Category Archives: Acknowledge God
Hiding Place
John 7:30 “Then the leaders tried to arrest him; but no one laid a hand on him, because his time had not yet come.”
We ended the devotional yesterday with the question, why do people die before their time? I hope that you took time out to wrestle with it. It will be impossible for any force to take you out before your time in the Mighty Name of Jesus. Read the rest of this entry
The People, I
John 7:17-18 “Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honour the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies.”
Over the next few days, we will be studying John 7:25-53 [please read]. Studying the Book of John has been amazing. I want you to read the following passages on your own: John 6:16-21, John 6:22-59, John 6:60-70, and John 7:1-25. Devote a day to each section or more and really get into God’s Word. Read the rest of this entry
In Time
John 6:14-15 “When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!” When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself.” (emphasis added).
I always like to imagine how things would play out in scenarios like this one. After they had eaten and everyone was full, the people said to Him with excitement in their voice, ‘Jesus, welcome! We thought You could only heal. We did not know You could also give bread.’ Read the rest of this entry
In Abundance
John 6:11-12 “…And they all ate as much as they wanted. After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.” (emphasis added).
Every time Jesus provided, He always provided more than enough. They had more than enough. We need to shred the scarcity mentality, even in our homes. There are homes where it is ‘Daddy’ that rations what everybody eats. Read the rest of this entry
No Limits
Ps. 50:10-11 “For all the animals of field and forest are mine! The cattle on a thousand hills! And all the birds upon the mountains!” (TLB]
One of the best gifts you can give yourself is to leave “How” to God. Just leave the “How” to God. As a Pastor, I have had different seasons in my life. Initially, as soon as God speaks to me and tells me the direction, I would be eager to share it. Read the rest of this entry
Where vs. How
Eze.37:3 “And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, You know.”
We have been looking at Jesus’ intent, Jesus’ question, and Phillip’s response for the past few days because there is so much to learn as it relates to our walk with God, to leadership, and to relationships with people. The challenge is people are not able to respond appropriately when asked a question Read the rest of this entry
Testing
Job 23: 10-11 “But he knows where I am going. And when he tests me, I will come out as pure as gold. For I have stayed on God’s paths; I have followed his ways and not turned aside.”
John 6:5-7 “Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do. Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!” (emphasis added). Read the rest of this entry
The Path
John 6:4 “(It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration.)”
When you look at the event of things, it was approximately six months exist between John 5 and John 6. It was almost time for the Jewish Passover celebration. Remember, in John 2, Jesus went from Capernaum to Jerusalem for the Passover, which was the first Passover of Jesus’ ministry. Read the rest of this entry
Supernatural Provision
Matt.17:27 “However, we don’t want to offend them, so go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a large silver coin. Take it and pay the tax for both of us.”
Have you ever experienced supernatural provision? Yes, God wants us to work, to invest, and God wants us to save. We have done several teachings on God’s heart for work and for our finances – earn some, save some, invest some, spend less, no loss, give more, and faith it. Yes, God wants us to be responsible, to generate an income, to sustain our life income, and to multiply our streams of income. However, there comes a time in every life where you need divine intervention, when you need a miracle. God has made it clear that this is going to happen, and He will come through for us. Please read John 6:1-15.
John 6:1 “After this, Jesus crossed over to the far side of the Sea of Galilee, also known as the Sea of Tiberias.” This is so important because John was writing to the people in Ephesus and they knew this sea as the Sea of Tiberias, not the Sea of Galilee. It is so important that as people, we speak the language that our community understands. Otherwise, they will see Christians as strange. Jesus had just finished healing the man that was lame for thirty-eight years and He crossed the Sea of Galilee to have some time away with His disciples. But the Bible said that the people followed Him. When Jesus was crossing the Sea of Galilee, thousands of people were going across Jordan following Jesus. Jesus obviously got to Galilee first and sat down with His disciples, but as He lifted His eyes, He saw five thousand people approaching and the story kicks off from there.
This miracle is recorded as the feeding of five thousand men, not counting women and children. If there are five thousand men, we can expect that there will be between seven and ten thousand women, and between two and three thousand children. There were about fifteen to twenty thousand people coming to Jesus. There are many different miracles distributed across the four gospels but the feeding of the five thousand men was the only one recorded by all four gospels and that is so significant. This miracle is recorded in Matt.14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, and John 6:1-15. Please read all the different accounts, you will be amazed at the peculiarities of the writers and what they focused on.
For instance, John did not talk about Jesus distributing the bread to the twelve and the twelve distributing it to the people. John skipped that because of what he was focusing on. Matthew detailed how Jesus broke the bread and distributed to the twelve, but Matthew did not state that Jesus did this for the bread and then the fish. Matthew reported it as though Jesus did both together. But John said He distributed the bread first, then the fish. The purpose of Bible study is for you to get into the Word of God yourself.
Prayer: Father, I ask that according to Your Word, please supply all my needs according to Your riches in glory, in Jesus Name. Amen!
His Not Yours, III
John 5:20 “For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished.” (emphasis added).
John 21:15-17 “After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.” “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said. A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.” God measures our love for Him by our service for His people. Read the rest of this entry
