Matthew 17 Face to Face With Jesus, A Little Faith, Fasting & Provision

Matthew 17 – Face to Face with Jesus, A Little Faith, Fasting & Provision

Text: Read Matthew 17

May 19, 2020

Face to Face with Jesus Vs. 1-4

God chose these 3 men who followed closely after Jesus to reveal His Son’s glory to them – face to face! What an experience. What a privilege. What an honor to be able to see Jesus – the transformed Jesus in that way at that time. This reminds me of a prophet who spoke on You Tube just last night. He explained how he had experienced face to face encounters with the Lord.

Isn’t this every Christian’s desire? To see Jesus for who He really is? That day on the mountain, those 3 chosen men had the opportunity to do just that. In my heart, I can hear Holy Spirit asking, “Do you think this would have changed their lives forever after that?” To that I responded, “Yes.”

As we move along in our Christian walk, the goal should always be to seek to know Him more. We discussed this in yesterday’s study of Matthew 16. Jesus asked Peter who he thought He was. Peter had spent enough time with the Lord to have the correct answer.

As we move forward into today’s chapter, it’s as if the Lord is taking us to a deeper level of knowing Him and seeing Him for who He really is. This is a privilege and honor that only a few will ever experience compared to the number of people alive on the planet. Why? Desire. It’s all about loving Jesus enough to want to be close to Him above all else.

It doesn’t mean that we don’t carry out our duties and responsibilities. What it means is that we take time to be with Him as much as we can and trust Him to multiply the time to achieve other things that need to be done. Frankly, there are a lot of things that aren’t really that important at the moment. This experience was to be one that created in them a  strong desire  to be with the Lord and to carry out His plans for their lives to spread the gospel to the known world in that day.

Is it any different for us today? I would think not. Personally wanting to get closer to Jesus, I have experienced some of the greatest opposition from Satan’s camp. He will do anything to get in the way of our closeness to Jesus. It can be busyness and a host of other distractions, but they will come.

Here is a verse the Lord brought to my mind this morning.

James 1:2-4

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,  knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

Hearing the Voice of God Vs. 5

While they were on that mountain with the glorified Savior, they experienced yet another great event – hearing the audible voice of God. Maybe some of you have heard the voice of Holy Spirit speak so profoundly to you that it almost felt like it was coming from outside of you audibly. I know I have. When it has happened, it has really blessed me.

That day God the Father had a profound message for the disciples to hear. One was to confirm to them that Jesus is indeed the Son of the Most High God. And two, that what He would say to them was important and they  should pay very close attention to what He says. What can we take out of this? When God speaks, we should listen. How does He speak to us? Though it can happen in a number of ways, though it is not usually the audible voice like that day, He will mostly speak into our spirit and through His word.

He will also speak to us through prophets, preachers, and Bible teachers. He can use a friend to speak to us, or even our spouse. God can also use a circumstance to teach and show us things. He can use nature and many other amazing ways, like a special song that just grabs our heart at the moment, as if God Himself was singing it to us – just what we needed to hear at that very moment.  

As we proceed through this daily Bible study on Monday through Friday, God will speak to each one of us. As we read the chapter and meditate on it slowly, He will teach us from the entire chapter. Each chapter will have a special something that will highlight what we each personally need  to hear in that day and season of our lives. Stay connected to His word and keep praying, praising, and worshipping. His voice will come through loud and clear to all of us if we are willing to take the time to listen.

There’s Nothing to Fear in the Presence of Jesus Vs. 6-9

When the disciples heard God’s voice, they dropped to the ground immediately in fear. It must have been overwhelming to them. We can only imagine. Jesus is frequently telling His frightened disciples not to fear – it is Him. The Bible is full of verses where God is telling us not to fear. Fear is a big problem in the world and certainly, however unfortunately, in the church as well.

Matthew 14:27

But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”

There is a song which is titled, “In Your Presence”. In the lyrics it says that when we are in His presence, that’s where we belong and that’s where we are strong. Who wouldn’t want that? Yet many are afraid to enter into that holy presence. Even the Israelites were afraid to come close to God, so they were content to let Moses be the one to talk face to face with God.

Exodus 34:29-30

Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses’ hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. So when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him.

I believe today, with all that’s going on in the world with viruses and attacks from the evil one on every side, we need to get into the presence of the Lord more than ever before. That’s where He can speak to us face to face. Even though we can’t see Him physically, He can certainly communicate to us through His Holy Spirit who lives in us as born again believers. 

What an honor we have today that the disciples didn’t have. We can be with Jesus every moment of every day. He said He would never leave us or forsake us, so we can enter into His throne room by His grace to find help and fellowship at any time of the day or night.

