back on except His saving grace, wisdom and provision, counting all else as dung (Phil. 3). When your relationship with Jesus becomes more valuable than oxygen if you were a thousand miles under water, you will discover His will.

Jesus entered the wilderness full of the Spirit, but He came out of it in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:1, 14). The Holy Spirit leads us through the wilderness, so we can find this wonder bread and learn the will of our Father.  This is not only about seeing the bigger picture of His will because there is still so much that is outside of our capacity to comprehend, but it involves asking our Father for daily bread and receiving our marching orders for that day. God commanded the children of Israel to only gather enough manna for that day, no more and no less (Ex. 16:19). Don’t be so anxious about tomorrow’s bread nor try and live on yesterday’s spoiled manna, but continually seek after fresh bread while it is still today. Feast on the revelation of Jesus and be filled with the knowledge of His will by way of persistent prayer and hunger for His Word. Ask the Lord what is on His heart for that day. Follow the daily bread crumbs to your destiny with God. Ask yourself how your simple day to day decisions can be about your Father’s business?

Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Eph. 5:17)

Eating It

“In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, ‘Rabbi, eat.’ But He said to them, ‘I have food to eat of which you do not know.’ Therefore the disciples said to one another, ‘Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?’ Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work (Jn. 4:31-34).'”

I can imagine the perplexed look on the disciples’ faces when Jesus had said this, knowing how weary and hungry He must have been from their journey. Similarly, after Jesus had been fasting forty days and nights, the Gospel of Matthew says “afterward He was hungry” (Matt. 4:3). He then resists Satan’s temptation while declaring, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4).'”

The chief goal of Satan’s temptation was not to merely break His fast, but it was to keep Him from breaking through into His intended purpose. He wanted Jesus to choose momentary satisfaction at the expense of detouring from the will of His Father, but Jesus understood where true and lasting satisfaction comes from. It is not enough for us to just resist or avoid sin; we must actively fill our souls with the food of DOING His will.

It is interesting that Jesus tells His disciples about this ‘wonder bread’ at the place of Jacob’s well, Jacob being the one who tricked his brother Esau out of his birthright for some bread and soup (Gen. 25). It is our birthright (privilege) as born again Christians to do the will of our Father, and Satan will do anything to take that away from us. There is no one more bitter or depressed than a stagnate Christian living outside of their purpose because they continually sell their birthright for momentary satisfaction. The more we are caught up in fading pleasures, comforts and pursuits rather than being about our Father’s business, the less we experience the reward of walking in His perfect will and the joy of being fully alive in Christ. Eating His wonder bread sustains us.

Multiplying It

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Children, have you any food?’ They answered Him, ‘No.’ (Jn. 21:5)

Jesus said to them, ‘Come and eat breakfast.’ (Jn. 21:12)

Even after Jesus had shown Himself to His disciples, they still wavered between knowing His will and walking in His will. They quickly returned to what they knew; fishing (Jn. 21:3). Although they surely remembered the excitement they felt when their Messiah had hand-picked them, saying, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matt. 4:19), they allowed the fear of failure to govern their ability to follow God and do His work.  So there they were, after a long night of catching nothing, and Jesus recruits them yet again saying, “Feed My sheep” (Jn. 21:15-17). He said this three times, reinstating Peter who had denied Him three times.

Many of you are in a long night season, unfulfilled, and searching for purpose, yet you are catching nothing. Hear the the Lord’s invitation: Feed My sheep, multiply the bread I give you and keep following me. Don’t over complicate this thing. When we detour from our purpose, we are starving our souls from true fulfillment. Jesus’ command for Peter to feed His sheep was an invitation to follow Him to his own cross. By his obedience, he would feed the Lord’s sheep with faith and courage for generations to come. People will feed off your testimony, so don’t allow the leaven of the culture to contaminate it.

Jesus didn’t pay that gruesome price to make our lives easier, but to show us the simple way to true life. Keep in mind that God’s will always leads us through the cross. “Yet not my will, but Yours be done” was the heart cry of Jesus throughout His entire earthly ministry, so why not make it yours?

RECAP:

Wonder Bread = The Word and the Will of God

We must find it, eat of it and multiply it.

PRAYER SCRIPTURE:

“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God…”(Col. 1:9-10)

Posted on in Knowing God

Tenaciously Pursuing God

And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi, where are You staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day. (Jn. 1:36-39)

The fact that God is mysterious does not mean that He can’t or won’t be found. It means that He won’t be found by a common gaze. It was never the casual onlooker, but the desperate seeker that caught the attention of Jesus. Learn from Zacchaeus (Lk. 19:1-10), Bartimaeus (Mk. 10:46-52), or the woman healed of the issue of blood (Lk. 8:43-48). There are many today who crowd around Jesus, but there are few who touch Him.

From the beginning, God designed us to discover Him. Everyone possesses an authentic longing for adventure, to be thrilled, excited, exhilarated and fascinated by something that lasts. Boredom is what happens when we spoil our appetite for genuine fascination on something that is less than God. I feel that too many Christians are trading their birth right for cheap temporal pleasures, which is causing them to be bored, bitter and burnt out. An unsatisfied believer is a vulnerable believer.

