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What happens when we leave out bread?

Luke 11:3 (AMP) Give us each day our daily bread.

Today bread is one of the foods we like to take out of our diet to lose weight. There are those with gluten or wheat allergies and have to abstain or their bodies will not feel good. In ancient Israel bread was a essential at every table, as it was what provided the calories for daily life. Bread played a central role in Jewish life, symbolizing nourishment, divine care, togetherness, and spiritual meaning, making it both an everyday staple and a sacred tradition. It was considered a gift from God and a divine blessing.

Deuteronomy 8:3 (AMP) He humbled you and allowed you to be hungry and fed you with manna, [a substance] which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, so that He might make you understand [by personal experience] that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.

Which bread is Jesus referring to in the Lord’s prayer? Was it literal bread or was it figurative bread? How about both. God does care about our physical needs. We cannot be so spiritually minded that we are no earthly good. God does not just care about spiritual matters. He cares about your entire self. Here is the thing, we get so caught up in tomorrow that we cannot focus on today. In Exodus 16, manna was provided with instructions.

Exodus 16:16 (AMP)  This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Let every man gather as much of it as he needs. Take an omer for each person, according to the number of people each of you has in his tent.’”

This was to be done daily, and only the day before the Sabbath were they allowed to collect for two days. What would happen when they did not follow and tried to do it their way? The bread would start to smell sour and have worms in it. God desired for them to come before Him daily. They were still in the habit of seeking Him when they needed something. He does care about our needs. Here are some scriptures that I want you to ponder:

John 3:35 (AMP) Jesus replied to them, “I am the Bread of Life. The one who comes to Me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in Me [as Savior] will never be thirsty [for that one will be sustained spiritually].

John 6:48-51 (AMP) I am the Bread of Life [the Living Bread which gives and sustains life]. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the Bread that comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the Living Bread that came down out of heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread [believes in Me, accepts Me as Savior], he will live forever. And the Bread that I will give for the life of the world is My flesh (body).”

Jeremiah 29:13 (AMP) Then [with a deep longing] you will seek Me and require Me [as a vital necessity] and [you will] find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

Psalms 27:8 (AMP) When You said, “Seek My face [in prayer, require My presence as your greatest need],” my heart said to You, “Your face, O Lord, I will seek [on the authority of Your word].”

Psalms 105:4 (AMP) Seek and deeply long for the Lord and His strength [His power, His might]; Seek and deeply long for His face and His presence continually.

Matthew 6:33 (AMP) But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.

What happens when our bodies go without food for a long time? I am not talking about a spiritual fast from food. I am talking about a time when you just do not feel like eating. I recently took a trip to Disney World with my husband. I skipped breakfast because I planned to ride a roller coaster first thing, and it usually gives me motion sickness. I am not usually hungry until lunch anyways, so no big deal. Huge mistake! We had water, but I forgot the electrolyte packets, which is a benefit in July heat. It was the hottest day with a heat index of 102 degrees. I had a fan and some snacks for when we got hungry, like granola bars and cheese crackers. The ride was down when we got there and did not come back up until around noon. I felt the hunger pangs but ignored it to try to make it until we could get on (another mistake).

I got the notification that the ride was back up, but we were in line to take a picture with a character. That is one of my joy’s about visiting Disney is all the character meet and greets. I know I am a grown woman; I still like to be a kid sometimes. What was this ride? Rockin Roller Coaster and had just been redone with the Muppets band, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. We have watched all the Muppet movies and grew up watching The Muppet Show. I know, we are just big kids! We get in line and it is a ninety-minute wait, which ended up being two hours. We chose to wait it out because this ride has had multiple closures, as I had been following, and this was probably our only chance. Most of the cue for the line is outside, there are fans and shade umbrellas, but it was hot. I was doing pretty good until I was not. Here I am in a crowd of people, and I start to get dizzy. Then the nausea and sweat. What just happened? No electrolytes and no food. I had become weak and needed to sit down. I had a granola bar, could that help? Nope. I needed something with lots of sugar and fast. I called out looking for hard candy. Some sweet people helped me find some and even helped me up when the line started moving. Within minutes, with a cold towel around my neck and some candy, I was back on my feet. I let John (my husband) continue on the ride without me. I did not need the concussion from takeoff to be added to our adventure. We went back to our room and rested a few hours, then went back to the park to finish out our day.