Answering Questions & Preparing for Things to Come Vs. 13, 22-23

In these verses, we see how asking questions is a good thing. The Lord wants to teach us many things. But we must first ask. The disciples certainly did. They would see and experience things in their walk with the Lord and then later, in a more private setting, they could approach Him with their questions.

A lot of people, and many religions do not think they can approach the Lord or ask Him anything. But that’s not what God says. He wants to hear our questions, and He wants to answer them. Look at these verses that describe this.

Matthew 7:7

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Jeramiah 3:33

‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’

Now more than ever, I have a lot more questions than I do answers. I think the older we get, the more we realize how much we don’t know and the more we realize that we need to hear from God. No matter what age we are, we should always seek to hear from the Lord. He wants to tell us about anything and everything concerning our lives.

In these passages Jesus was using the opportunity to show the disciples of things to come so they would be prepared. Can it be said any differently for us today? We all need this. It goes back to entering into His presence to get the information, the wisdom and help that we so desperately need to succeed in our lives.

James 1:5

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 

Casting Out Demons  - Some Cases are More Difficult Vs. 14-18, 21

Here is an example of the power and authority of Jesus. When a troubled man approaches him with a son who needed deliverance, He immediately took authority and got that wicked thing out of the boy. The disciples had tried to do it, but didn’t have any success. It left them wondering why. They had probably cast out demons from other people by that time and had seen results. This time was different. Why?

In studying deliverance, I understand that some devils are more stubborn. It would take more effort to seek the Lord on the part of the disciples. The level of the furiousness and intensity the boy was experiencing required seeking the Lord on a deeper level about how to deal with such a matter.   The effort – prayer, fasting and taking authority; all of it takes faith. That day, Jesus told them they were a faithless generation. He was addressing 2 issues. One was the intensity of the situation, and the other was the need to depend heavily on God to bring wisdom on how  to pray for the young lad.

All It Takes Is Just A Little Faith Vs. 19-20

Jesus addressed their lack of faith and showed them that great big things can happen with even a tiny bit of faith. When we think of moving a mountain, we think of something very big, right? I believe that’s exactly why Jesus chose that word picture to describe the situation they were dealing with in the demon possessed boy. It was also to teach them about the level of faith that it would take to get it out.

The good news in these 2 verses is that Jesus was saying that all they needed, and us too, is a little bit of real genuine faith to get some really big results. That’s what they needed that day. How many of us have some mountains to move in our lives? I would venture to say that most who are reading this study would have some mountains to get moved in their lives. I know I do.

When we see the power of God demonstrated throughout the Bible, why do we ever doubt His power to deliver us and help us to get those mountains out of the way so we can proceed on? Maybe this is a good time to start setting apart some time to skip a meal or two so we can be face to face with Jesus and hear the voice of God regarding the matters that matter to us. All it takes is a little genuine faith in who He is and what He can do. Isn’t that what getting to know Him is all about? The more time we spend with Him, the better we will know Him – amen?

God Will Provide – Right on Time Vs. 24-27

In discussing knowing Jesus, this chapter wraps up with a great display of God’s right on time provisions. Seeing a need to pay a tax in Capernaum, Jesus uses this scenario to show Peter how God can and will always provide what is needed in a given situation. Since Peter was a fisherman by trade, I find it interesting that the Lord chose to use a fish to bring him the needed money. It reminds me of the boat sinking harvest God had provided after Peter allowed his boat to be used for kingdom purposes.

Luke 5:1-11

So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.

When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken;  and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him.

Looking at this, it’s as if the Holy Spirit is bringing a summary of the entire chapter in these last verses today. Here is Peter who was just getting to know Jesus and what He could do for him. He was a fisherman and needed to make his money from fishing. But after a full night of working, he was tired and ready to just go home to sleep. But God had another plan. He knew what Peter needed and He knew what the people on the beach needed that day.

Peter needed money and the people needed to know Jesus. Peter allowed Jesus to use his equipment for God’s kingdom purposes, and God brought him a harvest so big he could not contain it. What was the result for Peter? Not only did he have a right on time and much needed provision, but he saw Jesus in a whole new light. It caused him to see his own sinfulness and need for a Savior. I wonder how many others experienced the same thing that day.

Peter was able to see Jesus, hear Him speak and watch God bring a supernatural harvest to his business. We can imagine his faith grew from a mustard seed to an even bigger seed that day, amen? That experience gave Peter the faith to drop it all and go follow Jesus to accept His assignment for his life. Just like the day on the mountain when he saw Jesus transformed in glory, he saw enough of Jesus to cause Him to want to go further with Him.

