Matthew 12 - Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath

But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. Matthew 12: 6-8.

After rebuking the cities in Israel for not believing in Him, Jesus gives a spiritual explanation of faith, relaying that no one can truly know the Father unless He is revealed by Jesus. And in order for Jesus to reveal the Father to anyone, that person must first come to Jesus and desire the yoke that He offers, one that is easy and burden-free.

Unfortunately, as in the first century, many people in our day do not desire what Jesus has to offer. Simply put, knowing the heavenly Father requires coming to Jesus as a little child and believing what He has to say! This is easier said than done for many people.

In Chapter 12, Jesus seemingly violates the Sabbath by picking grain from the corn fields to feed His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they accused Him of violating the law, as this was considered work. Jesus replied that good works should always be done on the Sabbath; just as one would rescue his or her sheep that had fallen into a pit or well on the Sabbath, God rescues His sheep (mankind) from the pit of sin and despair on the Sabbath. In fact, believing in Jesus is honoring the Sabbath, because when one is born again IN HIM, that person has entered into the Lord's Sabbath--the place of rest where one ceases trying to please God through works but instead rests on what Jesus has done on the cross.

Doing good on the Sabbath is not a violation of God's law--God has always desired mercy more than sacrifice. This was demonstrated in the Old Covenant when David took the shewbread from the Holy Place, which he was not allowed to do under the law, and fed it to his men. Likewise, the Levitical priests were constantly working on the Sabbath, having to fulfill their temple duties, and yet they were not considered to be in violation of the law. Do you see how religion is blind to the true meaning behind God's Word?

To demonstrate that He was superior to the temple system, Jesus healed the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath. The Pharisees responded by seeking to kill Him, not giving praise to God for His goodness in sending Messiah as He had promised through the prophets. They loved their law more than they did the mercy and loving kindness of God.

That is the calling card of religion: mean, condemning, merciless, cold, harsh, and hard. God never has had anything to do with man's religion.

Matthew 10 - Be Wise as Serpents!

Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16

As Jesus amazes the multitudes with signs and wonders, including the opening of blind eyes and the loosing of the stilled tongue, the scribes and Pharisees mock and scoff, claiming He is performing miracles in the name of Beelzebub (the devil). Nevertheless, Jesus' heart melted with compassion over the multitudes, who He saw as sheep without a shepherd. He instructed His disciples to pray that more laborers be sent out to the bring in the harvest of human souls for the kingdom.

In Chapter 10, we see a tough, straight-talking Jesus who makes it very clear that His disciples will suffer much in sharing the Gospel with Israel. However, He also told them they would be fully provided for and protected in doing what was required. He exhorted them to be as wise as serpents but to be as gentle as doves, and that as He was demonized, mocked and scoffed, they, too, would be treated in a similar manner. He warned them that a servant is not above His master. Many of us today who step out and share God's word with the world have suffered this type of persecution.

Jesus also gave a warning touching the End Times (the period leading up to 70 AD and the destruction of the temple system and the city of Jerusalem). He warned them that they would be beaten, perhaps killed, betrayed by family, that they would basically lose their worldly life in finding their true life, which is the life of the spirit of God. Jesus makes no bones about the fact that those who refuse to leave worldly desires and pressures, perhaps even from family, are not worthy of being His disciples; those who refuse to acknowledge Him will not be acknowledged by Him before the heavenly Father. Essentially, Christianity is a commitment to be 100% sold out to Jesus. This is a black and white issue - there are no shades of gray!

Make the decision today and move forward IN Christ Jesus!

Matthew 4 - Jesus' Baptism & Temptation

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:16-17

Jesus was baptized by John the Baptism as a public proclamation that He was the perfect, sinless, sacrifice for man's sins. After His sacrifice on the cross, there would be no more need to offer up bulls, sheep, and goats, and therefore the Mosaic, Levitical sacrificial system would be satisfied and become obsolete. His perfect, flawless, sinless God-blood would be the final blood offering the Father required.

Upon His baptism, an anointing came from heaven, where He was baptized with the Holy Spirit and declared by God to be His son, with whom He is well pleased. Essentially, the Father was declaring and proclaiming Jesus as the promised Messiah.

Jesus was then led into the wilderness where He was tempted by Satan. The purpose of His temptation was to prove His authenticity as Messiah. He satisfied the temptation of His flesh, soul, and spirit and emerged victorious, even after fasting 40 days and nights. He quoted the Word of God, believed it, and stood firm on it, thereby showing us, His body, how to likewise stand firm against the wiles of the devil!

