If you serve God with intent and focus, you know you have resisted many worldly enticements. You have genuinely entrusted your life to God. But how does God sustain His people beyond what the world has to offer? We learn the answer in the life of Jesus. God sustained Jesus and gave Him all He needed to complete His mission on earth—seeking and saving the lost (Luke 19:10). Likewise, as a follower of Christ, stay on mission despite the headwinds you encounter, and God will nourish, sustain, and strengthen you!
Natural Food – Spiritual Food
The woman at the well ran into the city to tell others to “Come, see a man.” Afterward, the disciples returned. They saw people flocking to Jesus but focused on their priority.
Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus, “Rabbi, eat something.” But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.” ”Did someone bring him food while we were gone?” the disciples asked each other. Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work” (John 4:31-34, NLT).
Jesus explained that doing the will of God nourished and sustained Him! He gained spiritual strength by doing what the Father sent Him to do. On the contrary, the disciples focused on their primary concern in the middle of a mighty spiritual move—the nourishment of Jesus’ body. This priority mix-up still occurs today among those who continually prioritize natural needs over spiritual ones.
I have counseled in partnership with an outreach ministry for over 22 years now. Thousands of individuals have streamed into the ministry for help on utility bills. After the director determines the financial assistance to be offered, we focus on the needs of the client’s spirit and soul. Often, we hear this: “I needed that personal ministry way more than I needed help on the bill.” Indeed, meeting spiritual needs has a deeper and longer-term impact.
In Matthew 6:33, Jesus says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” He places first things first. Our natural needs will be supplied when we seek God’s Kingdom and align our lives with it.
Sent Ones
Let’s look at another phrase in the statement Jesus makes in John 4:34. He said His nourishment came from doing the will of God who sent Him. He was chosen and sent! He is our example. He proclaimed that His followers were also sent to fulfill God’s plan for their lives (John 20:21; Jer. 29:11). Yes, you are a sent one with a purpose—a mission!
To fulfill your God-ordained mission requires several things; I will address two. One is to continue to mature in your faith, and the second is to obey (do) God’s will. In Luke 2:52, we read that Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. He matured! We are to do the same. Ephesians 4:13-15 NLT says we are to grow until “we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.” Maturity occurs as we grow, resembling Christ more and more!
As we mature, we should obey more! We are nourished along our spiritual journey by obeying God. During forty days in the wilderness, Jesus endured temptation. Satan tempted a hungry Jesus to turn stone into bread. Jesus told him: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4). Jesus withstood the enemy by declaring the importance of God’s Word. And He obeyed it! God then sent angels to minister to Him.
I testify that God meets our needs when we obey and follow His will. In 2002, I left a prestigious, high-paying job in the business world to follow God’s will for me in ministry. He has met every need from the first day until now. He rewards maturity and obedience!
Becoming Like Christ
Friend, we must set aside immature disobedience and heed the still, small voice on the inside! That voice never opposes or contradicts God’s Word! Often, a thought from Him arises from within as we go about our business. It is important to heed this voice instead of dismissing it, especially when the thought lingers or returns! As you grow in the Lord, the times of saying, “I knew what God was telling me to do; I just didn’t do it, “ should diminish.
Repent for being disobedient! Think about this: Army soldiers don’t go into a territory, create their own strategy, and do their own thing. No, they follow the orders of those who sent them. We are in a foreign land (the world), representing the Kingdom of God. When we disobey, we go off-mission and do our own thing to our peril. We must repent of this tendency and follow the guidance of the One who knows the end from the beginning!
Lastly, God transforms us by renewing our minds (Romans 12:2) and conforming us into His image (2 Cor. 3:18). As we yield to this transformation-conformation process, His will becomes less foreign. Why? We are becoming like Him. One day, we will stand before God and display the results of His conforming handiwork: “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). We shall be like Him, fed and sustained through obedience to God’s will!
Peace~
Dr. Iris Barrett
Read Part 1: People of the Spirit of God
Read Part 2: People of God’s Spirit: Lay Down the Weight and Run Toward Destiny