Reflection

I really had no idea whatsoever how this study would go today. I barely got into it this morning before my personal devotion time was ending and I had to take care of some other duties. What unfolded as I went was nothing short of a miracle. I have been dealing with a very big mountain in my life this year. It seems it all started last year when I made a decision to get closer than ever to Jesus. As soon as I decided to do that, I faced a trial bigger than I ever could have imagined.

I needed to have greater faith than I did to face the trial than I did. This brings me to this chapter where we see how getting face to face with Jesus can increase our faith, as well as our passion to follow Him more closely. We can see that He will help us through prayer and fasting to get rid of the big obstacles that we face, and I have certainly faced them over this past year.

Studying this today has helped me to see how much closer I need to get. As I listened to my spirit and the song, “In His Presence”, I realize that more Jesus time will equal less time for the devil to mess with me. After all, doesn’t God commend us to draw near to Him? If we aren’t, what is stopping us? Is it fear? If so, what exactly are we afraid of?

I know I have had a fear of lack for a long  time in my life. Though I have done a whole lot of fasting and then coming back around to eat and move on, I believe I could do a lot more praying while I’m skipping the food. Fasting is a part of the Christian life. Why?  It doesn’t change God. It changes us. It removes distractions and keeps our body in subjection so we can have a more concentrated focus on Jesus. He did say we did not have to be afraid, right?

How About You?

How do you feel you can use the principles in this study to help you grow in your relationship with Jesus? Will you take the time to bring it before the Lord in prayer and listen to what He has to say? You’ll be glad you did.

Questions or Comments?

Email me at: Hannylynn05@gmail.com

Matthew 16 Bible Study - Signs of the Times - Knowing Jesus and Heavens Plans

Matthew 16  - Signs of the Times, Knowing Jesus & Heavens Plans

Text: Read Matthew 16

May 18, 2020

Discerning the Signs of the Times

The religious leaders were looking for a miraculous sign from heaven. Jesus told them that though they were able to tell what was going to happen with the weather by the signs in the sky, they were not able to see what was happening from heaven though He was standing right in front of them. They did not want to see.

Asking for a sign was a futile attempt to see something else that really wouldn’t cause them to change anyway. Their hearts were not for the things of God, really. It was all a mockery.

Jesus told them what they would see and that would be sign enough. The only sign would be the death and resurrection of Jesus. If that didn’t move them from their religious value system, nothing would.

What Can Ruin A Good Loaf of Bread? What Can Bring Bad Teaching to God’s People? A Ungodly Leadership Can Spoil a Whole Group of People. Vs. 5-12

Leaven – meaning, something that corrupts or depraves.

Leaving the scene where Jesus was confronted by the Pharisees and Sadducees, Jesus took the opportunity to teach the disciples about the doctrines (teachings) of those leaders.

When the disciples discovered that they forgot to bring bread, it became the perfect opportunity for Jesus to teach them about the people they had just seen Him talking with. He likened their teachings to leaven in bread, and at the same time addressed the disciples lack of faith when they were worried about not having food.

First, the Lord reminded them about the other miracles they had seen when the multitudes of people had been fed on the previous occasions. It’s amazing how quickly we can forget the former miracles when a new opportunity of need presents itself.

He was able to turn their physical concerns into a faith building lesson while using the very food being discussed as a teaching point of great significance. Jesus was more concerned with their spiritual nutrition that day than their concern for natural bread.

The Lord wanted to show them, and us, that religious leaders and even people we know in our lives today can lead people astray and make the whole batch bad. We can’t eat good spiritual bread from that kind of teaching.

God would always provide what they needed in the natural if they would only believe. But they needed to learn of true spiritual things that would nourish their souls.

Recognizing Jesus for Who He Really Is Vs. 13-18

The conversation that begins in verse 13 about who Jesus is leads to a wonderful revelation about the assignment on Peter’s life. When asked who Peter thought Jesus was he gave the right answer, knowing that He is the Christ – the Son of the living God.

Jesus told him that it was only because the Father revealed this to him that he could truly see this. Look at the cross reference to this that no man can come to the Lord unless they are drawn by the Father in heaven. 

John 6:44

No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

People won’t see Jesus for who He really is unless the Father God in heaven reveals it to them. This is His grace that draws us in like a magnet of love.

Jesus advised Peter that he would be a rock on which He would build His church. The devil would have no way to successfully stop it. The Lord was showing Peter that day what God’s plan for his life was going to be. That was a good day for Peter in light of his future failures that would cause him some serious grief. It would surely be a foundation that would help him to repent and come back to the Lord after having denied Him 3 times. When we know the plan of God for our lives, it will sustain us in times of great trial.  

Keys to Unlock Heaven’s Kingdom on Earth Vs. 19-20

Jesus was giving out keys that day. He advised the disciples that the key to the kingdom of heaven would be according to what they would allow on earth, saying it would be backed up in heaven. Also, that what they would not allow on earth would be also be disallowed in heaven.