Matthew Chapter 1 - Jesus, the Jewish Messiah

The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Matthew 1:1

Join us for a study of the book of Matthew, written to a Jewish audience about a Jewish Messiah, Jesus, who fulfilled many of the Jewish prophecies in the Bible.

It's a wonderful book, but it is filled with warnings from the Lord, particularly to the religious leadership of that day who refused to believe. By rejecting the modern dispensationalist/futurist view regarding the End Times, we get a much clearer and more insightful understanding of Jesus' teachings. The more scriptural and historical view is that much of the End Times prophecies were fulfilled in 70 AD when God destroyed the temple and the city of Jerusalem through the means of the Roman army.

Keep an open mind as you read and study and you will be blessed!

Note: Further research shows that the blood of an infant is NOT determined solely by the father, but be both parents, from the baby's bone marrow. Regardless, Jesus is from the seed of God and not from sinful man.

The Power to Become a Son of God

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13

By His death, burial, and resurrection, Jesus has given us the power to become the sons of God. When we believe on Him as the savior of mankind, we are born again by the Holy Spirit and become God's child. This is a spiritual condition which can never be changed, regardless of our behavior. Yes, we may sin, but our conduct does not affect our new creation status as children of God from a new kingdom. We are in this world but we are not of this world! Praise God for that!

What Does Salvation Mean?

Studying the Word every day is easy and fun. All I use is my bible, a notebook and pen, www.blueletterbible.com for references to the original language, and of course, the Holy Spirit!

Here's a question for today: does salvation from sins just mean that when you die you go to heaven and be with the Lord? Or does it mean much more than that?

Answer: Actually, if you look at Romans 10:9-10 and the meaning of the original language as well as some of the other scriptures in the NT, you will find that salvation means being saved, rescued, and delivered out of the kingdom of darkness to which we were naturally born through the first Adam AND THEN IMMEDIATELY being translated into a new, heavenly kingdom by way of a new, spiritual birth through the second Adam (Jesus).

At that moment, we go from being a sinner (our first spiritual condition) to being a new creation in Christ Jesus (our new/current spiritual condition). We become children of the living God, filled with His Holy Spirit. Now, that's the good news of the Gospel!

Introduction Video Part 3 - Finding the Holy Spirit

In this third installment of my testimony, find out about my experience with the Holy Spirit and how the heavenly father revealed to me that the Bible is real and that Jesus is still alive!

The Privilege and Responsibility of Being Born From Above!

These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. Hebrews 11:13-16

For about nine months now I'm been doing a thorough study of end times prophecy. It started last June, and since then, I haven't been able to put the topic down. Now, in the light of all that is going on in the world, I feel as though the Scriptures are unfolding before our very eyes.

And yet, how many professing Christians truly see it? How many Jews during the time of Christ had any idea that the baby Messiah had been born in the Bethlehem or that the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world was walking amongst them, offering them the Kingdom of God? When severe persecution came, many fell away, but then on the day of Pentecost, many were saved.

For the truly born again Christian, it is time to wake up! A gentle awakening is always easier than an abrupt slap in the face, so I'm choosing to rouse myself now, at this very important time, from my American, middle-class Christian slumber and see AND hear spiritually what the Lord would have me see and hear. I've had to shake some wrong teaching from my mind, particularly the theology that God is constantly reminding me of my sins and faults (classic denominational teaching) OR that I must sow money or good works into my local church or favorite ministry in order to be blessed by Him (word of faith teaching).

No, if I want to be awake to the Lord's plans in this dangerous hour in which we live, I need to line my thoughts and beliefs up with His, as outlined in the Bible. I need to remind myself that I am a New Creation in Christ Jesus, born from above as a child of God, and that the blessing of Abraham has come upon me, just as the Apostle Paul explains in both Ephesians, Galatians, and all his other epistles. Anything other than accepting the original Gospel that Paul preached is blasphemy and false teaching. Faith in the Gospel message and belief in all the wonderful promises of the Heavenly Father is crucial for today's believer. This pleases God.

With all that being said, it is important to remind ourselves that we are not citizens of this world. We are in this world, but we are not of it. Our citizenship is in heaven, in the heavenly Jerusalem, which is above. We are here as ambassadors of Christ, sent on a divine mission, to complete the tasks He would have us complete which were ordained before the foundation of the world! Just thinking about that brings a smile to my face.

