Encouragement
As Much As You Want (John 6:10-11)
“Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.†Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted.â€
Last week’s message spoke about how Jesus had His eyes on the Father and had faith for a heavenly solution to the earthly need. Jesus asked the people to sit down on the grass in readiness, because He had no doubts about the heavenly provision that was coming.
The same account in the book of Matthew tells us how Jesus lifted His eyes up to heaven as He gave thanks to the Father for the loaves and fish. (Matthew 14:19: “Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves.â€) Jesus kept His eyes on the Father as He began to draw on the power of heaven for His miracle. He looked with the eyes of His Spirit, not the eyes of His flesh, and He saw the limitless provision of heaven which is released when the sons and daughters of the Kingdom take ownership of their inheritance by faith. When He gave thanks to God and blessed the food, it was an expression of His faith that there would be sufficient for the whole multitude to eat.
There are three threads we can draw from today’s scripture:
The power of thankfulness. Thanksgiving is so important to God that the book of Leviticus describes the Old Testament guidelines for expressing thanks to God by means of offerings (Leviticus 3 & 7). There are hundreds of scriptures in the Bible about giving thanks to God. Thanksgiving unlocks spiritual doors and releases the blessing of heaven into the earth. When we give thanks to God for something that has happened, it delights His heart because it is our expression of gratitude for what He has done and our humble acknowledgement that He made the difference. It is also a declaration of faith for what is still to come. We may often forget to thank people in our lives for something they have done for us and we are no different with our Divine Daddy who often may not be thanked for all the wonderful ways He takes care of us. You may have been in a situation where you took the time and trouble to do something for someone who never expressed any appreciation and this may have caused you some grief or disappointment. On the other hand, when people are warmly thankful for something that was done, it inspires and encourages us on to do more! Similarly, I believe that when we declare our thanks to God, He is pleased and His heart is moved on our behalf. You may be still waiting for something you have been praying for, but begin today to thank God for those good things that have already happened, or for the progress you have seen in your life. There is power in thankfulness, and you really can expect more of what you are thanking God for. Your miracle is on its way!
Jesus broke the bread. When Jesus had just five little loaves of bread in His hands, He began to distribute them. He broke the first one and passed it on to His disciples who in turn broke and passed the portions on to the people before them. It is possible to picture them all breaking the bread and passing it on (and doing the same with the fish) until the 5000 men plus all the women and children were fed. In the Kingdom, giving brings forth multiplication! Luke 6:38 says “Give and it will be given to youâ€. We can never out give God, who gave His very precious and only Son for the redemption of His creation, but when we give into Kingdom causes or to the needy, we sow into what is closest to His heart and we step into a realm of thirty, sixty and hundredfold harvest (Matthew 13:8). Let yourself be challenged to break the bread and pass it on; you will be pleasantly surprised!
As much as you want. We have a generous Father who wants to shower His blessings upon His kids. Ephesians 3:20 describes Him as the One “who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or thinkâ€. Whatever your need may be, there is more than enough for you in the spiritual realm, and you only need to believe. Many people look for the crumbs off the table when Jesus simply lifted His eyes to heaven and saw the abundance of what the Father had gifted Him. Out of 5 little loaves and 2 little fish, 5000 men plus the women and children who were with them ate as much as they wanted, probably even taking bags of food home as well! Dear friend, there was no lack when that multitude needed to be fed, and there is no lack in the face of your situation today. Whatever it is that you need, know and believe that your Father wants to bless you. He wants us to live in the powerful join inheritance we share with Jesus, and no good thing will he withhold from His kids who walk with Him (Psalm 84:11). I pray today that any spirit of poverty and lack is broken off your mind and heart, and off your finances. I pray that you begin to see the extravagance of Papa’s infinite provision which He has made available to His kids. The Father has as much as you could ever want because everything He has is for you! (Luke 15:31).
I join my faith with yours today as we believe together that your situation is beginning to change completely. Develop an attitude of gratitude. Let God take you to another level of giving. Know that Papa’s abundant provision is for you today and always, and the rest of the story is a foregone conclusion. I look forward to hearing some great testimonies because Daddy God loves you and wants to do great things for you, in Jesus’ mighty name, Amen!
Minoli Haththotuwa, 02 September 2013
www.risingonwings.org
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