To summarize this, God is saying to us that whatever we allow on this earth in our lives, heaven will agree with it. Conversely, what we don’t allow will also be backed up by heaven. It’s up to us to know our authority and take it. We should be taking actions to stop the devil from stealing things from our lives.  

Jesus did not permit the disciples to tell others about who He truly is. It wasn’t time for others to know that yet. Certain things would have to happen before they could start spreading the word, and God didn’t want their words to stop what He had set in motion for the plan of salvation for all mankind.

Getting His Students Ready for What Was Ahead Vs. 21-23

When Jesus told the disciples what He would have to suffer at the hand of the Jewish leaders, Peter rose up and said he wouldn’t let that happen. But Jesus quickly rebuked the devil working through him. Peter wasn’t speaking about the heavenly purposes at that point. The devil can even use God’s people to try to get his agenda spoken into the world to carry out his plans of destruction.

If the devil can get us to think and talk like the ungodly world, he can bring his evil plans to pass. Jesus knew immediately that this was satan at work and He stopped it immediately. It really matters what we say and what we allow.

Look how quickly the enemy tried to destroy God’s plan through Peter’s mouth following Jesus’ admonition. The devil was right there looking for an opportunity to a man’s voice to speak it out. He used Peter’s love for Jesus to act as a sounding board, playing on his emotions to say something that would go directly against the plans of God. The devil knows that when we speak, things happen according to our words. We are made in God’s image, and when He speaks, things happen. It’s the same with us. Study Genesis 1 for further details on this subject.

Living for Jesus Vs. 24-26

The Lord went on to further teach the disciples that anyone who wants to follow Him must lay down their lives and carry their cross. What does this mean for us? Paul was a great example of living for Jesus. Look at this in the book of Acts.

Acts 20:24

But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Paul saw the souls of mankind as a much greater value than living for himself in this life. Does this mean we don’t have anything at all for ourselves? Not at all. It means putting God’s things first in our hearts, our finances, our conversations, our work, and relationships. In summary, everything in our lives as Christians should be lived for the ultimate purpose of the advancement of the gospel in the way the Lord calls each of us to do it.

We are literally called to despise anything that will get in our way (even family) and hinder us from carrying out God’s assignment for our lives.

Luke 14:26

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.

Peter had a great assignment to build the church after Jesus left to go back to heaven. We also have an assignment specific to the gifts that have been given to each one of us. No two calling assignments will be the same, and every human being alive has a call on their life to serve the Lord. The question remains, how many will carry it out?

Jesus was showing them how to prioritize their lives in order to save their souls for eternity. He is saying the same thing to you and me. To be heavenly minded and not worldly minded would mean losing their own ways of doing things the way Jesus did. When He came, He laid down His life and doing things like the ungodly world so He could bring many to heaven in the end. He didn’t fulfill the lusts of His flesh, but rather focused on the things of eternal value.

He went on to show them that it would be of no profit whatsoever to try to save their lives in living for themselves. According to Jesus, in trying to save our lives, we will lose them. But in losing ourselves and our own ambitions for the sake of the gospel, we will gain life for our souls which go on throughout eternity, either in heaven or hell. Nothing is worth losing out on being with Jesus for eternity – nothing!

Rewards in The Kingdom Vs. 27-28

When Jesus comes back in His glory, He will reward each of us according to our work. He wants to give us rewards. That blesses Him and it will bless us. We want to go for those rewards – there’s not a thing wrong with that.

The final sentence in this chapter shows us how quickly things can change. Our lives are short. For those standing there within the sound of Jesus’ voice that day, some would see Him return in His kingdom. In other  words, as Simeon saw the baby Jesus, so the disciples and many followers would see Him transfigured after His resurrection. In the future, the same thing will happen when some of us are alive when Jesus returns to the earth the second time. Some will still be living to see it while many will not.

Reflection

It’s always amazing to me how the Lord brings things together to teach us. He uses our circumstances and actions to show us the principles set forth in His eternal word every day that we study. Yesterday’s church service was about this very topic of eternal life and not seeking to save one’s own life, but to lose it for Christ’s sake.

My husband and I were considering making a sizable purchase for a personal item. It would be more of a luxury than a necessity. During the church service we were both prompted by the Holy Spirit of God to extend some financial resources to a sister in the family of God and her children. We were delighted to be asked to do that and responded cheerfully. The amazing thing was that we had both been prompted by the Lord to do this individually, so we got the confirmation that God was giving us an opportunity to sow into someone’s life.

Later in the day, the person who received the blessing was moved to tears and so were we. God had been so good to us in this season of Covid19, that it was our delight to extend His provision to someone in need. We decided to get a less costly item instead of the one we were discussing just yesterday, and we felt so good about it.

