"Fresh Bread" ... come and get it!!!

Over the last week the Lord has been speaking to me about the significance of having "fresh bread" in the house. Intrigued? So was I. 

It started a week ago when I was asked at short notice to share with a special group of ladies anything that the Lord had laid on my heart. I had been reading some passages earlier in the week that had spoken to my heart, so I thought I would draw on that. But that's when the Lord dropped the words "Fresh Bread" in my heart. 

I started with the story of how God fed His children for 40 years as they negotiated their journey towards the promised land. Exodus 16:11-35 tells the story of their discovery of this manna from Heaven. I found God's heart in His instructions to the Israelites so fresh and telling to me in my journey with Him. Here's a little of what spoke to me in this story of God's provision ...

1) God's first instruction to them in verses 16 - 18 was for each household to gather as much manna as they needed. Some gathered a lot and some only a little, but everyone had enough. In fact it says that each family had just what they needed! This speaks to me about God's faithfulness of how He sees into each of our individual lives and daily provides for all that we have need of. We know that God provided practically for them every day for 40 years. During that time, every family's need would have changed, and with that change, God's provision would be there in abundance to fulfill just what they needed. They always had enough! As I took this thought to heart, I realised how God's heart is still the same to us today. After all the Bible says that He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Every single day He opens His hands to us to give us the "fresh bread" of His provision for all that we have need of. He wants to meet our needs spiritually and practically with His Words of life! He has all the wisdom, anointing, refreshing, healing or provision that we need. He cares about us spirit, soul and body. Sometimes in our busyness, we forget to lift our eyes to see the banquet table that He has prepared for us daily where He has come to meet us where we are at.  

2) The second thing that struck me was God's instruction in verses 19 - 21 that this bread was to be collected DAILY so that it would not spoil. When they disobeyed and tested out this instruction by keeping over extra for the next day, they woke up to find the bread "full of maggots and it had a terrible smell". While I wanted to shake my head and "tsk tsk" at these disobedient people, I had to stop and take a good look into my own heart to realise how sometimes God has given me some "fresh perspective" in His Word and while being so excited about seeing God's promises come to life in my life, I have stayed on that testimony for sooooo long instead of giving God daily opportunities to speak into my life a fresh and provide for my daily heart needs. So many times I have become content on stale old bread when EVERY DAY God has fresh manna straight from His heart to share with me! It also so stood out to me in verse 21 that "after the people gathered the food they needed in the morning, as the sun became hot, the flakes they had not picked up melted and disappeared." It makes me mindful that every day God has more than I need available and on offer for me to gather as I go into my day. He has all the wisdom, grace and perspective to speak straight to my heart if I would just take the time to come and receive what is on His heart for me daily! There have been too many days where I have gone on empty, or the adrenaline of my emotions or past revelation where God had just the Words of life and wisdom that would have equipped me with a God sized testimony! Every day is an opportunity for a fresh testimony with God!!! I don't want to see those opportunities disappear or melt away.

3) Something that was very important to God in this story was to bless His children with a day of rest. Verse 22 - 30 shows that on the 6th day God taught them to gather twice as much food and to prepare ahead so that on the seventh day they could have a complete rest. This was the only day that the food remained fresh when kept over. Verse 29 God actually spells it out for them saying "The Sabbath is the Lord's gift to you." This stood out really big and bright to me. God blesses rest. He knows How important rest is for us that He even made it a law for them. In it we see His heart for us. Rest is His GIFT to us. When is the last time we took time out to rest and thank Him for His provision that allows us to rest? We are too busy for our own good and God is speaking out to us that He has the provision that we need that will allow us to rest. All we have to do is receive it. How do we do that? We go to His promises and exchange our need for His provision. Sometimes that need may be anxiety ... so we exchange our stress, for His peace. We will never have a need that He is not able to meet. He isn't called "the ALMIGHTY" for any small reason ;0)

4) When I looked into what manna tasted like it also so blessed my heart. Verse 31 says "It was white like coriander seed and it tasted like honey wafers.". In fact Psalm 78:23-25 says "Yet He commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of Heaven and rained down manna on them to eat and gave them of the bread of heaven. Men ate angels food. He sent them food to the full." Not only did God give them daily bread ... He gave them OF HIS BEST! He fed them with angels food! That is what God is saying to us today. He offers us His best every day. We are told in Philippians 4:19 that "My God will meet all your needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus". He has "fresh bread" for us today and every day. That provision comes out of the richness of all that He is!!! Oh how He loves us! Fresh bread straight from the hands of Jesus Himself!!! Simply mind blowing stuff to me!

5) I then remembered Jesus words in John 6:31-40 where He reminds us that He IS the Bread of Life. He is our living manna! His promise is that when we receive from Him we will never hunger or thirst again! Jesus fulfills the heart of the Father by becoming the bread of life ... by giving of Himself to us every day! Every day He draws near. His very words of promise are our fresh bread. His words of life become our truth and freedom. As we receive His words of truth, He exchanges our lack and bondage for freedom! John 8:32 declares that "You will know the truth and the truth will make you free." Each day as He offers us the "fresh bread" of His truth into our lives, He is offering us FREEDOM!!!! When we receive that freedom, we have a fresh testimony! Why do I keep going on about having a fresh testimony??? Well let me share what blew me away ...

6) The last verse the Lord led me to as I prepared was Revelation 12:10-11 which are His words ... "Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, ' Now salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony ...". This my friends is how we slay the enemy!!! By coming to Jesus and exchanging our sins and lack for all that He has graciously redeemed through His shed blood for us and having a daily testimony of His goodness!!! We slay the enemy every time we declare and demonstrate the goodness of God!!! This is why we need a daily testimony! This is why God offers us "fresh bread" every single day! Every day holds countless opportunities for us to come to God and in trust, receive all that we need from him.

Today I am praying that you will see the banquet table of His very Presence and goodness spread out before you and that you will, like me, come and receive your "fresh bread" and have countless fresh testimonies to shout out from the depths of your heart of how you have met with "the Bread of Life", Jesus Himself and slay the enemy over and over again!!!

Can you hear it? "Fresh Bread! Come and get it!!!" No wonder the Lord's prayer reminds us to pray "Give us this day our daily bread." :0) 

All my love,

Janine