What has this got to do with daily bread? It reminded me that trials and tribulations are going to come in our lives (heart waves). Do we have the sustenance from our daily bread to withstand them. If I had eaten that granola bar in the morning, like I did the next park day, I probably would not have had that sugar crash in line with the heat wave. The bread was not needed after the heat; it was needed before to prepare my body. We often look at our times with God as something we can fit in later. I can read my Bible another time. Then when we have times of trials, we become exhausted and want to fall down in defeat. If we are feeling the exhaustion more than we are feeling the abundance of joy, then we need to look at what we are not feeding on. Read John 15. It is true that Jesus never leaves us nor forsakes us, that does not mean we do not seek His face. I learned a very humbling lesson that day. It did not keep me from enjoying our week though.

Abba, Father, our Banner, You are Marvelous and Wonderful. You are Holy and worthy of all honor and praise. Thank You for Your Son Jesus and His steadfast love. Thank You for the Holy Spirit, our Friend and Teacher. Thank You for Your Word. We repent for not going before You and reading Your Word as if it was the best meal that You ever offered us. We are sorry for taking it for granted as if it does not nourish us more than the lusts of this world, with what we see, taste and smell. Let us come back to You with humble hearts, seeking Your face. You desire to fill us with everything You have and we so often look at Your hands and not Your face. We repent for looking at our circumstances and people as meeting our needs, when we should be seeking after Your righteousness first. You call us the trees of righteousness, on that tree is good fruit. Let us have good fruit, starting with the fullness of Your love, joy and peace. Let us no longer ignore the hunger pangs and turn back to Your face. We choose forgiveness today. We choose love today. We choose surrender today. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Giving Thanks As We Break Bread Today

Who is Jesus to you? Today think on that and in courage share that with someone today.

Matthew 16:13-18 (MSG) When Jesus arrived in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “What are people saying about who the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some think he is John the Baptizer, some say Elijah, some Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” He pressed them, “And how about you? Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter said, “You’re the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus came back, “God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn’t get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. And now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.

As a church we focused so much on that Jesus kept us from hell. This is just part of the truth, but not the whole.

Jesus walked this earth as a man. John the Baptist preceded Him, proclaiming that we need a changed life, that the Kingdom of God is here. When Jesus began His ministry, that did not change.

Jesus did so much in such little time. He was focused. Do not lose focus! We are Kingdom Disciples!!

What should we be focused on? Jesus and all that He is. He did not save me from hell, He is my everything!

Let me explain. Jesus revealed Himself in His Word. He did this because He did not come to just save me from hell, His Kingdom is here, that means He wants me to be whole!!

When we are whole, we are nourished!!  We can sustain in any terrain! So let us find out who Jesus revealed Himself to be.

When we are whole, we are nourished!!

When we first think of nourishment we automatically go to our stomachs. This is an area that His disciples struggled in as well.

Matthew 4, the first temptation was about Jesus being hungry. The devil tempted Him to turn a stone into bread. Verse 4 in the Message, “Jesus answered quoting Deuteronomy: ‘It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.’”

The disciples were presented with hunger for the crowds in feeding the 5000, then the 4000, then there was a time when they argued because they were about to traveled and they only packed one loaf of bread!

The first I AM Jesus gives us is so fitting then… “I am the bread of life.”

John 6:35 (TPT) Jesus said to them, “I am the Bread of Life. Come every day to me and you will never be hungry. Believe in me and you will never be thirsty.”

We are a hungry people. Is He your bread? I cannot feed others, when I am hungry.

The second part of that of Him being living water to where we never go thirsty was revealed to the Samaritan woman at the well. It propelled a ministry, that even reached the house of Nero.

John 7:38 (AMP) He who believes in Me (who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Me), as the Scriptures has said, “From his innermost being will flow continually rivers of living waters.”

These are scriptures that I cling to. When Jesus modeled the prayer for us, He also told us to thank Him for our daily bread. He is my daily bread.

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States of America. Thankfully, I will be celebrating with my family. I have prepared food all week long to share at my mother’s home. My prayers are with families that usually have to travel long distances and cannot this year due to Covid restrictions. As we break today let us know that the compassion and deep love that Jesus has for each one of us. As we over stuff our bellies with all the comfort foods, let us remember He sent us the Comforter in the Holy Spirit so that we would never have to go without His Presence.

