Author: The Manna Chef

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It’s Bigger Than You

The Manna Chef

Sometimes life can seem so complicated that you feel like you’re in this thing all by yourself.  Everywhere you turn, there is a hurdle to jump.  You ever find it hard to catch your breath because so much is going on? 

There was a time when life seemed so overwhelming that I just wanted to give up; not on living, but in ministry.  I felt like I was becoming stagnant.  I was pouring out so much, but very little was being poured back in.  I didn’t have balance in my life.  I was doing the best I could; but I was on “empty.”  You know what?  People will use you up if you allow them to do it.  I was pretty much exhausted and I was becoming bitter.  And I’m talking about in ministry and in life.  I wanted to throw in the towel; it had become too much. 

But the Holy Spirit was right there in the midst of all of my challenges.  He listened to me vent and then He checked me.  I don’t know about you, but the Holy Spirit doesn’t coddle me.  I don’t have many of those tender, sweet moments when it comes to me basically complaining to God.  He listens and then gets on my case.  I describe it to my friends like He has me in the boxing ring, tearing me up!

The Spirit of God reminded me that although I do have a choice, there is really only one choice to make if I want to receive the promises of God and be who He designed me to be.  I have to be obedient to Him and stay centered in His will.  We have to learn how to position ourselves to receive from God. My life belongs to Him, so I’m here to do His will.  That’s the bottom line for me.

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Immediately vs. Eventually

The Manna Chef

It is important for the children of God to learn to move when God instructs us to do so.   Our blessings are awaiting our arrival!

(2 Kings 5:1-13)

There was a commander of the army of the king of Aram, and his name was Naaman.  He was a great man, highly regarded because he had been victorious in battle.  He was a brave soldier, but he had leprosy. 

  • Even when others perceive us to be great, we are flawed individuals who are dependent on the One true and living God.

There was a young girl who’d been taken captive from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife.  One day she said to Naaman’s wife, “If only he would go to see the prophet in Samaria, he would be cured.”

  • God places people strategically in our paths to lead us to where we need to be.  It’s important to be obedient to the Spirit of God and to treat others with respect.  You may be carrying the key to someone’s deliverance in your mouth (and they may be carrying yours).

Naaman told the king what the young girl had said and the king told him to go.  He said, “I will send a letter with you to the king of Israel.”

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Do You Recognize the Manna?

The Manna Chef

In Exodus 16, God provided manna for the children of Israel as they journeyed through the wilderness. We’ve heard the story before: they began to complain against Moses and Aaron because they were hungry. They asked, “Why would you bring us out here to die? At least we had meat and bread in Egypt. We’re worse off now than where we were before.” Be careful longing for the past when God has delivered you and instructed you to move forward to your destiny. Don’t let the trap of comfort keep you from your promise of destiny.

You ever notice how your temperament changes when you are hungry? There’s even a goofy word for it now: hangry. We get cranky and mean sometimes, just because we need something to eat. When we are hungry, we become motivated to act. Think about that for a moment. Hunger drives us to act. Be aware of what drives your hunger, and I’m not just talking about in the physical sense, because it influences how you will act.

And what are you truly hungry for? (Because thatleads you to do something about it.) Matthew 5:6 says, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” I’ll ask again, what are you hungry for? For some, it may be material gain. For others, it may be a closer relationship with family. Still others, it may be promotion on the job. Some hunger for power. And some simply want to be closer to God. You may even seek a combination of these. But remember, Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

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Where Are You Looking for God?

The Manna Chef

Have you ever felt all alone, as if no one really understands where you are or what you are going through?  We all have at some point, right?  The enemy is quick to try to isolate us from the flock to make us vulnerable.  He feeds on these thoughts, because if he can get us to entertain them, he doesn’t have to worry about defeating us; we’ll defeat ourselves.

Sometimes the storms of life can seem overwhelming.  Tests and trials are loud and seem so powerful.   Our own emotions can be deafening.  It can be difficult to even hear the voice of God, especially when so many other things have our attention.  But sometimes we’re simply focused on the wrong thing, looking for God in the wrong place.

1 Kings 19:11-18

Elijah had an experience when he felt the very same way.  He had just won a victory on Mt. Carmel, where God proved that He is the One and Living God.  There was no question of God’s Omnipotence, and Elijah was on a spiritual high.  And immediately after the victory, Elijah found out that Jezebel wanted to have him killed.  He was afraid and disheartened—to the point of wanting to just die.  Talk about depressed! (Right after a major victory too) Elijah was weary and wanted his life to end, and God met him right where he was.  An angel came to Elijah and told him to “arise and eat because the journey is too great for you.”  There are two lessons in that simple instruction.

  1. Arise—to come into being; to ascend; to begin at a source; to get up from sleep or after lying down. In other words, change your position.  We all have moments when we feel “down and out,” but they are only meant to last a moment.
  2. Eat—nourishment is necessary to sustain us, physically and spiritually. We must feed ourselves with the Word of God just like we feed ourselves food.  Eating brings the energy necessary to complete the task.  I Kings 19:8 says that Elijah “went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God.”

Elijah ended up in a cave, feeling sorry for himself.  He felt like he was all alone and was still afraid of Jezebel’s threat.  But God was patient with Elijah, just as He is with us. 

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