TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL (Saturday 10th July 2021)
“So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?”
He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”
And he said to Him, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. John 21:15-17 NKJV
WELCOME TO THE 191ST DAY OF OUR YEAR OF HIGHER HEIGHTS!
It’s very clear in this scripture that the primary need of everyone who has given his or her life to Christ in every Church generation is spiritual food. It is not prayers, fasting, giving, or singing but quality spiritual food.
My apostolic and prophetic ministry under God has taught me over the years that until people are properly fed spiritually, they cannot fast and pray effectively, neither can they give, sing or worship accurately; that is in synchronicity with the Holy Spirit and the church in Heaven.
God’s Power, resulting in healing, deliverance and dominion over sin will always break out on us each time we sing or worship in synchronicity with the Church in Heaven, as the church on earth. But all that is not possible without sound and proper spiritual feeding.
Jesus indeed demonstrated the importance of feeding His sheep with quality spiritual food when He asked Peter those questions as if He was talking to a deaf man.
God’s word to us today has to do with spiritual hunger and lack of spiritual food in the Church today. Malnutrition is not a good thing. Most diseases spring up in life because people are not properly fed naturally. In the same way, all spiritual problems can be traced to lack of quality spiritual food in the lives of men.
Many cannot get or stay married because they are malnourished. Others are poor, and every effort they make to break from it through tithing and sowing seeds have proved abortive. You cannot break from poverty if you are not fed properly.
When you read God saying to us through these devotionals; “man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” you have heard God blaming all our woes in and outside the church on lack of good spiritual food. You have seen the position of Heaven on our myriad of problems.
God designed that our spiritual and natural well-being be sourced from proper spiritual feeding. That is one of His redemptive plans. That was why He was resounding to Peter the “feed my lambs” and “tend my sheep” mandate.
WITHOUT PROPER FEEDING, THERE CANNOT BE PROPER TENDING.
To tend simply means to care, and the only way you can care properly is to feed properly. Hence Jesus saying “feed my lambs” “tend my sheep” “feed my sheep.” Those are the major highlights in our devotional text today that should get your attention.
If you are part of the flock of Jesus and you are under a church or ministry that may be scooping all kinds of financial support from you, asking you to give all the money but is not feeding you with proper spiritual food, a time is going to come that you will hate anything called church or pastor, prophet, apostle and etc. Because you will suffer the plaque of spiritual malnutrition and die spiritually over time.
Sadly, many are in a very bad shape in marriages, finances, faith, social life, health and etc. because they are spiritually famished.
There are several signs that when they occur in your life are indications that you are spiritually famished. The first is becoming impatient with God. The first sin Saul committed that eventually led to him losing the throne was activated by impatience with God.
Samuel had told him to wait for him at Gilgal for seven days, and he waited that long but few minutes to when the prophet will arrive to establish his kingdom forever, he became impatient and did what he shouldn’t have done. The result was not good. Samuel told him; “now your kingdom shall not be established.”
Walking with God requires a lot of patience. That is why the word “wait” is one of the most important words attached to lasting moves of God and amazing blessings in the scriptures.
DAVID, A MAN WHO USED PATIENCE WITH GOD TO ASCEND THE THRONE, ADMONISHED US SAYING;
“Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.”
“Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret — it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.”
“For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; Indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more. But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” Psalms 37:7-11 NKJV
But when you become famished in the spirit you can no longer accept an admonition to wait (Now I’m not referring to delay because delay can be demonic; am referring to waiting upon the LORD). Most bad marriages and destructive decisions of life are usually conceived in a season of impatience with God.
If you are therefore, in a church that may seem to be doing you good, but are always plagued with the spirit of impatience, God is saying to you that they are not doing you good as you think because you are not being properly fed. You need to move to where you will be properly fed to come into your much awaited blessings in Christ Jesus.
The next sign that you are spiritually famished is “not having a strong will against sin and all forms of corruption” like Samson. You know Joseph could say no to Potiphar’s wife but Samson could not say no to Delilah. The difference was in their will.
Many people in church today have lost the will and grace to resist sin. They and their pastors now explain the tragedy away by preaching sermons and manufacturing doctrines that help them see no evil in whatever they may be doing. The Bible strongly admonishes that we build a strong resistance against sin.
BUT THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE WHERE ONE IS NOT FED WITH RICH SPIRITUAL FOOD.
When you therefore, see yourself always falling into sexual sins, walking in forgiveness, and unbelief, being comfortable in iniquity and trespasses, change your spiritual fountain. It’s a sign that you are not properly fed; there is no inner strength within you to resist evil. It’s like not eating for days and losing all strength to resist anything evil.
I shared the story of Idi-Amin of Uganda sometimes back, based on what I watched in a movie and read in a book in my school days. One of the disgusting lines I read told of a group of soldiers who were locked in a cell to starve to death. The ones that were eventually rescued alive survived by feeding on the flesh of the ones that died as a result of starvation.
I guess, before then they could not dream the possibility of eating human flesh. But when they became famished they did.
You will always do the unthinkable each time you are famished spiritually. You will sleep with the man or woman you have vowed never to cast your eyes upon, or crave for the carnal things you have prayed and promised the LORD not to crave for.
The sin problem in church today is caused by lack of proper spiritual food.
It is because of these and many other ills of spiritual famine that God said to Peter in our devotional text, “feed my lambs” “tend my flock” “feed my sheep.”
What is the message of our devotional today? The message is simple. God wants you to start looking for a spiritual father or family that will feed you properly so you can come out of your many problems.
You may have blamed your foundation, some spirits, and etc. for your problems but God is blaming them on spiritual famine – you are suffering because you are famished spiritually.
MAKE THIS DEVOTIONAL AN ADDITIONAL MEDITATION FOR THE DAY;
“And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.”
“And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the Lord, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.” Jeremiah 3:15-16 KJV