Read Mark 8:1-21
This morning we continue our series entitled, “The Year of Supernatural Manifestation”, with our mini-series on “The Miracles of Jesus.” We have been covering the miracle feeding the 4,000, and what happened aftewards, for a few days. Let’s go back to it again today.
In Mark 8 Jesus fed 4,000 people with seven loaves of bread. Later He and His disciples boarded a boat to head to the other side of the lake. Once in the boat, the disciples realized that they only had one loaf of bread. This caused an argument about who was supposed to bring the food. Jesus said, “Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not see? Are you not able to understand? Do you have eyes that can’t see? Do you have ears that can’t hear? Remember what I did before, when we did not have enough bread? I divided five loaves of bread for 5000 people. How many baskets of food were left over?” The disciples answered, “12 full baskets.” Jesus continued, “And when I divided seven loaves of bread for 4000 people, how many baskets did you fill with the leftover pieces?” They answered, “Seven full baskets.” Then Jesus said to them, “You remember these things I did, but you still don’t understand?”
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Spiritual perception is critical to successfully walking with God.
a) Jesus lived His life as an example of what it looks like to live in two realms at the same time. Jesus lived in the earth, but He received His marching orders from heaven. This is the way we are supposed to live.
b) There are always two realms in operation. Jesus sometimes seemed like He was not in sync with this realm, because He was in sync with God’s realm. When you truly live by faith you are operating off of instructions and evidence that the people of this world are blind to.
c) After Jesus taught the parable of the sower to a crowd, He explained to His disciples why He spoke in parables. He said, “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding.” See, when God is using a human to communicate His thoughts, ideas and ways in this world, there is a voice behind the voice of the human; there is a Word being communicated that is behind the words flowing from the human’s lips. In order to hear the voice behind the voice and the word behind the word, you must be spiritually perceptive.
d) It is often very difficult to receive from God what you fail to perceive in the spirit.
e) God wants you to develop in Him to the point where you can see, hear and understand what He is doing in this world and in your life.
2. God expects your supernatural experiences with Him to help develop your spiritual perception.
a) When the disciples were complaining about only having one loaf of bread, Jesus was upset about their lack of spiritual perception. They had been through so much with Him that He expected them to be able to perceive by that point. He asked, “Do you still not see? Are you not able to understand? Do you have eyes that can’t see? Do you have ears that can’t hear?” He then asked, “Remember what I did before, when we did not have enough bread?” Jesus’ point was that their past experiences should have helped them develop their spiritual perception.
b) There are spiritual things happening every day, all around us. But in order for us to benefit and receive from the supernatural realm, we must be able to perceive it, believe it and receive it by faith. This is why God wants us to see, hear and understand in the spirit. If you can see, hear and understand in the spirit, you can be changed by what you see, hear and understand, and it will position you to experience divine victory in this world.
Closing Confession: Father, this is a year of Great Victory for me. I am learning that my learning is not enough. I graduate from learning to discerning, from intellect to instinct, from education to revelation. I declare, by faith, that I can see, hear and understand what You are doing in this world, in my life, and in my community. I perceive, I believe and I receive from You, so You are able to make an impact in this world through me. I live in this realm, but I live in sync with Your realm, even if it means I am out-of-sync with the people down here. I would rather be a God-pleaser, than a man-pleaser, any day! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