There are many ways we can lay down our lives and take up our cross to follow Jesus. For each one of us, there will be different requirements. All we have to do is be willing, and God will lead the way. I heard a song this morning titled “Heaven on Earth.” In it, the words say, “Let Your kingdom come, let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven – heaven on earth.” That was God’s original plan when He created the earth for us to begin with. Adam and Eve were placed in a perfect place with every possible provision and then given the authority to take dominion over it, to be fruitful and multiply.

All we need to do is get a glimpse of eternity in light of how short our time on earth will be. It really will matter in the end how we spend our time on earth, as brief as it is. Look at the following verse to gain a deeper perspective. Just today, I had distractions coming at me from every direction and I almost got busy doing something else before this Bible study. But I grabbed myself and just went to sit down and pray in the spirit for about 20 minutes. By the time I was done, my priorities were back in line with God’s priorities and I was headed to my office and the keyboard. Praise God!

2 Corinthians 4:17-18

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

How About You?

Isn’t this a great time to look at your priorities in life and ask the Lord to help reassess them? It’s never too late as long as we are alive to get started. Better late than never, amen?

 Questions or Comments?

Email me at Hannylynn05@gmail.com

Matthew 15 - Matters of the Heart - Boldness, Faith, Healing & Provision

Matthew 15  - Matters of the Heart, Boldness, Faith, Healing & Provision

Text: Read Matthew 15

May 15, 2020

Defilement (Dirtiness, Uncleanness) from the Inside of a Person Vs. 1-20

The Scribes and Pharisees confront Jesus about His disciples not washing their hands before dinner.

Jesus highlights the fact that they teach people not to honor their parents, thereby they teach people not to honor God by sticking with their traditions

.

Jesus pinpoints their actions as making God’s word ineffective due to men’s rules/laws.

The prophesy stated by Isaiah long before Jesus came addresses this very issue, saying people honor God with their words, but their hearts are not really close to His.  

Isaiah also said that their worship was useless because they were more focused on what men like to teach rather than what God says it right.

Jesus addressed the crowd afterward and explained that what goes inside a person by mouth (even with dirty hands) is not what makes a person’s heart defiled. He explained that it what comes from the heart of a person is what makes them unclean.

The disciples told Jesus that the Pharisees were offended by what He had said to them.

Jesus advised them not to be concerned. The Father in heaven would tear up anything not planted by Him.

He told them to leave them alone because they were spiritually blind and leading others to do the same things as they were. In the end, they would all fall into a ditch.

Peter sought further explanation on what defiles a person. We need to understand it as well.

Jesus marveled that the disciples still didn’t seem to grasp the meaning of the situation overall.

He told them again that what goes in doesn’t make people unclean. But what comes out from the mouth is what will defile and thereby dishonor a person.

Jesus further explains the types of unclean things that come from the heart of unclean people, such as:

Evil thoughts & plans, murder, adultery, sexual Immorality, stealing, lying, verbal abuse, disrespectable talking, blaspheming – showing blatant disrespect and disregard for God and His things.

Reflection

I was thinking about something I ate yesterday. The thought came to me that what I ate didn’t really matter as much as why I ate. I have in the past struggled with the enemy trying to make me focus too much on food because 1. I like it, and 2. Sometimes I have eaten purely for comfort reasons rather than due to real physical hunger. Often when we think we are hungry but are not really, it is a sign of spiritual hunger. I was pondering these thoughts this morning before ever opening my Bible and reading this chapter.

Our flesh and the devil can cause us to be distracted from focusing on Jesus. We should never cooperate with the devil or his evil plans – like the things that are listed above. Additionally, we have to tell our flesh to shut up and wait sometimes. We know when we have had enough to eat. Eating itself is necessary and won’t make us unclean. But why and when is a matter of the heart. There are times that we need to fast and get alone with God so we can have fellowship with Him. The food can wait until later.

I had to see this reminder today. God never condemns us for missing the moment with Him or seeking comfort in something other than Him, but it definitely does not honor or please Him. He wants to be first in our hearts – where everything matters most. The food, clothing, and daily activities are secondary to knowing and fellowshipping with Jesus.

Colossians 3:2

Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.

How About You?

What might be coming from your heart that needs to be cleaned up? It’s not our hands that need to be washed as much as our hearts.

A Woman of Boldness, Determination and Great Faith Gets Results Vs. 21-28

In His journeys, Jesus encountered a woman with a desperate situation. She asked for His mercy and help to heal her demon possessed daughter.

She understood and believed that He could help her.

She approached Him with boldness and faith believing He would help her.

She didn’t get offended even when it looked like He may not help her because she was not an Israelite.

