What Do I Do, What Do I Say?

With all of the emails and messages on Facebook I receive from folks who are hurting and need some encouragement (or just simply a prayer), I have often wondered (and prayed) for a message of comfort and hope. I’ll be honest . . . with all of the believers who are suffering; facing opposition and torture; experiencing illnesses, broken marriages, children suffering and others in jail . . . all kinds of drama and crises, I am often without the wisdom to help them.
What can I possibly say to them? What does the Lord want to say to them? I know He cares for these folks, I just don’t know how to bring them a message of hope that can set them free; a message that will sustain them and strengthen their faith . . .”
Yes, the Lord has been faithful and provided me with the assurance that he will provide a way to strengthen every believer to resist the enemy. The Word I seem to be hearing is that their strength will only come from, now get this, “eating the Bread that is sent down from heaven.” As I prayed about this, I became convinced that their spiritual health actually depends on getting this Bread into their life.” Huh? Well, that’s what I said at first.
But then suddenly, I remembered something Jesus said:
“The Father who has life sent me, and I live because of the Father. So those who feed on me will live because of me” (John 6:57).
Suddenly a light began come on. I realized that Jesus was in such close communion with His Father, and was so committed to doing only his will, that the Father’s words became his food and drink. Daily, Jesus was sustained by hearing and seeing what the Father wanted, which was the result of spending so much time alone with him.
Do you remember what Christ told his disciples?
“I have food to eat that you don’t know about . . . My food is to do what the one who sent me wants me to do and to finish the work he has given me” (John 4:32, 34)
He then told them,
“Don’t work for food that spoils. Instead, work for the food that lasts into eternal life. This is the food the Son of Man will give you. After all, the Father has placed his seal of approval on him.” (John 6:27)
Friends, this is the secret of our strength; if Jesus needed to live by His obedience to the Father, then we must receive our life by feeding on Christ. I better explain that one . . .
When the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they were sustained by manna that came each morning — and they were not allowed to store any just in case it didn’t come the next morning. That should tell us that what we ate of Christ yesterday will not supply our need for today! We have to admit we will starve spiritually and become weak and helpless without a daily supply of fresh heavenly Bread. We must come to the Lord’s Table daily. Jesus is calling us to be radically changed, to  have our lives revolutionized, and this will happen when we commit to spending time with Him; seeking to be with Him.
Now here is the most important thing to remember, when Jesus talked about being fed, it is only in relation to Jesus Himself. As important it is for us to read and study the Scriptures, we are never actually told to feed solely on the Word. Jesus never said, “Just read the Word and you’ll be fed.” No! He said, “I am the Word of God.” He said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty . . . Unless you do eat the body of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you are not really living at all . . . my body is real food and my blood is real drink. The man who eats my body and drinks my blood shares my life and I share his. Just as the living Father sent me and I am alive because of the Father, so the man who lives on me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from Heaven! It is not like the manna which your forefathers used to eat, and died. The man who eats this bread will live for ever!” John 6:35; 53-58
Wow. This is something very different than feeding on teaching. It is feeding on the person of Jesus the Messiah! It is eating Jesus and drinking his blood. Jesus states here, that if we do this, we will have life in us when and only when we do it. Could it be that the “feeling” we have when we are full is the feeling of God’s life flowing through us?
Look, I fully admit that this sounds rather disgusting to say that we are going to eat Jesus’ flesh and drink his blood. I mean are we supposed to be cannibals and vampires? No, but this messed with those who heard it for the first time. So much so that even right after Jesus said those words, many of his disciples were offended and left him. But now, religion has so sanitized this and replaced the meaning of his words with the communion elements. Some have taught that when we partake of the “bread and the wine” we are actually fulfilling these words and receiving his life.
Yet the communion bread and wine are nothing more than symbols of a much greater reality. Without the reality, there is no value in the symbols. Okay, so what does it mean to eat Jesus, the true bread and true drink?
Feeding on Christ describes the transfer of life which occurs when my spirit touches His. Whenever I look to the Lord and reach out to Him with my heart, I am being fed spiritually for as long as I remain connected. When I sit before Him, content to gaze on His face and enjoy His presence, then I am feeding on Him. Whenever I look to Him and wait for Him until He starts to communicate with me, I am feeding.
I am feeding because my spirit is now connected to his Spirit and there is a flow and transfer of His Life to me. There is an other word-picture that Jesus used to describe this. It is the Vine and the branches. As long as I, the branch, am connected to Jesus, the Vine, Life flows into me and I am infused with the Life of God. Everything is different. I am quickly full.
No, this isn’t automatic. I am not abiding in the vine just because I am a believer and saved by Grace. It requires an action on my part. This is something very simple yet profound. The Lord has been repeating these words to me over and over in the course of the last year: “You must come to me! Just come!” We must very consciously come to the Lord, and keep coming (and coming, and coming . . .), and learn to stay there connected heart to heart, spirit to Spirit, if we want to be full.
This may sound a bit esoteric and subjective and not “meaty” like a good juicy sermon. But true spiritual food will not tickle the mind. Your mind may not even be aware of what is happening while you sit in the presence of your Lord. But your spirit will start to fill up and if you continue giving the Lord the gift of your time and presence, then it won’t be long before the spiritual reality of your growing fullness spills over into your conscious awareness.
Like I said, when you are full, you know it. And when you realize you are full, for perhaps the first time you recognize how empty you were before.
“Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink—even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk—it’s all free! Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food.
“Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.” (Isaiah 55:1-3)
Nickolas
(I send out messages like this each morning in emails, and if you are interested in receiving them, send me your email address and I will add you to the list)
I thank you for all of your generous tithes and gifts.
Just remember that it is through your faithful and continued support
that make these messages and other aspects of ministry possible.

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