By Chijioke Nwauche

(Sunday, 6th July, 2008) 

[For a printable version click here.]

“Deut. 8 vs 3 “Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manner, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people need more than bread for their life; real life comes by feeding on every word of the Lord (NLT).

QUOTABLE QUOTES

The reason why the Lord brings His word over and over again to us is to  make the word surer and surer in our hearts, “faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word (life) of God”. The essence is for us to become not only hearers but doers of the word.

May we be established “in the present truth”, the truth or reality that the word of God must become flesh in us, so we may not be hurt by death. May the life of God in us rebuke the death (sin) in our lives. We pray that the degree of life in us will increase by the day.

1 Corinthians 10 vs 16 “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? Vs 17 “for we being many are one bread, and one body”. What is bread in this context? Why do you need to eat bread? The answers to this questions expresses the burden for today.  Bread stands for life, strength, power, ability, energy etc. When you are weak you take physical bread to get strength/energy. You need physical food to meet physical needs, your spirit also needs food so it can generate energy for the soul to be able to do God’s will.

The bread we are referring to today is spiritual bread. The Israelites ate manner (angels food or the corn of heaven) and the bible testifies that through their wilderness journey, their raiment waxed not old neither did their foot swell. By eating spiritual bread, their physical constitution changed. They received a miracle of health and strength just because they ate bread (manna) from heaven. In our day, what is this bread? The word of God and the bread of God are one and the same thing and Jesus Christ is that bread. Suffice it to say that the food for the Spirit and the soul is the whole word of God which is personified in Jesus Christ.

Jesus said in John 6 vs 33 – 35 “For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world…”. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

Man is a living soul which has a spirit and lives in a human body.

My emotions, will, mind etc need life and this life is found in Christ. It means that when you eat the bread of life (Jesus) you automatically will receive life. Jesus said “Anyone that eats this bread will never die”. “Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the son of man shall give unto you: for him hath the father sealed” John 6 vs 27. Jesus has the ability to meet all my life’s requirements, all my energy, strength, help etc. All I need is embodied in one vessel – Jesus Christ.

Deuteronomy 8 vs 3 “And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou kneweth not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word (bread) that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live”.

The difference between physical bread and spiritual bread is this; physical bread can only give you physical energy (glucose) for your physical activities but spiritual bread will give you both physical and spiritual (the life of God) energy.  We are so used to physical bread that it may seem difficult to believe that there will come a time when what will keep us is just the word of God (bread of life). Jesus Christ rose to that level. He told the disciples “my meat is to do the will of God and to finish it”.

The ministry of the word of God comes with life (energy) of God. Jesus said search the scriptures for in them you have eternal life. John 6 vs 63 “It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit and they are life”.

WHY FEED ON THE WORD

Our carnal minds, emotions, desire and will must change. This change can come only by our eating (feeding) on the word of God. If you feed on the word your emotions, will, desires etc. begin to change (your mind is renewed) and it even begins to make your physical body better and stronger. Eat the word of God brethren, that your mind might be changed so that you are taken from the path of death to the place of life.

HOW CAN WE (OUR EMOTIONS, DESIRES, WILL) BE CHANGED OR RENEWED

We are changed through the word of God. The word of God must be received by us and transformed (made) flesh by the quickening of the Spirit of God when the word of God comes to you; you believe the word and act and think according to that word, you align your mind, will emotions to conform with the word and your behaviour begins to change. This is the meaning of the word becoming flesh in us. Any man who receives this life of God found in Jesus Christ cannot help but change. The way to know if a man is feeding on the right word is to check what kind of change he is undergoing. A man will produce fruit according to that which he feeds on. Matthew 7 vs 17 “Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit…”. Vs 20 “Wherefore by their fruits he shall know them”.

The body is only a vehicle, it will respond to whatever is put in. You put physical blood in a man he is alive, remove it, he dies. As God begins to fill you with the life of His son Jesus Christ through the ministry of the word of God, you begin to react and manifest the very thing in you. The life of God is in the blood (the blood of Jesus) Lev. 17:11. The devil knows that blood contains spiritual energy. This is why he is so interested in shedding blood (through wars, famines, pestilences etc). If he does not get the blood of a man, he makes do with the blood of animals. Why do you think the juju priest or occultic men, or ritualists always spill blood. The devil needs the energy in the blood. The devils greatest desire is to kill a Christian. The Christian has mega life (energy) because he has the blood of Jesus. This is one more reason you must resist the devil, so that the precious life of God in you is not sucked away by the devil.