Instead, even in a moment that seemed like rejection, she chose to honor and worship Him. She didn’t give up.

She was desperate, persistent, bold, had strong faith, and respectful.

When He spoke about her not getting the things that belonged to the children of God, she didn’t argue but agreed fully with Jesus’ statement. She still showed respect to Him. She was willing to take to take anything that fell from the table of the Lord. That’s how much she cared about her daughter and that’s how much she honored the Lord even though she was an outsider.

Like the centurion in another chapter whose faith Jesus marveled at, He honored the great faith of this woman and gave her exactly what she came for and even more. He made her daughter whole! 

Reflection

It is so amazing how God works each day. I took an early morning soaking bath as I listened to worship music. I thought about the parts of my body that I have long been in faith that God has healed, yet have not seen the manifestation. I thought about how I still need a lot of heart healing. Since I am a child of God and part of His family, I should be showing these healing manifestations. I deeply desire that for 2 reasons. One is obviously for my comfort and relief from the symptoms and the problems they cause. The other is for the testimony that I can give to others about the power of God and His goodness. This is the ultimate goal to show others His goodness and win them to the Lord.

As I write this, I thought about this woman who is an outsider. In other words, think of her as one who is not yet born again into the family of God. It would only make sense that if an outsider could approach the Lord with that kind of boldness and faith for healing, how much more should we as born again children of God? It happens all the time. Lost people are in meetings and crusades and come to Jesus for healing, not being saved, and yet they get great results and then give their lives to Jesus. I have witnessed this many times.

Matthew 8:13

Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.

How About You?

Are you willing to approach Jesus with boldness and unrelenting faith for your healing?

Healing, Provision, Multiplication & More Than Enough Vs. 29-39

Many people who knew about Jesus brought a multitude, a large mass of people to Him who desired to be healed. They laid them at His feet expecting to get results.

What did Jesus do? He healed them. Not some of them. All of them.

He healed the blind, the deaf, the mute, and the maimed (crippled, disabled) along with many others (situations not mentioned here). He made people whole. (Whole means spirit, soul, and body) Whole means entirely complete, lacking nothing. It doesn’t get any better than that!

People stood in awe of God in this great mass of people when they saw with their own eyes what Jesus did. As a result they praised and glorified God! What a day!

This great event took place over 3 days. The people had not eaten and would have been very hungry.

He showed compassion to them, knowing they needed to eat food or else they might faint on their way home.

His disciples were concerned about how to feed so many people.

Jesus responded to them with a question. What do you have right now?

Once they responded that all they had was seven loaves and a few fishes, He took over to show them how to take care of the people.

Once all were seated, Jesus simply gave thanks for what they had and then began to give it to the disciples to distribute to the people.

Every person ate and was filled up.

There were seven basketfuls left over. More than enough. Exceedingly and abundantly above and beyond all that we could ask or imagine. See Ephesians 3:20.

Reflection

This morning I thought about how we need to forgo other activities, including eating at times in order to seek the Lord for our own healing. Even thought the Bible wasn’t written in chapter and verse like we use it today, it all ties together beautifully.

Amazingly, (and God is always amazing), He will do so many different things to get a message through to us. I see this entire chapter tying together in ways only God can do it. The whole thing about the matters of the heart, forgoing food, approaching the Lord in boldness and faith to get what we need from Him, and seeing how He not only wants to heal us but always will – if we believe and receive.

I see how we just need to set aside other things for a moment to seek Him. We show Him love and respect when we do this. It honors Him – like the bold lady in today’s chapter. We also see how compassionate Jesus is. He will call us aside to be with Him at times, but He will always feed us what we need and even make sure that there is plenty leftover. He is our more than enough Provider.

We need not fear lack when we go to Him. He will never leave us or forsake us. What we need to be filled with more than anything is His love. That’s what I thought about this morning. Yes, we need to eat most days, but there are times when it can wait until later. Yes, there are things we need to do, but that too can wait until later. God can not only multiply what He provides us foodwise, but our time as well. When we focus on His things first, He can help us get so much more done in less time afterwards. I have seen Him do it.

Hebrews 13:5

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

How About You?

Do you need some heart healing and/or healing in your body? Why not spend some time with Jesus and receive what He has already provided for you and wants you to lay hold of?

Contact me at hannylynn05@gmail.com if you have any questions. 

Be blessed as you study. 

Matthew 6 - Teaching Points From Jesus

Matthew 6  - Teaching Points from Jesus

Text: Read Matthew 6

May 4, 2020

3 Points to Practice in Private that God Rewards Openly – Alms, Prayer & Fasting

Giving Vs. 1-4

Why do we give, and how do we give? To start with, God is a giver. He is the greatest giver of all. As His children, we are to be givers also. One very important thing to remember is that we are not the source of the giving – God is. He is the only one to get the credit and glory for the gift. We, as givers, are just the channel He is using us to bring the gift to the person in need in a given situation as we are led by His Holy Spirit. He alone is the reason we give, and that gift is to be recognized as a gift from God, not man.