None of us here in America have had mobs of radical killers with swords and weapons invade our streets, threatening to chop off our heads or our body parts or rape or kill our children or harvest their organs for financial means. We look at these reports on social media and it seems surreal. But then we open our Bibles, and there it is, laid out plainly in the Scriptures. Will this mayhem reach our shores? Not sure. But let's be ready.

Perhaps the Lord will send us into harm's way, like the good soldiers He has trained us to be, instructing us to assist others in their faith as they endure extreme persecution. He has given us our weapons of warfare, He has given us His Holy Spirit, He has given us His name, He has given us His blood, He has given us the sword of the Spirit to pray in our heavenly language that can and will do severe damage to the kingdom of darkness. Let's be ready, poised, and prepared to wield that weapon and enter the battle fray. Our fellow brethren here at home and on the other side of the planet need our prayers. God moves through His body, which is the Church, of which we are.

These are exciting times! Like Joshua was instructed before entering into the Promised Land, let's refuse to fear and stay in faith. Keep the Word ever before us and be obedient to everything the Lord instructs us to do.

Love and blessings in the mighty name of Jesus!

Have you HEARD of Jesus?

And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? Mark 5:25-30.

I love this story of the woman who suffered a female bleeding disorder for twelve years but had the audacity to believe her condition would not disqualify her from being healed. In biblical times, under the Mosaic Law, this woman could have been stoned for pressing into a crowd of supposed righteous people and infecting them with her spiritual and physical uncleanness. And then to make matters worse, she had the nerve to touch a holy rabbi! In their minds, she suffered because of some undisclosed, secret sin or generational curse. Doctors would never be able to heal her, and no amount of money could buy her out of her situation – she was doomed to suffer until she atoned for her obvious sin. What self-righteous Jewish man would ever marry her? She certainly would never be able to bear children. She was a rejected outcast who many feared because her “uncleanness” might be catching. What a horrible fate!

Like the Jews of her day, many of us Christians sitting in denominational churches have been told time and again by many well-meaning pastors and bible study teachers that we, like this woman, must first become “clean” before we can approach a holy God. They say we must confess our myriad sins first and “get right” with God before we could ever approach His holy presence to ask for healing. Just recently, my husband accompanied me to a local healing service, but when he came forward for prayer, he was told he could not be healed because he had unforgiven sin, unconfessed sin, and unforgiveness toward others! If these prayors had lived in this woman’s day, I’m sure they would have strong-armed her to the ground and given her a good lecture on sin before she had a chance to defile the righteous Jesus. When are we Christians going to wake up and reject this kind of teaching?

Answer: like this woman, it will be when we hear about Jesus! But don’t we hear about Jesus every week at church? I don’t know – do you? What do you think this poor woman heard about Jesus? Did she hear that He made everyone confess their sins and go through a long forgiveness list before receiving healing? Did she believe she had to be perfect before approaching Him? She was certainly imperfect for breaking the law by even being in public, much less touching the hem of a holy rabbi’s garment. No, she must have heard about a different Jesus, a Jesus who had mercy and compassion and went about healing all those afflicted by the devil, because God was with Him. (Acts 10:38).

She KNEW He would heal her because of all the good things she had heard about Him – healing the leprous man, the man born blind, casting out a legion of devils out of the mad man who lived in the catacombs of Gadara. In fact, she had so much faith in Jesus’s power to heal that she merely said to herself, “If I can just touch His clothes, I shall be well.” She risked the public scrutiny of her fellow Jews, the chance that she might be kicked and spit upon, that she might be chastised and forever expelled from the synagogue, that they might pick up stones and kill her for making a public profession that what Jesus presented was TRUTH and what she had been taught for years was a lie. Her persistence in pressing through for healing was a public profession of faith that He could and would do what the law could not and never would be able to do.

Fortunately for us, her story has been preserved in the Word as a lesson for us. Jesus warned us not to be deceived in the last days. There will be many false teachings in our midst, telling us that our sins are our problem, when He took all our sins away 2000 years ago on the cross! If this sweet Jewish woman was instantly healed by her dogged faith that enabled her to take from Jesus, how much more should we who are born again IN HIM after the cross and the resurrection press in and likewise take our healing? Selah – think about it!

