Never Underestimate Your Part

I think there are many instances in our lives that God is probing our hearts and minds to see if we will participate in a creative miracle with him or deny participation because we only see the natural. Being spiritually minded is not denying the natural but working in tandem with the natural.  However, learning how to think both naturally and spiritually together takes a lifetime of training and discipline.

One of the best stories to illustrate this is in the gospel of John in which Jesus questions his disciples and Philip in particular about feeding people who have spent time trying to learn how to think with a kingdom mindset. They were not near a food store or restaurant so the proposition Jesus made to his disciples was both logical and spiritual.  Jesus was always pushing the disciples to look beyond their natural eyes in order to see the possibilities of “What If” God were to move on their behalf.

John 6:5-7

Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” [6] This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. [7] Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.”

When the scripture uses the word “TEST” we often look at such a word or event as being a negative thing.  In truth, God is looking at our test as an opportunity to stretch our faith and perception in both the natural and spiritual worlds.  If we looked at God’s tests in our lives as opportunities rather than punishment we would probably grow to trust God more while also gaining wisdom and success.

What if we could perceive what God is doing in our particular test and realize that He is helping us advance in life rather than retreat?  Would we or could we move out of our limitation to participate with God in a miracle whether great or small or will we back away from partnering with God because we perceive the test as God’s disfavor rather than his love on our behalf?

John’s gospel is unique from the other three because John brings out the spiritual side of ministry and a walk with God whereas the other three gospels merely act as an observer. John’s gospel was written after the other three in order to bring balance to the Christian walk marrying the natural and spiritual.

Jesus feeding the 5,000 pushes the disciples to take the responsibility of embracing a natural need to experience a spiritual breakthrough that affects the natural. The disciples did not see the possibility of moving in a creative miracle until Jesus challenged their faith and their inability to think outside the box of the natural.

Jesus was pushing the disciples to anticipate that a miracle could change everything, even the need to feed thousands. This challenge of pushing their expectations to walk in the spirit, rather than just the natural, came in the middle of a seemingly impossible test.  How often do we experience similar events where we didn’t see a miracle coming until we were right in the middle of a test?  Unfortunately, once the miracle of finances, opportunity or healing happens, we attribute the outcome to natural causes like doctors, a generous person or some other natural means other than God moving on our behalf. It is so easy to “RATIONALIZE” away the supernatural hand of God!

In this particular story, Jesus first presents a problem and an opportunity. Can we feed all these people and how?   Their first reaction is only to see the “IMPOSSIBLE” and not to look to Jesus.  Again, don’t we do the same with our problems and opportunities? We look at the enormity of our problem and our need rather than looking into the eyes of Jesus in the spirit and see what he wants us to believe or see.

The disciple Andrew, who doesn’t seem to strike me as big faith man, poses the question of using a few loaves of bread and a few fish.   It is “AMAZING” to see Andrew stretching himself with offering a partial possibility to solve this feeding problem. He doesn’t let the smallness of his suggestion hinder him and Jesus partners with him to create a massive miracle.

John 6:8-9

One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?”

I want to be the one that looks into the face of Jesus to see if he wants me to step out to do what seems naturally impossible for me to do. I want to believe that nothing is impossible, like how Mary embraced what the angel told her she could do in becoming pregnant with the Lord Jesus. I want to be ready for whatever God is willing for me to be a part of, even is it scares me.  Are you?

I know I may feel weak to believe something supernatural could happen and yet I want to try. My fear is I will be stuck in only looking at the natural rather than at God and thus miss my opportunity. Maybe you are the same in thinking you don’t know how to think spiritually with a natural problem but you can. Today could be the day that God does something extraordinary because you are willing to see differently than you currently do.

May I suggest that today you pray for the Holy Spirit to awaken your soul to see past what’s in front of you and see into the spirit realm. Maybe it’s just a small step and yet every great move and revelation of God usually starts with baby steps. Take the baby steps of faith and see what God can do in your walk today.

Questions:

1) Have you denied or ignored your part of something that God wants to do in your life or through your life? Most of the time our mindset needs to change (Rom 12:1-2)

2) Are you ready to seek God to increase your belief that He can use you? The prophet Jeremiah said we will find God when we seek him with all our hearts ( Jer 29:13 )

May the Holy Spirit convince us of possibilities,

Pastor Dale