Jesus shows up as a baby in lowly manger, grows up as a carpenter’s son and begins His ministry teaching through parables and telling the recipients of His miraculous power to not yet make it known who He is. Why did He do this? He wants more than a crowd of spectators, but a people who would tenaciously pursue Him, forsaking all that hinders, and never settling. He wants more than bandwagon fans, mimicking parrots and camouflaged chameleons, but disciples who won’t quit reaching UNTIL. Following Jesus will always disrupt the flesh. It will always pull you off your comfortable fence into the unknown territory of radical faith. Jesus never called us to be average disciples. He gave one call and that’s all: Follow Me.

God’s merciful invitation for us to “come and see” is still on the table for us today. He says, “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink – even if you have no money…Seek the Lord while you can find Him. Call on Him now while He is near” (Isa. 55:1, 6). You don’t have to be rich or talented, you just have to be thirsty. Being on fire for God is not about age, it is about hunger. There is a menu set before you, but it’s up to you to order and eat the food. You can’t window shop through Christianity, you must go in the store, count the cost and put it on in order to experience its reward. If you are going to climb this mountain, you’re going to have to get rid of some baggage in order to ascend to its heights. What are you holding on to today that is keeping you from climbing higher? Are you willing to rearrange your life to pursue Him deeper? Who will inconvenience themselves, let go of their reputation before man, and step beyond the outer courts?

PRACTICAL ADVICE FOR SEEKING GOD:

  • Retreat: As busy as you might be, take some time away from your normal routine to spend extended solitary time with the Lord (Aside from your daily prayer time).
  • Consecrate: Avoid even legitimate pleasures for a season in order to spend more time and energy seeking God. (TV, Cell Phone, Internet, Video Games, Recreation, Social Time, Etc)
  • Fast & Pray: Set aside specific time to talk with God, read His Word, journal and worship. (How To Fast)
  • Assemble: Connect with a few believers from your local church whom you can trust to hold you accountable. Meet/Talk with them regularly for prayer and encouragement. We can always run harder and longer if we run together.

SCRIPTURES TO PRAY THROUGH:

Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way. (Ps. 119:37)

The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him… (Ps. 25:14)

My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” (Ps. 27:8)

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with Him. (Phil. 3:8-9)

My son, if you receive my words, and treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding; Yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. (Prov. 2:1-5)

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. (Jer. 29:13)

Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets…(Dan. 2:47)

Posted on in Kingdom Life

Death Has Lost Its Sting

Did you know that there are several species of harmless flies that actually look like bees? There are even honey bees that don’t have stingers at all! Our society has done such an excellent job branding the “bee” that every time we see something that looks remotely close to one, we flee in utter terror. I have noticed that Christians react the same way toward sin and death. The Devil has done such a good job branding our minds with lies we hide and cower at these “bees without stingers.” Remember this: Christ will redeem our soul, but we have to renew our mind.

For those who are in Christ, sin thus has no more power over you. It is like a bee without its stinger, though it may appear intimidating, it cannot harm you. God has given you power to overcome! Paul exhorts us to “reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to God” (Romans 6:11) because if we don’t see ourselves as such, we will continue to live as if sin had dominion over us. If we don’t see that death has truly lost its sting, then we will continue to live as fearful slaves not faithful servants. 

Before you walk victoriously over your dark habits, emotions and lifestyle, you must first understand that you are already victorious the moment you said yes to Christ. The fight has been fixed. You win because He already won. You just have to keep fighting the good fight of faith and NEVER QUIT. Almost every war has had a turning point, a decisive battle that determined the outcome of the war, yet more battles were fought and the fighting continued until the opponents fully surrendered. The war for your soul has been going on since Satan was kicked out of heaven, but at just the right time, Christ came and turned the tides of the war forever, saying, “It is finished.” As Jesus breathed His last breath, hell rejoiced and heaven wept. The enemy thought he’d won, then Jesus broke through the back door of hell, took the keys of death, and rose again. By doing this, He crushed the serpents head and disarmed the feared killer bee of sin for good. The cross changed everything.

To the worried believer struggling with the fear of death, know that you have a living hope, the hope of glory: Christ in you. The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead now lives in you, thus you will rise too. No power in hell can keep you in the grave. Death will never hurt you.

To the weary believer who feels stuck in the same cycle of sin, know that your old man was crucified with Him, that we should no longer be slaves of sin (Rom. 6:6-7). Quit trying to wear chains that He already broke. Shake them off. Push delete. Put yourself in healthy and holy environments. Fill your mind with the truth of how God sees you now (Rom. 8, 12:2). There is power in His name! Step into the reign of grace today, for you are “more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Rom. 8:37)

…so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom. 5:21)

Therefore do not LET sin reign in your mortal body… (Rom. 6:12, emphasis added)

The reign of sin: We were under condemnation before God, powerless before sin and satanic attacks, and were in darkness, without the ability to understand God and His Word, etc.

The reign of grace: We received a new position, power, nature, insights, and destiny. We are now enjoyed, indwelt, empowered, and commissioned by God, with a relevant purpose.

“O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”  The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 15:55-57)

Study Chapters: Romans 6 & 1 Corinthians 15

*Please don’t misunderstand, I do not promote or advise that you play with real bees. Thank you for reading.