Furious Love: a must-see film for all Christians

Friends, I just saw one of the most powerful documentary films ever from Wanderlust Films and director Darren Wilson called Furious Love.

After watching this film, Western denominational believers will get a glorious wake up call that the world desperately needs us to share the message of God's love and grace through Jesus Christ. There is such demonic darkness in the world, oppression, and hopelessness, and much of it comes from the lack of being loved. People have sought lusts of the flesh and supernatural darkness from Satan just to get a taste of that love and acceptance. Now more than ever we must accept the power of the Holy Spirit and ALL of His wonderful and glorious gifts and use them to minister God's love to the world. Watch this movie! You will be changed!!

I'm going to check out The Finger of God next, that's Wilson's first film, and then I just saw on Facebook that he has a new film coming out entitled Holy Spirit. Powerful! 

Here is the trailer on The company's website. You'll have to order it to see the entire thing. Treat yourself to a blessing from The Lord and then have Him show you how to answer the call.
http://furiouslove.wpfilm.com/

Pressing In For Healing - a Personal Story

And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee. Exodus 15:26

I've written a book and Bible study on divine healing, taught it for years, listened to countless teachings from anointed teachers and preachers and have stood on these Scriptures and truths many times for my own healing and for my family and friends. I have witnessed miraculous, quick recoveries, some that took days, and others longer, but in every case where the believer stood in faith, healing came. At the same time, I have seen several believers throw in the towel because manifestation didn't happen in their time frame. They gave up and caved in to the devil's lies, believing they would never be healed and that it was God's will for them to be sick. I have to admit, I was always a bit judgmental of those people, but now I have more compassion because I recently experienced the same strong temptation to give up and quit.

As a parent, the worse thing imaginable is see your child hurting. The first thing you want to do is make things right. But what about those situations where you have to watch them suffer in pain and aren't able to do one thing about it? Except pray! Recently, my husband and I were in that situation with our youngest child who had to be whisked to the ER not once, but three times, for excruciating, relentless abdominal pain. With no fever, perfect blood and urine tests, and a clean ultrasound, two sets of doctors were stumped as to the cause, diagnosing severe constipation. When the pain worsened and we were forced to go back to the ER this last time, a CT scan was done and the culprit was revealed: a hidden kidney stone!

Now, when your child is writhing in pain and can't be given pain meds because the doctors are 100 percent sure emergency surgery is inevitable for some horrible, off-the-charts diagnosis, and that child is begging for mercy, let me tell you, if you've never been tempted to give up and quit on your faith, then that day has come! The enemy whispers lies to your mind in countless ways, pressuring you to fall to the floor and prepare for the worst! The spirit of fear descends on you in a blanket of darkness and hopelessness threatens to take root in your soul.

Fortunately, the Lord has given us our prayer tongue, so the Spirit is able to pray the perfect prayer needed in these situations. I paced the halls of the ER while my husband held our daughter's hand, trying his best to comfort her. We both prayed in tongues like crazy, quoted Psalms 91, and cried out to Jesus, not caring what anyone thought. Finally, I called Kenneth Copeland ministries and had a sweet lady on the prayer line pray with me. We came into agreement that healing was ours, that the pain would be bound, that the demonic forces would be stilled, and there would be a shalom peace - that we all would enter into the Lord's rest. After that, I heard the Lord tell me to "rise up and stand firm in all I had learned and come to believe." Years of Bible study and revelation came to a boiling point that night - I either believed or I didn't!

A peace came over my husband and me even though our daughter still suffered. Finally, the diagnosis was made and a treatment plan was devised. Our prayers were answered! She was able to receive pain meds for a situation that was easily fixable compared to all the horrible things the doctor had been expecting. We felt like we had won the lottery!

We declared healing and slept peacefully that night. After a quick, noninvasive surgery the next day, we went home and now things are 90% back to normal. Sure, the healing didn't happen instantaneously, but healing was ours. I won't criticise the method or timing! But we had to press in, and hard, with our faith, while our child cried and moaned in pain.

Why did this happen? I do not know. It was certainly an attack of the enemy. Why was the enemy able to attack like that? I don't know. I don't ask. The disciples asked Jesus the same thing about the man born blind - who had sinned, him or his parents? Wrong question. Jesus taught them that focusing on man's sin is not where we should look. Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. John 9:3-4. 