When we give to people who are in need, it is very important that we do it privately, not letting others know what we are doing. There are reasons for this. One thing to note is that God is sensitive to a person’s reputation. Others do not need to know that a person is struggling. Others may see the poor, but God alone knows what they need and when they need it – and He always provides. We maintain their honor when we do not tell others.

The most important purpose for giving is to reflect the heart of God. We do it from a right heart. We do it because we care about the person we are giving to and genuinely want to help them when it is in our power to do it. We are not giving to be recognized by others as being so “great” because they see us helping the poor. Also, look at this.

1 John 3:17 AMP

But whoever has the world’s goods (adequate resources), and sees his brother in need, but has no compassion for him, how does the love of God live in him?

Prayer Vs. 5-15

According to Jesus, there are several points to consider on the subject of prayer.

Ø  It is to be done privately. It is never to be a show among others. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pray corporately when in a church meeting. That is also a necessary practice because the prayers of many is powerful:

Leviticus 26:8 AMP

Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will put ten thousand to flight; your enemies will fall before you by the sword. 

                  

Ø  It is to be done from the heart. Prayer should not become a daily ritual of trying to say all the right things. Saying the same things over and over as if that were going to do anything. Think about it. We don’t talk with others that we speak with each day, do we? This is dead and carries no weight with God. He is looking for us to talk with Him about what’s on our heart each day. Things do change from day to day, and so do our needs. Prayer is a time of heart connection.

God knows what we need before we ask. He wants to hear it from us so that He sees that we recognize what we need and that we are coming to Him to meet that need.

Matthew 7:7-11

Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who keeps on asking receives, and he who keeps on seeking finds, and to him who keeps on knocking, it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will [instead] give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will [instead] give him a snake? If you then, evil (sinful by nature) as you are, know how to give good and advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven [perfect as He is] give what is good and advantageous to those who keep on asking Him.

Ø  The Model for Prayer - Jesus Shows Us a Pattern for Prayer – Not to say these specific things every day in a vain repetition. It is meant to be a template for – an outline for prayer.

Start by recognizing who God is. It is good to thank Him and give Him glory, honor and praise for all He has done for us.

Since His kingdom Has already come to the earth, we now pray for His will to be done in our lives and in the lives of others – just like things are done in heaven. That’s a great big subject all it’s own.

Ask Him for what we need each day and thank Him for providing it.

Take time to extend forgiveness to anyone that you have a grudge or anger against. It is vital for God to hear our prayers and answer them according to us not carrying unforgiveness in our hearts. We are told here that if we won’t forgive others, God won’t forgive us. It’s a sowing and reaping concept. Look at verse 15 in the Amplified Bible.

Matthew 6:15

But if you do not forgive others [nurturing your hurt and anger with the result that it interferes with your relationship with God], then your Father will not forgive your trespasses.

Another very important point as we pray is ask God to keep us from temptation. We need His help to deliver us from the snares of the evil one.

1 Corinthians 10:13 AMP

No temptation [regardless of its source] has overtaken or enticed you that is not common to human experience [nor is any temptation unusual or beyond human resistance]; but God is faithful [to His word—He is compassionate and trustworthy], and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability [to resist], but along with the temptation He [has in the past and is now and] will [always] provide the way out as well, so that you will be able to endure it [without yielding, and will overcome temptation with joy].

When we wrap up our prayers, we should acknowledge that God’s kingdom way is the way to do things – just like we see in a previous verse here where we say to the Lord, “Not my will be yours be done.” Honestly, that’s a hard prayer to pray. May time we can be afraid of what His will in a situation we are facing might be. We may be dealing with fear of the unknown. We may be dealing with flesh screaming to have its own way. We need to learn that He is loving and whatever He is asking of us, He will also give us the grace to do it.

2 Corinthians 12:9

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Fasting Vs. 16-18

Here is another way that we do things privately with our Father in heaven where He rewards us openly. Anytime  we seek to draw people’s attention to something we are doing like giving, praying or fasting, which is to be a private thing between us and the Lord, is to draw attention to self. That’s when we can get into making it a show in front of others as if to say, “Look at me, aren’t I holy?”

Fasting is a necessary discipline in the Christian life. It helps us to keep our flesh under control. It helps us to set aside the time we spend on food preparation and consumption to focus on the Lord and have fellowship with Him. Times like this can bring answers and revelation, as well as spiritual breakthroughs.It can us to eliminate sin in our lives. Look at this.

