Thursday, April 5, 2018

The 3rd John 2 Program - Real Healing From Food Addiction for God's People - Week 14 - My Food Is To Do His Will




My Food Is to Do His Will

John 4:34

Jesus said to them,

Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

My Experience, Strength & Hope

As a Christian who is born again, we really have no place in our lives to desire anything but the will of God. When Jesus met up with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well one day, He was going to show her how to get a drink of Living Water so she would never be thirsty again. She, of course was thinking in the natural realm about how nice it would be to never have to make the effort to carry her bucket to the well and fill it and make the long journey back to her home with the heavy water. I wonder how much we carry around in our hearts every day that is so heavy?

Jesus wanted to give her a drink that would last for eternity. When the disciples returned from their trip to go get something to eat – (it seems everyone around Him was caught up in filling their natural hunger and thirst), they encouraged Him to eat. He declined their offer, indicating that His food was to do the Father’s will and work.

Many on the planet today are running around trying to satisfy a spiritual need by physical means and they can never seem to get enough. I talk about the struggles I have had with food/sugar addiction, but this can apply to anything. For me I will keep it to food. Where the woman at the well was concerned, Jesus was more interested in revealing the true Messiah and Savior of the world to His people than feeding His natural needs. He trusted in the Father to take care of Him as He sought the kingdom of heaven work as His first priority. I wonder how many of us would be able to let go of the chains that have bound us in addiction if we would just learn to trust our Father in heaven like Jesus did.

Last night we went to dinner at a friend’s place on the beach. I figured what they would be serving would not be something I could eat, so I ate at home before we left. The truth is, I was wise in doing that because there were things there I shouldn’t be eating at that time of day even though it was a lovely and healthy meal. But as I sat there, I had a bit of resentment rise up in my heart that I could not partake of it.

I had to repent for that the next morning because I need to always be grateful for the healthy things God provides that I can have. He always provides for my every need and never leaves me wanting for anything. I had gotten myself over tired and then the negative thoughts tried to come. I didn’t camp there for too long, but the fact that I felt that way at all was a warning sign. The enemy is never far when those types of thoughts start to come.

What I really needed to do that night was to apply the word of God to my situation by reminding myself that my food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work. It became one of my confessions on my list. I just sat there listening to the conversation and we had a lovely evening. The feelings and thoughts passed and we enjoyed a beautiful God given sunset along with a double rainbow as a sign of God’s double portion provision for me and the reminder that He never fails to keep His promises.

God is our food. He is our drink. Yes, we need to eat and drink natural food and water, but the thing we need the most is His Spirit and His word. (See Mt. 4:4) There isn’t enough food, alcohol or drugs on the planet to fill our heart’s desire for love and acceptance. Through this experience I want to be used of the Lord to encourage you. We cannot fill up on enough food, physically that is. We can eat and eat and eat, yet we will never be satisfied. There’s not enough drugs, alcohol or anything else that can satisfy us like the meal that our heavenly Father has sent us – His Son Jesus, the Bread from heaven.

I understand what it was like to try to fill up on junk food. That junk food can be any number of things, from food to drugs, you name it. But no matter how hard we try, it just doesn’t cut it. People and things will never fill up the hunger in our human soul. Only Jesus can do that. “But how can we get full on someone we can’t even see or touch”, you ask? Great question. By spending time with Him – alone, away from the noise, away from the distractions of life, and yes, even away from your breakfast, lunch or dinner table. There will be times when we need to forego the meal of regular food to partake of the heavenly meal that can leave us truly satisfied.

Even Jesus spent His life in prayer and He passed up meals at times to spend time with the Father. This is why He told the disciples that He had food they knew nothing of. He had just finished a discussion with the Samaritan woman and revealed Himself to her as her Lord and Savior. Friend, when our focus is right – on Him, we will be filled up from Him in ways we never imagined possible.

And the only way we will find out is to go to His breakfast, lunch or dinner table. When hunger is trying to call your name but you know in your spirit that you are not really hungry, you can feast on your Lord and Master. Then you will be truly full and completely satisfied. Only the Lord can do that. I was reminded again the day before I wrote this about how the Father comforts us like a mother would. That is very precious!

We need to remember where we can go for comfort. And if we have a friend out there who is a faith buddy, we can call them and ask them to remind us of how much God loves us and will comfort us. We can go to the Lord and ask for help when we are being pressed and tempted and He will always come to our aid. After a trying week of busyness and much activity, I was reminded the day I wrote this to sit at the feet of Jesus like Mary did. He can and will fill me up and quench my thirst. He will do that for you too. Will you be a faith buddy to someone else who has struggled with addiction? Will you remind a friend that God will fill and comfort them?

Remember when we receive something from the Lord, we need to give it away. If we are encouraged, we can pass it along. If we are taught something new in the word that strengthened us, we can share that too as the Lord leads us. As long as we continue to say His word out loud in faith over our lives and keep doing it, God’s word will produce a harvest in our lives. We are no longer addicts – we are free in Christ to do His will and to finish His work. Praise His name forever!

Scriptures from This Message…

John 6:55

For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.

John 4:4-34

And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him. In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.  

Key Points to Remember…

·         Take full advantage of the word of God in your life – say it out loud, think about it and believe it by faith. Receive its truths for your own life.
 
·         Doing God’s will is our MOST necessary food.
 
·         Make daily confessions about your life from the word of God – they will come to pass. Watch your words. We are no longer an addict but we are free in Christ!
 
·         Don’t fill up on junk food – anything that will stunt your walk away from addiction and bondage.
 
·         Skip a meal if you are led to in order to focus on sitting with Jesus and allowing Him to fill you up on the inside.
 
·         Maintain your focus, like running a race and keeping your eye on the finish line.
 
·         If you think a particular food is “calling your name”, speak back to it, like Jesus spoke to the fig tree. Tell it that you cannot hear it because you can only hear your Shepherd’s voice. John 10:27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
 
·         Find a faith buddy whenever you are struggling and need a word of encouragement. Have a person who you can trust to encourage your faith walk in this journey and give them a quick call or send them a text. Ask them to remind you about how victorious and successful you are. Ask them to remind you that you are more than a conqueror and that you can do all things through Christ Jesus.
 
·         Be a faith buddy to someone else too. When we receive something good, we should give it away. Then we will receive even more.
                                              
    Questions for You:


·         How important is it to you to do the Lord’s will?

·         Are you willing to make the effort to set aside unnecessary junk that can distract you from   reaching your new goals?

·         Will you get a faith buddy to help you and be one for someone else?

·         Think about some of the bad habits you have developed where eating is concerned and   write down ways to replace them with positive actions. Will you commit to this?

·         Will you commit to spending more time at Jesus’ feet and listening to Him so He can fill     you  and satisfy you?


·         Will you make the effort to apply the word of God to your life through this program by faith      knowing that if you do, you will see positive results?

**If you would like to join our weekly call, please send an email to the following:

The3rdJohn2Program@yahoo.com

Be blessed! 

Hanny Stearns

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