I don't look to why this happened, I look to Jesus. His word to me the next night in my sleep-state was this: I am the God who healeth thee! That's straight from Exodus 15. In my sleep-prayer, I saw myself and my entire family being sprinkled with the blood of Jesus and then covered with the feathers of His wings so that we dwelled in a secret, hidden place. That's straight from Psalms 91, the secret place of the Most High which is the Holy of holies. That's a very good place to be! What can man do unto you if you dwell there? What can the devil do to you there? Sickness, disease, poverty? No-thing! Absolutely NOTHING!

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Psalms 91:1-2.

Jackie Pullinger - Wonderful Missionary for The Lord!

Amazing woman of God! I'm reading her book now entitled Chasing the Dragon. Great testimony of a powerful missionary for Christ.http://youtu.be/3H0p4yy0NbY

Ask Him! Even For the Small Things!

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring [it] to pass.

Psalms 37:4-5.

Recently, I have been reminded that my Heavenly Father desires for me to come to Him in prayer and ask for certain things that I know He has put on my heart, things like restored relationships, success and favor in business dealings (and in school and sports for my kids), and an increase in wisdom and creative ability to complete the projects He has inspired me to create. 

For some reason we forget to go to Him initially and ask for these simple things. If you are like me, there may be times we might worry or wrestle over particular matters and circumstances and then we suddenly realize, "Wait a minute! Why don't I just pray?" 

That's a very good question. The answer is very simple. Our focus has moved away from Jesus and is now on self. These reminders to pray are great opportunities to refocus and put our sights back on Him. Just yesterday, my daughter and I were discussing one of her friends, scratching our heads and trying to figure out what was going on in this person's life. Our first reaction was to worry and ponder and provide a man-made solution. Then we realized, let's pray for him! And we did. Very simple but very powerful.

Contrary to what some religious people espouse, the Lord is never too busy to hear our prayers, regardless of the magnitude of our request. Small things to us are important to Him, because He loves us and we are His children! Think about your own children--the small details to them are important to us as parents! Our Heavenly Father is the same--He wants us to come to Him, even for the small things in life that have become the desires of our heart. Success, favor, joy, peace, and happiness are what we all desire--and most importantly, love. 

Thankfully, all of these things were given to us at the cross 2000 years ago in His beloved son, Jesus!

Keep Speaking to the Storms in Life!

 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.Mark 4:39 (KJV)

Recently, we had a night of monster thunder storms sweep through our area, blowing winds at over 60 mph with tornadoes interspersed as well. I was home alone when it hit and my husband was in the car with our youngest child, heading back to the house. Fortunately, the Lord had me listen to Brother Kenneth Copeland's teaching on speaking to the storms for over a week, so I was prepared and geared up to rebuke it and command peace in Jesus' name! I even had a dream several nights earlier where wild horses that looked like clouds were up in the sky, bucking and frolicking and stirring up the winds, creating all kinds of mischief. I remember looking up at them and telling them to have peace and be calm in the name of Jesus. 

As the community sirens blared, I went outside into my cul de sac and started praying, speaking to the winds and tornadoes and telling them to stay away from my property and my neighborhood. I told them to get back up into the skies where they belong and go their way! I don't know if my neighbors were watching, but who cares? Most people who know me say I'm a bit of a fanatic, but they sure benefit from the fanatic when disaster is staring them down! 

As I prayed and rebuked (I even prayed in tongues), I sensed this was a big, mean storm with destruction on its mind. I looked up at the skies and saw it coming my way-it was big and black and ugly and there was a tinge of red mixed in. I've never in my life seen red in a storm, but there it was. I stared it down like David staring down Goliath, pointing my finger and rebuking it like a mama bear protecting its young. The wind started howling, rain started coming, so I went back inside.

Long story short, there were many trees in our area that lost their lives that day and power lines that tumbled down too, but not around us! We came out unscathed-one old tree limb in the back yard and a few leaves in the front, but that was it! Our power was restored in an hour and life continued on. Later, we discovered that several neighborhoods very close to us were hit hard with many uprooted trees falling onto houses. 

As I was praying in the spirit in my living room, the Lord expressed His joy in seeing one of His sons of glory praying with authority in the name of Jesus. He loves everyone of those precious people who suffered damage, but until they come to understand the authority He has given the church in the name of Jesus AND until they learn to use that authority, they will be subject to the disasters of this world, just like nonbelievers. Sure, the Lord performs miracles and protects His people, but His best way is to follow the example of Jesus in Mark 11:23. 