I started out this month writing a daily Thanksgiving on my private Facebook page. I admit I did miss one day and that is okay. We are not perfect in what we set out to do. We will continue to make mistakes, but He is right there in the midst of them. His bread is fresh and new every morning! I will continue to give thanks.

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Bread tastes so good!

I love to bake. Preferably, I cook most of our meals in the oven. During the Covid-19 stay at home order in Alabama I learned how to make many new dishes. One specifically was a banana nut bread. I had a recipe I had used before, but I went on a search for the most moist and delicious one out there. Of course once I found it I had to share with all who were interested in my new recipe. It is called “Moist and Delicious Banana Bread.” I told a friend and she was like, is it really though? I said yes and let her sample a piece. I did mess up one batch, though, by putting baking powder instead of baking soda.

Anyways the way I talk about my new found recipes was the way I think the apostles (Jesus’ disciples) were like when they came to tell them about their latest mission in Mark 6. I am going to start us off with verses 30-31 and use the Passion Translation: The apostles returned from their mission and gathered around Jesus and told him everything they had done and taught. There was such a swirl of activity around Jesus, with so many people coming and going, that they were unable to even eat a meal. So Jesus said to his disciples, “Come, let’s take a break and find a secluded place where we can rest a while.”

Jesus was very hands on with training His disciples. Then, He would send them out to put into practice what He taught them. Jesus would often use every day situations to reveal the heart of His Father.

Mark 6:32-36 They slipped away and left by sailboat for a deserted spot. But many of the people saw them leaving and realized where they were headed, so they took off running along the shore. Then people from the surrounding towns joined them in the chase, and a large crowd got there ahead of them. By the time Jesus came ashore, a massive crowd was waiting. At the sight of them, his heart was filled with compassion, because they seemed like wandering sheep who had no shepherd. So he taught them many things. Late that afternoon, his disciples said, “It’s getting really late and we’re here in this remote place with nothing to eat. You should send the crowds away so they can go into the surrounding villages and buy food for themselves.”

How often do our bellies like to do the speaking for us? There have been days when I worked full-time at my church’s day care (well I was doing more than one job) that I did not break to eat or drink. I had the hunger pangs, but yet there was so much to still do. At the end of the day I would be irritable. It was because I was not taking the time to feed myself. Think about that as we see what Jesus’ response was.

Mark 6:37 But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” “Are you sure?” they replied. “You really want us to go buy them some supper? It will cost a small fortune to feed all of these thousands of hungry people.”

“You give them something to eat.”

Jesus was testing His disciples here. How much were they getting from His teachings? He told them to feed the people. The first thing they think of is money. Is that not just the way we are too? God tells us to support our church and other ministries and we say “well, I will just give money”, or “all they want is my money.” There are times He tells us to sow financially, but there are times He tells us to do.

Mark 6:38-42 “How many loaves of bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and see.” After they had looked around, they came back and said, “Five-plus a couple of fish.” Then he instructed them to organize the crowd and have them sit down in groups on the grass. So they had them sit in groups of hundreds and fifties. Then Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, gazed into heaven, and gave thanks to God. He broke the break and the two fish and distributed them to the disciples to serve the people – and the food was multiplied in front of their eyes! Everyone had plenty to eat and was fully satisfied.

Jesus told them to feed the people. Their first instinct was to look at the lack of money, but Jesus wanted them to look at what they had. This was not the first time we see a miracle of bread to feed. In 2 Kings 4:42-44 we see Elisha knew the heart of God: Then a man came from Baal Shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley bread, and newly ripened grain in his knapsack. And he said, “Give it to the people, that they may eat.” But his servant said, “What? Shall I set this before one hundred men?” He said, “Give it to the people, that they may eat; for thus says the Lord: ‘They shall eat and have some left over.'” So he set it before them; and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord (NKJV).

When we feed on the nourishment that Jesus gives us we have more than enough to feed His people. Jesus said that He is the Bread of Life. Sometimes we lack confidence to do what He tells us to do because we have not been feeding enough. We have to make sure we do not get too fat on it, because we all know how good bread tastes!

John 14:12 says, Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do….” My husband used this scripture right here this past Sunday. God has had me on the word “refuse” for a while. “Refuse” is the opposite of “will do”. When we say to Jesus, “I will do,” this is what He is expecting…“the works that I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” He has given us the ability to get revelation from the Word of who His Father is. He did everything His Father did on earth, so that means we can too. Miracles can happen. We can feed people! Look around with what you have and use it!!