Tuesday 24 May 2011

'give us this day, our daily bread'...1


                                                              The Spirit-Life Coach
Premised on the principles of faith and Divine provisions as seen in the Sabbath Days we intend to launch into the deep as it relates to our rest in the God who is more than enough for our needs. We look into His heart full of love for us and into His hands full of works done to meet our needs. For He said “touch my hands and see the holes in there”. The holes came because He would provide for us…because of this we can look to Him and say…’give us this day, our daily bread’…and then go rest…knowing that those hands have gone to work…on our behalf.
                                                                           



                                            'GIVE US THIS DAY,OUR DAILY BREAD..'! (1)
WHEN THE Lord walked the earth He lived a life of prayers depending on His Father for all His needs. He couldn’t afford to look unto man because He knew what was in man. He was the Priest of the New Covenant (while the Old still held sway) but being not of the course of Levi he couldn’t minister in the temple. It would be unlawful. But then, that-not-withstanding He must still fulfill the functions of a priest, for He came as a Priest.

To this end Paul declares in Hebrews chapter 5 that the Lord offered up strong prayers unto God who was able to save Him from death and He was heard in that he feared. Praying is one of the ways through which we fulfill our priestly ministry as the Body of Christ in the earth today. Prayer would help us bring salvation to all men.

The men around Him, His apostles saw the length and the efficacy of His prayer life. His prayers were fervent and it met their needs. They were alarmed. It was a new concept. Yes, in the religion of their fathers they knew some about prayers but then this man prayed in a way man never prayed. He meant it!

And whoever He was praying to was in business with Him too, for that God heard Him and met Him at the points of His needs.

So they did the right thing. They came and asked Him after one of His sessions, “Lord teach us to pray”. Jesus as usual went a step ahead of them. They wanted Him to teach them like John the Baptist and the Pharisees taught their disciples to pray, but then He taught them to pray not in a legalistic way but in very dynamic way- a living way. He taught them to pray to a living God in ways their hearts could feel. He led them to engage in a conversation with the Father…a conversation that could be started at any time and that could last for any length of time. Whatever the case may be, this God was ‘all ears’, always there!

A little digression

Please permit me to show you something about this form of prayer He taught them. One of the statements reads …”and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”. It would go this way when they prayed it “…Dear Father, I really need you now, I just messed up and sinned against you…(a little coarse laughter laced with the dryness of regrets and godly sorrow)…. I was dumb and acted dumb on Monday, when I ………………………………….but then Lord I’m really sorry for hurting you and making your words ineffective. However I know that there is forgiveness with you. And among other things Father, I know that if I could forgive brother so and so of his offence against me I know you would do this for me and just let it go. I’m full of faith that this case is not beyond you…please Father, forgive me”

Now I’m not saying this is the way this prayer MUST be prayed. I’m just bringing out the possibilities of the vibrancy that could be replicated in our talks with the Father again and again and again. As it were one could pray this prayer with tears, rolling on the ground, kneeling or standing, sited on a stool, lying down on the bed, tearful or tear-less, the possibilities are endless.

Back to the message

One of the real issues the Lord wants us to discuss with the Father is about our needs. And boy!... has anything ever felt so REAL! In fact to most of us there is really nothing as real as our needs. We could feel them. They determine our moods for the day. For some of us the weight may be so heavy that whether we greet anybody back in the morning is determined by whether we think those needs could be met or not and of course when we think they could be met. 




  

THE SPIRIT-LIFE COACH IS A " NOW WORD" from the Spirit of God sent to believers to facilitate our coming into the present glory.
For more information about past messages in the series, counsel or prayer requests, you may e-mail: Pastor Dele Matthews, christcollege07@yahoo.co.uk or call 2348028783451, or 2347066668066
Pastor Dele Matthews is Senior Minister, Restoration Ministries and Dean of Studies, Christ College- a Word School set up for the Spiritual Growth of ALL Christians, focussing on establishing the Believer in God's Present Truth to the Body of Christ. 

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