For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Jesus, Our Manna from Heaven

And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness [there lay] a small round thing, [as] small as the hoar frost on the ground. And when the children of Israel saw [it], they said one to another, It [is] manna: for they wist not what it [was]. And Moses said unto them, This [is] the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it [was] like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it [was] like wafers [made] with honey. Exodus 16:14-15, 31.

I learned something today in my Bible study that I had never seen before in the Word of God. Of course, I am aware that Jesus is our Manna from Heaven, meaning our daily spiritual and earthly sustenance and provision, our very life, comes from Him and Him alone--which is why He tells us He is the bread that came down from Heaven. (John 6:41). However, I was not aware that when Manna was first introduced to Israel in the wilderness, it was pure white and tasted like wafers made with honey. I think of it being like miniature sweet cookies that melted in the mouth, giving all the sustenance needed for the day. No wonder medical science tells us that sweet is the first taste a baby recognizes and craves (and many of us never get over that craving!), because sweetness is a picture of Jesus.

But something happened later on in the wilderness that changed the color, texture, and taste of this Manna. In Numbers 11:4-9, the mixed multitude that had come out of Egypt with Israel began to lust over the things they had eaten while in Egypt. They grumbled and complained, saying "We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: But now our soul [is] dried away: [there is] nothing at all, beside this manna, [before] our eyes." Numbers 11:5-6.

The sweet, honey-tasting Manna wasn't enough for them--the spiritual food of angels rained down from Heaven wasn't enough. They despised what God offered and desired the sustenance of the world--the rich, spicy, strong-tasting food of Egypt that the flesh craves. Immediately, we see that the description of the Manna changed. Numbers 11:7-8 says, And the manna [was] as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium. [And] the people went about, and gathered [it], and ground [it] in mills, or beat [it] in a mortar, and baked [it] in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. 

Despite their grumbling, the Lord was merciful and continued to rain down Manna every day. But now the color was no longer white, but pearl-colored, and it was hard and had to be ground, beaten, and baked to be edible. And instead of tasting of honey, it tasted bland, like fresh oil. What does this mean? Why this change?

Well, I believe this is a picture of the church allowing the desires of the world into their hearts, convincing them that the sweet, honey-taste of their Savior isn't enough for all their needs. The church has been deceived into believing they must mix the world's spicy food into their palette, which ironically makes the Savior bland and tasteless. Basically, when God's people look to the world and lust after all it offers, the power of Jesus, the sweetness of His resurrection, seems to disappear and a mixture law/grace gospel is presented to the world. It is a gospel that says Jesus isn't enough and that what He did on the cross isn't sufficient to be right with God. It is a gospel that says we are still sinners even though we are born again, new creations in Christ Jesus--that we must grind, beat, bake, work, toil to receive anything from our heavenly Father, and then what we do receive from Him is devoid of power. It says we can't expect healing, prosperity, supernatural deliverance and miracles in our lives. It tells us that all this power passed away with the first century church. 

I say, "Nonsense!" I have had to repent and remove the lusts of the world and Egypt from my life, acknowledging that Jesus and His sweetness is enough to sustain me, day by day. The power of His resurrection is sufficient for me to do all things He calls me to do. The power of His resurrection says "Yes" and "Amen" to all His promises. (2 Corinthians 1:20).

As the Old Testament reveals, eventually a new generation of Israelites entered the promised land under Joshua's leadership and ate from the fat of the land. The Lord has no problem with any of His children eating from the fat of the land He gives them, but He wants us to acknowledge and remember that we enjoy this goodness only because of Jesus, our savior, our true Manna from Heaven, and all He has done for us. It is not because of any works on our part--it is all because of Him! 

Praise God for our Manna from Heaven! In that Manna is everything we need!

Praying Against the Storms in Life

Here is a great teaching from Brother Kenneth Copeland about declaring and praying God's Word in the name and authority of Jesus Christ, especially with all these crazy storms wreaking havoc on our nation. It's a great reminder of how the Kingdom of God operates. It's all about the works of the Heavenly Father done in the name of Jesus Christ. We need to have faith in God's Word, keep our eyes on it, meditate on its Truths, and declare those Truths out of our mouth.

Enjoy this teaching!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr7Lmao51eM&feature=youtu.be&utm_campaign=KC-Partner-Letter&utm_content=20130523&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Emailvision