2 Chronicles 7:14

if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

Fasting is a form of humility. When we set other things aside to seek the Lord. He appreciates it when we repent from sin and turn to Him and seek His face. We need His plan for our lives, and spending time with Him is the only way we will hear what it is. If we are already spending a lot of time with Him, but not getting the answers we need, perhaps we just need to give Him our ear for just a few more minutes. God is not cruel. He is kind. If we seek Him, we will find Him. He assures us of this in His word.

Heavenly Treasure – the Most Valuable Things in Life Vs.19-24

Here we see the Lord calling us to place our main focus on the things that will last for eternity. So many times, we spend our thoughts, time and efforts on things that will on things that will one day perish and be no more. The Lord makes it clear that what we value and spend the most time on is what we really treasure. This is cause for reflection to reexamine what is most important to us.

Matthew 6:24 AMP

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money, possessions, fame, status, or whatever is valued more than the Lord].

Jesus tells us in this passage that we can only serve one master – not two. So whatever is mastering us is our master. Is it Jesus , or something else?  When we look at the verses about the eyes being light or dark, this is talking about spiritual perception. Darkness reflects blindness to the things of God. How do we see things of spiritual importance? If we look at the AMP version, we can get a deeper understanding of what is being said here.

Matthew 6:22-23 AMP

 “The eye is the lamp of the body; so if your eye is clear [spiritually perceptive], your whole body will be full of light [benefiting from God’s precepts]. But if your eye is bad [spiritually blind], your whole body will be full of darkness [devoid of God’s precepts]. So if the [very] light inside you [your inner self, your heart, your conscience] is darkness, how great and terrible is that darkness!

Don’t Worry Vs. 25-32

This leads right into the final passage in this chapter about worry. The previous verses about storing up things that last for eternity feeds right into the worry aspect of daily life. Many are overly concerned about what they will eat, drink and wear, just as a starting point. In fact, the majority of Christians are worrying about many other things in life that we do not need to be concerned about. After all, God loves us so  much that He will always provide for us handsomely. We just need to believe it and trust Him. There is no lack in Father’s house – ever!

If we humans would just take a lesson from the birds as well as other animals outdoors, we would see the perfect example of provision from God. Think about it. Do you ever see a bird sitting outside chewing on it’s claws and freaking out because he doesn’t know where his next bite of food will be? I haven’t. Also, have you ever seen a healthy bird that looked like he was “underweight” because God wasn’t giving him enough to eat? I highly doubt it.

It seems the birds have more faith in God than people. They rest and then get up and go for their food when they need it, and it’s always there. If they sat and worried about it – rolling it over and over in their minds as if to say, “what am I gonna do, oh what am I gonna do?”, would it make any difference in their provisions? Absolutely not. God knows they need food. Additionally, they are beautifully dressed. Our Father knows we need these things too. He says that we carry more value than the birds. When will we wake up to this and let all that worry go?

The famous verse in Matthew 33 says to seek first God’s kingdom and all these things will be added. If we do what God is asking of us for tithing, sowing, praying and fasting, seeking Him and the work He has for us, then He will surely take care of the natural things we need to sustain life and even enjoy it. Of course there will be trials, temptations and difficulties. Jesus never said it would be easy. But God is making it clear that He will provide for His children. God loves us – that’s why He created us. He has everything we need.

Psalm 23:1

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Stay in Today – Tomorrow Isn’t Here Yet Vs. 34

The last verse in this chapter concludes with advice about what tomorrow holds. Jesus said not to be concerned about it. There’s enough to deal with in each present day. Trying to carry tomorrow before it gets here provides a spiritual load too heavy to bear. Look at this.

James 4:13-16

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”;  whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”  But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

It is certainly appropriate to make plans, but also to remember that those plans are subject to change. The Lord will direct our steps each day as we trust in Him.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Psalm 37:23

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.

In conclusion, our days can go this way and that. We all know how plans can change. Being flexible is a good thing. It keeps us from getting all wound up about a day that hasn’t even arrived yet. It seems more than enough to deal with the day we are in.

Reflection

Like Matthew 5, this chapter gives us many points to think about. When we sit down and look at them and mediate on them, we can see ways that we can do things differently. We all can improve on how we do things. Taking the time to study the words of our Lord and then to see what He is highlighting for us is what it means to seek the kingdom of heaven first. Too often, the busyness of life gets in the way and we don’t hear all that we need from God. We can miss out on a lot of wisdom and direction that we desperately need.

How About You?

As you meditate on this chapter, what points stand out to you that seem to require some immediate adjustments?

Take it a step at a time. God will not give us more than we can handle in a day.

Be blessed as you study in Jesus’ Name. Amen.