THE MIRACLE OF THE FIVE LOAVES AND 2 FISHES

In this account, physical bread (5 loaves/2 fishes) received spiritual energy and it became explosive. Jesus received the loaves and fish and prayed over them. And the same bread was able to feed four thousand people excluding women and children. Why? Because the life of God had touched it. Seek spiritual life so that you can multiply both physically and spiritually. Believe me when you touch life (in Jesus Christ) you cannot help but multiply. In the old testament Obed-edom took the ark of God into his home.  2 Sam. 6 vs 12 “And it was told King David saying, the Lord hath blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God”.

The woman with the issue of blood touched the helm of Jesus’ garment and her medical condition was arrested immediately by the power of God. When the life of God touched Jesus in the grave, the bible records that the chains of death could not hold him captive. Moses was in the presence of God 40 days (he touched life) and the glory was all over him. Brethren, the same Spirit is in you. Our physical body will certainly be affected as we receive the life of God.

WHY DOES GOD GIVE US HIS WORD (THE BREAD OF LIFE)

1 Corinthians 15 vs 45 “And so it is written the first man Adam was made a living soul, the last man (Jesus) was made a quickening (life giving) spirit”. The purpose of God is that we (you and me) too should give life. He wants us to be life giving spirits. The problem here is you cannot give what you don’t have. The spiritual principle is this: “The heavenly father hath life in himself and quickeneth who he will, so also the son has authority to give life to whom he will” (Gospel of John).  So how is this accomplished? The word of God you hear comes with life (God’s life). You eat and eat until you become so filled that your mind, will, emotions etc. become Christ-like (even your physical body will change) and as others come in contact with you, they also receive life; in order words you become a vehicle for life. The church must rise to the level where it begins to give life.

The church must begin to give life to the death situations around it. We must make a difference in our environment, if not, the whole point is lost. Eph. 3 vs 10 “So that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in heavenly places (American Standard Bible). We must rise up and regain our calling in God to give life. Change the situations by prayer and fasting. Call down the will of God upon the earth.

Why do you think God has put you in that office, family, situation etc. It is so you can bind the devil, pray and usher in life (the will of God). If people have been dying prematurely in your family, because of you, let no one die again. May the story change because you are involved. May we stand and break the altars the enemy has set up, may we scatter their gatherings, may we disarm their men of war, so that when they call their gods, their gods will not answer. Be encouraged to rise and go forth in the authority and power of God and overcome. Change the situations that are contrary to the word of God. Make a change brethren. Life is in you.

THE MATTER OF TRIBULATION

The tribulations the devil brings should not scare us. We ought to be in the position of strength. The testimony of the church in Thessalonians should encourage us. Paul in writing to them, commended them for their patience and faithfulness in the face of tribulation   

2 Thess. 4 “So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God, for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulation that you endure”. He went on to state “that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God for which ye suffer” (vs 5b). Infact, God allows the tribulations. It is what propels us to seek God the more. As you do, you receive life and you are able to bring healing to every death situation. The church at Pergamus dwelt under the direct influence of satan, yet the bible testifies that they were overcomers (Rev 2). The word of God must triumph over darkness. The light shineth in darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it.  There is a light and a life within you. You must give attention to this life. You must seek this godly wisdom more than you seek silver and gold. Then will you touch life. If the head Jesus Christ is a life giving spirit so must His body (the church) also be … for He said where I am, there you may be also.

When God brings before you a situation of death (poverty, wickedness, sickness, sin etc.) He expects you to give that situation life (it may be through the counsel, advice, encouragement or help you render, or through a ministry of prayer or some other action of yours).

Your commission is to bring down heaven (the will of God) upon the earth. You must give life to the situation. If people are stealing in an office when they get to you the stealing ought to stop (because that is the will of God), you bring life (the will of God) not death (continuity in sin) to the situation of stealing in the office. That is giving life brethren. There is a power and authority you have and now is the time to begin to exercise this dominion. Amen.

IT PAYS TO REMEMBER…

STAND UP AND CONTEND